Yi-Ru Regina CHEN 陳怡如 Associate Head and Associate Professor
University of Maryland, College Park (PhD)
(852) 3411-5057
yrchen@hkbu.edu.hk
CVA Room 911

Dr Yi-Ru Regina Chen (PhD, MA: University of Maryland, College Park) is an associate professor in public relations. She also oversees Public Relations Series, one of the landmark talk series of the School’s Centre for Media and Communication Management.
Dr Chen’s research focuses on how public relations can bring mutual values to various organizations (corporations, NPOs, governments) and stakeholders via strategic communication, especially in the context of greater China. Her research interests include shared value creation, stakeholder engagement in mediated social communication and brand communities, and CSR communication strategy and public trust in business. She is the 2006 Bob Heath Top Paper winner (ICA, PR Division), research fellow at the Behavioral Insights Research Center of Institute for Public Relations (USA), and the 2015-2017 Page Legacy Scholar (Author W. Page Center). Her work has been published in?Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review,?Information, Communication & Society,?Telematics and Informatics,?Social Science Computer Review,?Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Communication, International Journal of Business Communication,?American Behavioral?Scientist,?and?International Journal of Strategic Communication.
Editorial BoardsPublic Relations Review
Journal of Public Relations Research
International Journal of Strategic Communication
Research InterestsStrategic communication
Public relations
Social media engagement
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) & creating shared value (CSV)
Behavioral insights
PublicationsSelected Journal Articles (* denotes equal authorship)
Cheng, Y., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R.* (2021). Social media influencer effects on CSR communication. International Journal of Business Communication. Advanced online publication. [SSCI]
Cheng, Y., Chen, Y. R., & Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F. (2021). Social media influencers in CSR endorsement. Social Science Computer Review, 39(4), 744-761. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R.,* & Zhao, X. (2021).?Digital dialogue in online brand communities: Examining the social network outcomes of brands’ dialogue with Facebook users. Telematics and Informatics, 57, Article e101507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101507 [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., Bowen, S. A., Zerfass, A., Stacks, D., & Boyd, B. (2020). The role of leadership in shared value creation from the public’s perspective: A multi-continental study. Public Relations Review, 46(1), Article e101749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2018.12.006 [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, X. H. (2020). Moving forward the dialogic theory of public relations: Concepts, methods and applications of organization-public dialogue. Public Relations Review, 46(1), Article e101878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101878 [SSCI]
Chen, X. H., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2020). Constructing positive public relations in China: Integrating public relations dimensions, dialogic theory of public relations and the Chinese philosophical thinking of Yin and Yang. Public Relations Review, 46(1), Article e101770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.04.004 [SSCI]
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2020). Explicating trust and its relation to dialogue at a time of divided societies. Public Relations Review, 46(1), Article e101890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101890 [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., Cheng, Y., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Jin, Y. (2019).?Engaging international publics via mobile-enhanced CSR (mCSR): A cross-national study on stakeholder reactions to corporate disaster relief efforts.?American Behavioral Scientist, 63, 1603-1623. [SSCI]
Cheng, Y., Chen, Y. R, Jin, Y., &. Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F. (2019).When CSR meets mobile SNA users in mainland China: An examination of gratifications sought, CSR motives, and relational outcomes in natural disasters. International Journal of Communication, 13, 319-341. [SSCI]
Cheng, Y., Jin, Y., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2019). Mobile corporate social responsibility (mCSR): Examining publics’ responses to CSR-based initiatives in natural disasters. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13, 76-93. [SCOPUS]
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., Chen, Y. R., Stacks, D. S., Coombs, W. T., & Boyd, B. (2018). Creating shared value, public trust, supportive behavior, and communication preferences: A comparison study in the United States and China.?Public Relations Journal, 11(4). Available at https://prjournal.instituteforpr.org/
Chen, Y. R. (2018). Strategic donor engagement on mobile social networking sites in China: A study of Chinese millennial WeChat users. Chinese Journal of Communication, 11(1), 26-44. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R. (2017). Perceived values of branded mobile media, consumer engagement, business-consumer relationship quality and purchase intention: A study of WeChat in China. Public Relations Review, 43, 945-954. [SSCI]
Oh, H. J., Chen, Y. R., & Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F. (2017). Exploring effects of CSR initiatives in strategic post-crisis communication among millennials in China and South Korea. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 11, 379-394.? [SCOPUS]
Sheer, V. C., Mao, C., & Chen, Y. R. (2017). Focus group findings of smoking onset among male youth in China. Substance Use & Misuse, 52(7), 866-874. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Kim, J.-N. (2017). Identifying active hot-issue communicators and subgroup identifiers: Examining the situational theory of problem solving. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 94, 124-147. [SSCI]
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., Chen, Y. R., & Boyd, B. (2016). Corporate social responsibility, media source preference, trust, and public engagement: The informed public’s perspective. Public Relations Review, 42, 591-599. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., & Schulz, P. J. (2016). The effect of information communication technology on reducing social isolation of the elderly: A systematic review. Journal of Medical and Internet Research, 18(1), e18. Available at ?https://www.jmir.org/2016/1/e18/ [SCI Expanded]
Bowen, S., Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2016). Ethics as a precursor to organization-public relationships: Building trust before and during the OPR model. Cogent Social Sciences, 2(1), 1141467. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23311886.2016.1141467 [19 pages, open-sourced article]
Chen, Y. R., & Fu, J. (2016). How to be heard on microblogs? Nonprofit organization‘s follower networks and post features for information diffusion in China. Information, Communication & Society, 19(7), 978-993. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R., & Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F. (2014). Examining the internal aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR): Leader behavior and employee CSR participation. Communication Research Reports, 31(2), 210-220. [SCOPUS]
Chen, Y. R. (2013). Exploring environmental scanning for China’s political information: A government official's perspective. Public Relations Review, 39, 581-583. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R. (2013). Effective communication and frame persuasiveness for food safety controversies: The young male consumer’s perspective. Journal of US-China Public Administration, 10, 886-900.
