REGISTRATION OVERVIEW: Towards a New Global Public Relations Model Teleseminar

Transcription

1 presents REGISTRATION OVERVIEW: Towards a New Global Public Relations Model Teleseminar Virtual Seminar Monday, April 3, :00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Central 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Mountain 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Pacific Presented by Toni Muzi Falconi Anne Gregory James E. Grunig Kirshnamurthy Sriramesh Services provided by KRM Information Services, Inc

2 Towards a New Global Public Relations Model: From Theory to Practice April 3, :00 pm Eastern Time Moderated by Toni Muzi Falconi (Italy), chairman, Methodos and professor of Public Affairs at LUMSA University in Rome Panelists: * USA - James Grunig, professor emeritus, University of Maryland, College Park, Approaches to Global Public Relations * United Kingdom - Professor Anne Gregory, professor, Leeds Metropolitan University, The European Perspective * Singapore - Sriramesh Krishnamurthy, associate professor, Nanyang Technological University, Asia and Beyond Program presented by Toni Muzi Falconi The NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies The Public Relations Society of America Public Relations in the Global Arena James E. Grunig Professor Emeritus Department of Communication University of Maryland College Park, Maryland USA Globalization of Public Relations (Descriptive Studies) Descriptive studies show cultural differences. Models of public relations describe practice in many countries. Press agentry is the one universal model. Limited and confused concepts. 1

3 Approaches to Global Public Relations International Public relations practitioners implement distinctive programs in multiple countries, with each program tailored to meet the differences in the individual geographic area. Global Public relations superimposes an overall perspective on a program executed in two or more countries, recognizing the similarities among publics while adapting to regional differences. Globalization of Public Relations Generic principles The characteristics Of excellent public relations Specific applications needed for Culture Political system Economic system Extent of activism Level of development Media systems Generic Principles of Excellent Public Relations Practice Public relations is a unique management function that helps an organization interact with the social, political, and institutional components of its environment. The value of public relations can be determined by measuring the quality of the relationships the organization establishes with its institutional environment. 2

4 Generic Principles Public relations serves a strategic managerial role as well as a technical role. Public relations departments strategically plan, administer, and evaluate public relations programs. Public relations helps to shape the underlying conditions of organizational excellence. Generic Principles Communication activities are integrated through the public relations department or a senior communication executive. Public relations is empowered by the dominant coalition of the organization. Public relations is not subordinated to marketing or other management functions. Generic Principles Public relations is two-way and symmetrical. Publics relations executives are ethics counselors and internal advocates of social responsibility. Public relations departments have a professional base of knowledge. 3

5 Research on The Global Theory Qualitative study of PRISTOP in Slovenia. Quantitative replication of the excellence study in Slovenia. Kaur study of privatization in Malaysia. Rhee replication of Excellence study in Korea. Wakefield Delphi study of 54 experts in 29 countries. Wakefield application to world class companies. Towards A Global Public Relations Model: The European Perspective Anne Gregory Professor of Public Relations Leeds Business School Leeds Metropolitan University United Kingdom The European perspective Public relations practice in Europe for 150 Years Krups 1870 Lever Brothers 1891 Professional bodies in Europe Holland 1946 UK 1948 American texts have dominated There is a distinctive European practice Research approaches public relations as a social construct 4

6 The European perspective Conceptualisation of European public relations begun in 1998 (van Ruler and Vercic) Delphi Study of 37 experts in 25 countries - 3 rounds Selection by geography, qualifications and academic/practitioner roles Exploratory rather than fully representative The European perspective: the Bled Manifesto 2002 (van Ruler and Vercic) Naming the field Public relations (practitioners) communication (academy) Communication management, corporate communication preferred descriptors Public work, public sphere v segmented publics The difference is more than semantic The European perspective: the Bled Manifesto Relationships and communication Public relations is about relationships (21 respondents) Public relations is about communication (21 respondents) What do we mean by communication? Signs and symbols A process developing meaning & altering the public sphere Relationships: one-way and two way 5

7 The European perspective: the Bled Manifesto Parameters of the field Blurred boundaries Problem solving and preventative (Buffer and Bridge, Meznar and Nigh) A professional management discipline Involved in strategy & internal communication Should be used in marketing, but.persuasion Organisational behaviour and ethics A way of conceptualising organisations The European perspective: the Bled Manifesto Public relations as a field of research Theoretical base under developed in Europe Research limited Good research and the dominant US Journals Taught as vocational and undergraduate Not seen as social phenomenon The European perspective: the four characteristics Reflective Managerial Operational Educational 6

8 The European perspective: the four characteristics Reflective to analyse changing standards, values and standpoints in Society and discuss those with members of the organisation in order to adjust the standards and values/standpoints of the organisation accordingly. Concerned with organisational standards, values and views and aimed at the development of the mission and organisational standards The European perspective: the four characteristics Managerial to develop plans to communicate and maintain relationships with public groups in order to gain public trust and/or mutual understanding. Concerned with commercial and other (internal and external) public groups and with public opinion as a whole and is aimed at the execution of the organisation mission and strategies The European perspective: the four characteristics Operational to prepare means of communication for the organisation (and its members) in order to help the organisation to formulate its communication. Concerned with services and aimed at implementation of communication plans developed by others 7

