PR Vets Aren't Optimistic About Younger Generation
Veteran PR practitioners are not optimistic about the next generation's writing skills, client relations and business acumen, according to a recent study by a regional PR industy newsletter. But the good news is PR newcomers are on-line savvy.
The West Coast Newsletter surveyed 400 Public Relations Society of America members to gauge if seasoned PR executives are confident in passing the baton to the younger generation. The survey generated 60 responses and indicates the need to bolster career development training efforts and initiatives to attract more articulate young professionals to the industry.
Ninety-one percent of the respondents have at least 11 years of experience with 56 percent having 21 years of industry experience.
Key findings include:
- 80 percent of PR vets think that young marcom professionals do not possess "clear and concise writing skills."
- Poor "client relations" (61%) and "public speaking" (51%) were identified as areas in need of significant improvement.
- 77 percent feel that the younger generation is "more Web-savvy" than their older colleagues.
(The West Coast PR Newsletter, Darren Shuster, 888/WCPR-NEWS.)
Managed Care Programs Control Retail Drug Market
Managed care plans are continuing to dominate the retail prescription drug market to the tune of 64.5 percent in 1998, up from 59.8 percent in 1997, according to an industry report by IMS Health, a provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Fewer consumers are paying the total cost for their prescriptions, but also are paying for their right to choose pharmaceutical brands that aren't included in their health plans.
Increase in consumer demand for access to all prescription drugs is resulting in increased co-pay trends, according to the report. "The trend just beginning is triple tier co-pays-a small co-pay for a generic prescription, an increased co-pay for a branded formulary product and an even higher co-pay for a branded non-formulary product," says Myron Holubiak, general manager of The Plymouth Group, IMS' consulting arm.
Other study highlights include:
- 43 percent of the Medicaid population now is on managed care; this trend is expected to nearly double to 83 percent in five years;
- 27 percent of Americans are enrolled in private managed care organizations; this figure is expected to shoot up to 46 percent within five years; and
- Cash prescriptions at the retail level-those paid entirely by patients-were only 25 percent of the total prescriptions sold in the second quarter nationally. (IMS Health, 610/832-5874)
Blacks Frustrated With Health Information In The Media
Most African-Americans feel health information available via mass media outlets falls short of providing adequate coverage on issues that most impact them.
Nearly 70 percent say the media fails to provide targeted health information, according to a recent study by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent healthcare philanthropy in Menlo Park, Calif., and the National Association of Black Journalists in Washington, D.C.
The biggest health information voids include drug and alcohol abuse education, AIDS, heart disease, cancer and access to affordable healthcare and insurance.
The survey of 804 African-Americans, found that:
- 60 percent get most health information from television;
- 76 percent feel the media usually under-represent African-Americans in health stories. For instance, media tend to present the high incidence of teen pregnancy as a "black problem;" and
- 46 percent receive a significant amount of medical information from doctors and other healthcare professionals.
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 650/854-9400)