Hung, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2009). Types and dimensions of organization-public relationships in greater China. Public Relations Review, 35, 181-186. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R. (2007). The strategic management of government affairs in China: How multinational corporations in China interact with the Chinese government. Journal of Public Relations Research, 19, 283-306. [SSCI]
Chen, Y. R. (2004). Effective public affairs in China: MNC-government bargaining power, corporate strategies for influencing foreign business policy formulation. Journal of Communication Management, 8, 395-413. [SCOPUS]
Chen, Y. R. (2003). An integrated approach to risk management: Combining public relations, risk communication, and political communication. In J. Biberman & A. Alkhafaji (Eds.), Business research yearbook: Global business perspectives, 5, 944-948. Saline, MI: McNaughton & Gunn.
Books
Chen, Y. R. (2008). The business of corporate government affairs in China: Corporate competitive advantage in China’s marketization. Germany: VDM Publishing. [499 pages, Paperback].
Book Chapters
Hung-Baesecke, C. F. J., Chen, Y. R., & Lan, N. (2021). The Excellence theory – Origins, contribution and critique. In C. Valentini (Ed.), Public relations (pp. 313-334). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., Chen, Y. R., Ngai, C., & Ma, M. (2019). CSR communication. In B. R. Brunner-Johnson (Ed.), Public relations theory: Application and understanding (pp.185-202). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chen, Y. R. (2018). Engagement in corporate communication on social media in China. In K. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds),?Handbook of communication engagement (pp. 475-490). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. [Peer-reviewed]
Chen, Y. R. (2018). Public relations research on “publics”: Its development and future research directions. In X. Chen, X. Liu, & C. F. J. Hung-Baesecke (Eds),?Public relations. Beijing, China: Peking University Press. [in Chinese]
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2015). Factoring culture into relationship management theory: Cultivation strategies and traditional Chinese value orientations. In J. Ledingham, E. Ki, & J-N. Kim (Eds.), Public relations as relationship management (2nd Vol., pp. 217-239). London, UK: Taylor and Francis.
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2014). China. In T. Watson (Ed.), Asian perspectives on the development of public relations: Other voices (pp. 20-33). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hung-Baesecke, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2013). The effects of organization-public relationship types and quality on crisis attributes: A study on Facebook. In K. Sriramesh, A. Zerfass, & J.-N. Kim (Eds.), Current trends and emerging topics in public relations and communication management (pp. 225-243). New York: Routledge.
Chen, Y. R. (2013). The strategic management of government affairs in China: How multinational corporations in China interact with the Chinese government. In P. Harris (Ed.), Public affairs management: Volume three – globalization (pp. 245-267). London: Sage. (Reprint)
Li, X., Cheong, A., & Chen, Y. R. (2010). Effective public communication: The management of public affairs in Macau. In Center for Public Administration Research of Sun Yat-sen University (Ed.), Public management in the 21st century: Opportunities and challenges (pp. 428-432). Shanghai: Hibooks. [In Chinese]
Chen, Y. R. (2009). MNC-Government relations and corporate political strategies of MNCs in China. In C. McGrath (Ed.), Interest groups & lobbying: Volume three – Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (pp. 263-293). London, UK: Edwin Mellen Press.
Chen, Y. R. (2009). Hospital community relations: A public relations perspective. In R. Ma (Ed.), Health communication and public health. Hong Kong, China: Hong Kong Education Press. [in Chinese]
Chen, Y. R. (2006). Effective government affairs in China: Antecedents, strategies, and outcomes of government affairs. In E. L. Toth (Ed.), The future of excellence in public relations and communication management: Challenges for the next generation (pp. 477-506). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate.
Hung, C. J. F., & Chen, Y. R. (2004). Glocalization: Public relations in China in the era of change. In K. Sriramesh (Ed.), Public relations in Asia: An anthology (pp. 29-62). Singapore: Thomson Learning.
Awards/Grants/HonorsSelected Grants
2018: Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “Doing Good while Playing: The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Gamification on Chinese Employee Response,” General Research Fund (GRF), HK$313,440.
2016: Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “Comparative Strategic Communication Research,” Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme, HK$76,800
2016: Arthur W. Page Center of the Penn State University, USA, “Transforming CSR: Creating Shared Value, Trust and Perceived CEO Quality in the US, Germany and China,” US$10,000
Awards & Honors
2018: International Communication Association (Public Relations Division), Top Faculty Papers
2018: International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Brigham Young University Top Ethics Paper Award
2017: Hong Kong Baptist University, Performance Award in Scholarly Work
2015-2017: Arthur W. Page Center, Page Legacy Scholar
2016: Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in the United States, Research Fellow of the Behavioral Insights Research Center
2015: International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Koichi Yamaura International Strategic Communication Award
2014: International Communication Association (Public Relations Division), Top Faculty Papers
2006: International Communication Association (Public Relations Division), Robert Heath Award
Media interviewsJuly 2015, The challenge of social media in China by SBS Radio (Australia), http://www.sbs.com.au/radio/article/2015/07/13/challenge-social-media-china