9 The European perspective: the four characteristics Educational to help all members of the organisation become communicatively competent in order to respond to societal demands. Concerned with the thinking and behaviour of organisational members and aimed at internal publics All is not the same in Europe The European Commission Plan D for Democracy White Paper The United Kingdom Phillis Report, Hutton Enquiry New communication model, process based Global Public Relations: Asia and Beyond K. Sriramesh, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Communication & Information Nanyang Technological University Singapore Tksriramesh@ntu.edu.sg 8

10 Asia: The sleeping giant is now awake! Asia s importance in a globalizing world UNESCAP puts Asian population at 3.4 billion Corresponding market size is also huge with over 300 million middle-class consumers in India alone Asia as a market However, doing business in Asia is also a challenge Diversity (e.g. cultures, religions, political philosophies, mass media) Region of conflicts requiring intense cross-cultural communication China and India are now leading the resurgence of Asia after Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore Asia s potential Asia has been a sleeping giant as far as public relations practice and pedagogy is concerned Asian experiences should help us broaden the horizons of the public relations profession but this potential has not yet been harnessed Such a knowledge will help the scores of MNC s entering Asia to develop research-based PR strategies and techniques 9

11 Asia and Public Relations For example, Public relations is more often private relations in the Asian context personal influence model Guanxi in Chinese culture Nomunication in Japan Knowledge of the relationship between the uniqueness of Asia and public relations is based very much on anecdotal and not empirical evidence Diffusion of PR agencies around the world Ethnocentricity in PR Practice The diffusion of PR agencies helps us illustrate the disparity in distribution of PR services (they seem to be absent where the need is most) Public Relations is an ancient profession and can be traced to pre-biblical times in many parts of the world However, in its modern form, PR is seen mostly as a twentieth century phenomenon based in the US or Britain 10

12 Ethnocentricity in PR Practice PR practice and scholarship have developed ethnocentrically during the twentieth century Western principles of public relations have been exported to other regions of the world regardless of local relevance PR practice in most regions continues to be modeled after the US or Britain The profession seems to view values such as PR professionalism or ethics in an ethnocentric manner as if the world is homogeneous Ethnocentricity has hurt the field One-size-fits-all approach has hurt the holistic growth of the field in a globalizing world making the profession less effective This also has hurt reputation of the field as one that involves spin doctoring Because of globalization, diversity needs to be given greater respect by the field Ethnocentricity in Education Formal public relations education and training has come of age in about 30 years PR Education also is ethnocentric, like the profession Courses in public relations writing, campaign, cases, etc. rarely include examples from other regions of the world Few PR text books discuss socio-political diversity around the globe as a factor that should be considered by the PR industry 11

13 Ethnocentricity in Education These same ethnocentric textbooks are translated verbatim by Asian, African, or Latin American countries furthering the ethnocentricity Developing countries display a West is Best mentality that has hurt the holistic growth of the profession Is there A Global Theory of Public Relations? Whether we have a global theory of public relations is open to debate We do have a good conceptual framework that was used by The Global Public Relations Handbook However that normative framework is yet to be tested internationally and refined based on empirical evidence Is there A Global Theory of Public Relations? Because there of the paucity of empirical evidence that confirms the elements of this framework, we cannot yet claim that there is a global theory of public relations The ultimate goal should be to have an empirically tested model of public relations that has predictive capabilities globally Only when PR professionals can use such a model to predict how they should conduct public relations in a given region can we claim that we have a global theory of public relations 12

14 The Challenge The Freedom House called the 20 th century Democracy s Century The 21 st century appears to be the century of globalization Both the PR profession and education need to realize this and be open to retooling themselves in a holistic manner embracing diversity in all its forms Only then will the profession receive greater recognition and credibility in an ever globalizing world Questions & Answers Push *1 on your telephone key pad to comment or ask your question OR your comment/question by clicking on the question icon in the lower right corner of your screen. Type your question or comment in the window that appears, and then click send. Submitted questions will be answered verbally as time allows. Thank you for attending! If you have additional questions, please submit them to Toni Muzi Falconi at tonimuzi@methodos.com 13

15 Thank you for participating in today s teleseminar! For a more in-depth discussion and interaction about these topics and others, we hope you will join us for our 4-day executive education program: Towards a New Global Public Relations Model: From Theory to Practice May 31 - June 3, 2006 New York City For details and registration, go to click on the calendar of events, scroll down to this seminar and click on the title. Additional topics for this executive education program include: Contemporary organizational behavior and trends New publics, new technologies, new media, and new measurement And strategic leadership roles in managing relationship systems for value creation Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged! 14