Konceptualizacja pojęcia public relations

The aim of this article is an attempt to conceptualize the notion of public relations and initiate discussion and strive to find answers for the following questions: what is public relations nowadays in 2012? What is its position in Polish science, particularly within the area of economic sciences? What is the difference between public relations and marketing? The whole article is preceded by identification of key stimulants of public relations development in historical perspective, review of previous attempts to define public relations along with author's own proposal of comprehension of public relations and distinguishing its most important forms.