Public Relations Practice and a Worldview

1
Chapter 14

• Public Relations Practice and a Worldview

2
Objectives

• To understand that we all look at the world, its
  people and its situations through different
  lenses.
• To realize that to function in a global society,
  it is necessary to understand different
  perspectives.
• To be aware that you will be working with public
  relations practitioners all over the world and,
  in some cases, competing with them for jobs and
  business.
• To initiate opportunities to learn about other
  cultures and other languages, and to experience
  the worlds others inhabit.

3
Values Influence Our Views

• Values come from
• Family
• Faith
• Culture
• Environment
• Linguistic culture
• Differences in values create the potential for a
  disconnect

4
Potential for Misunderstanding

• How PR is practiced and defined differs
• Rules and practices of media relations differ
• Freedom of expression differs
• Freedom of assembly differs
• Education and preparation of PR practitioners and
  journalists differ

5
Global Variables Affecting PR Practice

• Political, social, cultural and economic
  characteristics of where an organization does
  business influences its PR

6
Global Variables Affecting PR

• A countrys infrastructure
• A countrys media environment
• A countrys societal culture

7
Other Global Variables Affecting PR

• A nations political structure
• A movement throughout the world from one-way to
  two-way communication
• More emphasis on knowledge and persuasion as a
  part of relationship building
• Women public relations practitioners becoming
  both more numerous and more influential

8
Political Ideology and PR Practice

• Four elements affect public relations in any
  country
• Right to assemble freely and to organize
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom to come and go from a country
• Access to legal relief for grievances

9
Economics and PR

• The degree of government control of the economic
  system and the level of privatization influence
  how PR is practiced
• Growth in privatization leads to growth in
  business-to-business PR, customer relations
• More government control leads to more public
  affairs

10
Economics and PR (cont.)

• A global economy creates the need for a full
  array of PR activities Advertising, marketing,
  business-to-business, investor relations, Web
  development, high-tech communication
• A global economy also creates the need for
  specialization Community relations, employee
  relations, corporate communications, crisis and
  issues management, fundraising, sponsorship,
  entertainment and cultural communication,
  political communication

11
Activism and PR

• Techniques used by activists and response to
  activism by organizations tells a lot about both
  PR and the society in which it is practiced
• Activist actions may include education,
  compromise, persuasion, pressure tactics or force

12
Activism and PR (cont.)

• Some activist actions are abhorrent in any
  civilized society, but others enable people to
  peacefully express their views
• Political, social, cultural and economic
  characteristics of countries determine how
  particular activist activities will be viewed.

13
Culture and PR

• Culture ultimately defines what PR is in any
  particular country or organization
• Practitioners must reconcile how the organization
  they work for relates to their own indigenous
  cultures and an emerging global culture
• Practitioners must help people with different
  values and beliefs live in harmony and respect in
  a global society

14
Media Environment and PR

• Factors that create media environment
• Role the government thinks media should play
• Ownership of the media
• Education, experience and ethics of the editors
  and journalists
• Media tend to be either authoritarian or
  libertarian
• Social responsibility now a dominant element

15
Media Environment and PR (cont.)

• Government affects content of media
• Government affects ownership of media
• Global media must adjust to media practices in
  various countries