
Rita Linjuan Men, Ph.D., APR
Associate Professor - Department of Public Relations
Bio
Rita Linjuan Men, Ph.D., APR, is an associate professor of public relations at the University of Florida. Men’s background is based primarily in corporate communication research and consulting. Her research interests include internal communication, leadership communication, public engagement, measurement and evaluation, relationship/reputation management, startup public relations, and social media.
Men has published over 30 articles in leading refereed journals, such as the Journal of Public Relations Research, Communication Research, Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Review, New Media and Society, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, among others. She is the lead author of the book, Excellence in Internal Communication Management recently published by Business Expert Press. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Journal, Communication Research Report, and has served as a reviewer for numerous journals and conferences. Men received 17 top paper and research awards from national and international communication and public relations associations. She is the 2010 recipient of the Ketchum Excellence in Public Relations Research Award from the Institute for Public Relations, a 2013 – 2014 and 2017-2018 Arthur W. Page Legacy Scholar, a 2017-2022 Plank Scholar of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, and the 2016 recipient of the PRIDE Outstanding Journal Article Award for Outstanding Innovation, Development, and Educational Achievement in Public Relations from the National Communication Association. Men’s works have been cited over 1000 times according to Google Scholar Citations.
Accredited in public relations and as a Page Up member of the Arthur W. Page Society, Men’s professional experience includes corporate communication, marketing, and public relations research. She has worked internationally with Alibaba Group, Inc., Ketchum, Inc., and provided management communication consulting for various multinational corporations and non-profit organizations. She is the advisory board member and former co-organizer of the International Public Relations Research Conference. She also serves as the Chief Research Editor for the Institute for Public Relations’ Organizational Communication Research Center. In 2016, Men served as an instructor for the prestigious Public Relations Leadership Forum, an intense two-day seminar for high-performing, mid-career communications managers at Global 1000 companies and public relations firms, co-sponsored by the Arthur Page Society, the Public Relations Council, & the Institute for Public Relations.
Men earned her Ph.D. in Communication in 2012 from the University of Miami, and holds an M.Phil in Communication from Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, and a B.A. in International Communication/Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ITP) from Zhejiang University, China.
News
- CJC Faculty and Graduate Students Present Papers at IPRRC 2018 (March 13, 2018)
- Rita Men Recognized by UF on #EmployeeAppreciationDay (March 5, 2018)
- Rita Men and Two CIC Doctoral Students Selected for PRSA Educators Academy Awards (July 30, 2017)
- Three CJC Faculty Receive Promotions (June 28, 2017)
- WATCH: The Social CEO (March 29, 2017)
- All News About Rita Men
Publications
REFEREED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Men, L. R., Ji, Y. G., & Chen, Z. F. (2017). Dialogues with entrepreneurs in China: How startup companies cultivate relationships with strategic publics. Journal of Public Relations Research. DOI: 10.1080/1062726X.2017.1329736
Chen, Z. F., Ji, Y. G., & Men, L. R. (2017). Strategic use of social media for stakeholder engagement in startup companies in China: A triangulated analysis. International Journal of Strategic Communication. DOI: 10.1080/1553118X.2017.1298114
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2016). Public engagement with CEOs on social media: Motivations and relational outcomes. Public Relations Review, 42(5), 932-942.
Men, L. R., & Muralidharan, S. (2016). Antecedents and Relational Outcomes of Social Media Peer Communication about Companies: Evidence from China and the United States. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. DOI: 10.1177/1077699016674187
Men, L. R., & Jiang, H. (2016). Toward an integrated model of internal relationship management: Understanding the interplay between authentic leadership, organizational culture, and symmetrical communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication. 10(5), 462-479, DOI: 10.1080/1553118X.2016.1226172
Tsai, W. S., & Men, L. R. (2016). Social CEOs: The effects of CEOs’ communication styles and para social interaction on social networking sites. New Media & Society. DOI:10.1177/1461444816643922
Jiang, H., & Men, L. R. (2015). Creating an engaged workforce: The impact of authentic leadership, transparent communication, and work-life enrichment. Communication Research. DOI: 10.1177/0093650215613137
Men, L. R. (2015a). The internal communication role of the Chief Executive Officer: Communication channels, style, and effectiveness. Public Relations Review, 41, 461-471.
Men, L. R. (2015b). Employee engagement in relation to employee–organization relationships and internal reputation: Effects of leadership communication Public Relations Journal, 9(2), https://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/PRJournal/Documents/2015v09n02Men.pdf
Men, L. R. (2015c). The role of ethical leadership in internal communication: Influence on communication symmetry, leader credibility, and employee engagement. Public Relations Journal, 9(1). http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/PRJournal/Documents/2015v09n01Men.pdf (funded by LEGACY SCHOLAR GRANT)
Men, L. R., & Hung, C-J. F. (2015). Engaging employees in China: The impact of communication channels, organization transparency, and authenticity. Corporate Communication: An International Journal, 20(4), 448-467.
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W-S. (2015). Infusing social media with humanity: Corporate character, public engagement, and relational outcomes. Public Relations Review, 41, 395-403.
Muralidharan, S., & Men, L. R. (2015). How peer communication and engagement motivations influence social media shopping behavior: Evidence from China and the United States. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(10), 595-601.
Smith, B., Men L. R., & Al-Sinan, R. (2015). Tweeting Taksim: Communication power and social media advocacy in the Taksim Square protests. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 499-507.
Men, L. R. (2014a). Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26 (3), 256-279.
Men, L. R., & Stacks, D. W. (2014). The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal communication and employee-organization relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(4), 301-324. (LEAD ARTICLE)
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2014). Perceptual, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes of organization–public engagement on corporate Social Networking Sites. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(5), 417-435.
Men, L. R. (2014b). Strategic employee communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(2), 264-284. (AMONG SAGE PUBLICATION’S TOP READ MEDIA & COMMUNICATION ARTICLES OF 2014)
Men, L. R. (2014c). Internal reputation management: Effects of authentic leadership and transparent communication. Corporate Reputation Review, 17, 254-272.
Tsai, W. S., & Men, L. R. (2014). Consumer engagement with brands on social network sites: A cross-cultural comparison of China and the United States. Journal of Marketing Communications. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2014.942678
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2013a). Beyond liking or following: Understanding public engagement on corporate social media in China. Public Relations Review, 39, 13-22.
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2013b). Towards an integrated model of public engagement on corporate Social Network Sites: Antecedents, the process, and relational outcomes. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 7(4), 257-273.
Men, L. R., & Stacks, D. W. (2013). Measuring the impact of leadership style and employee empowerment on perceived organizational reputation. Journal of Communication Management, 17, 171-192
Tsai, W. S., & Men, L. R. (2013). Motivations and antecedents of consumer engagement with brand pages on Social Networking Sites. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 13(2), 76-87.
Men, L. R., & Hung, C. J. F. (2012). Exploring the roles of organization-public relationships in strategic management: Towards an integrated model. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6 (2), 151-173.
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2012). How companies cultivate relationships with publics on Social Network Sites: Evidence from China and the United States. Public Relations Review, 38, 723-730.
Tsai, W. S., & Men, L. R. (2012). Culture values reflected in corporate pages on popular Social Network Sites in China and the United States: A cross-cultural content analysis. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 6, 42-58. (EMERALD CITATIONS OF EXCELLENCE FOR 2015)
Men, L. R. (2012a). CEO credibility, perceived organizational reputation, and employee engagement. Public Relations Review, 38, 171-173.
Men, L. R. (2012b). Revisiting the continuum of types of organization-public relationships: From a resource-based view. Public Relations Journal, 6 (1). Retrieved from http://www.prsa.org/intelligence/prjournal/documents/2012men.pdf
Men, L. R. (2011). How employee empowerment influences organization-employee relationships in China. Public Relations Review, 37, 435-437.
BOOKS
Men, L. R., & Bowen, S. (2017). Excellence in Internal Communication Management. Business Expert Press, New York.
Men, L. R., Dodd, M., & Yamamura, K. (2010). Instructors’ Manual for Primer of Public Relations Research. NY: The Guilford Press.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2017). Authenticity. In Heath, B., & Johansen, W. (Eds). The International Encyclopedia of Strategic Communication. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
Men, L. R. (2016). Corporate Internal Relations: Theoretical Foundations and Current Issues (企业内部关系的发展与实践:理论基础及当前问题). In Chen, X. (Ed). The Imagination of Public Relations (公共关系学的想象). Peking University Press, Peking, China.
Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. S. (2016). Gearing toward excellence in corporate social media communications: Understanding the why and how of public engagement. In Hutchins, A., & Tindall, N. (Eds). Public Relations and Participatory Culture: Fandom, Social Media, and Community Engagement (pp. 89-102). Routledge, New York.
Stacks, D. W., Dodd, M., & Men, L. R. (2013). Corporate reputation measurement. In Carroll, C. (Ed.). Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation (pp.561-573). London: Blackwell.
Stacks, D. W., Dodd, M., & Men, L. R. (2011). Public relations research and planning. In Gillis, T. (Ed.) The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing and Leadership (pp. 287-300), 2nd ed., Jossey-Bass, Inc, San Francisco.
Research
Research Keywords
public engagement, corporate communication, organization-public relationship management, reputation management, internal communication, employee relations,leadership, measurement and evaluation, social media public relations, international public relations
Courses
Syllabi from the current and three previous semesters:
- MMC 6936 - Fundraising Communication Fundamentals - section 02EE - Fall 2017 (PDF)
- PUR 4800 - Public Relations Campaigns - section 2318 - Fall 2017 (PDF)
- PUR 4800 - Public Relations Campaigns - section 29H6 - Fall 2017 (PDF)
- PUR 4972 - Internal Communications and Employee Engagement - section 0412 - Fall 2017 (PDF)
- MMC 6936 - Fundraising Communication Fundamentals - section 08AA - Spring 2017 (PDF)
- PUR 4800 - Public Relations Campaigns - section 1544 - Spring 2017 (PDF)
- MMC 6936 - Fundraising Communication Fundamentals - section 02EE - Fall 2016 (PDF)
- PUR 3500 - Public Relations Research - section 4742 - Fall 2016 (PDF)
- PUR 4800 - Public Relations Campaigns - section 2318 - Fall 2016 (PDF)