ma spring 2009 martin nielsen public relations (1) history definitions understandings global...

MA Spring 2009 Martin Nielsen

Public Relations (1)

History DefinitionsUnderstandings Global Contexts


Programme

Presentation Practical and didactical remarks Learning objectives Profile International Market Communication and

Public Relations Course Public Relations

− History of Public Relations− Definitions of Public Relations− Understandings of Public Relations− Publics in Public Relations− Public Relations in a Global Context

Summing up


Some practical remarks

PowerPoint slides on CampusNet Sunday before 22.00

Reference list (literature) on CampusNet after lecture

Hard copies in C100 or in lecture


Some didactical remarks

No 100% match between readings and lectures

PowerPoint slides in English Lectures in English … … unless complete audience understands Danish

Reading

Lecture


Learning objectives

After this lecture

You

should be able to

Place the course in the study programme Know the requirements for the course Know definitions of PR Know Grunig & Hunts four models and the

criticism of them Be able to identify PR approaches and types of

publics Know global/intercultural implications of PR


MA in International Business Communication: Profile International Market Communication and Public Relations

• Semester

30 ECTS

Linguistic Knowledge and Method

Corporation, Communication,

Context

Media, Markets, Consumers

10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS

2. Semester

30 ECTS

Linguistic Knowledge and Method

Public Relations

International Market

Communication


3. Semester

30 ECTS

“Career module”: Internship/

Common lectures/ Case

Elective Elective


Workshop: MA Thesis

Problem and Method 30 ECTS


Course description

“COMPETENCES DEVELOPED

The aim of the course is to enable you to produce public relations material in an international context on the basic of the relevant theories and methods.”

Course Description CampusNet


Course description

“Knowledge about

the planning and managing of international public relations

corporate social responsibility and ethics (CSR)

crisis communication

national identity and tourism communication

corporate websites and newsletters

Proficiency in

analysing a communication situation, using a selection of the relevant theoretical constructs

applying the analytical results in the production of appropriate and targeted public relations material in defined international contexts and media.”



Course description

“TEACHING

Public Relations will be taught as a combination of lectures in English and classes in the chosen languages where student initiative and activity will be prioritised.”



Course description

EXAMINATION

Written home assignment with oral defence Production of PR material + report Text(s)/ genre(s), case/ corporation/organization of

own choice In the foreign language 22,000 characters (10 pages of 2,200 characters

each) Examination date/ deadline: to be set and to be

announced by the Study Administration 7-point scale External Examiner


− Historical preconditions: emergence of a public (18th century) and emergence of a society with organisations (Habermas 1962)

− The term ‘public relations’ shows up in the beginning of the 20th century in the USA

− Edward ”The Father of Spin” Bernays:Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923)

History of public relations


A clever way to get publicity

”At lave PR for noget”/ ”At lave PR for nogen”

”If a young man gets to know a girl and tells her what great guy he is, that’s bragging

If he tells her how adoring she looks, that’s advertising

But if the girls chooses him because she heard from others that he is a great guy, that’s public relations”

Definitions of PR: common language


Definitions of PR: diversity

Estimates up to 2,000 definitions of PR

Wide-ranging definition combined of 472 definitions

”Public relations is a management discipline which analyses, adapts and develops all mutual societal relations between an organization and its internal and external stakeholders through goal oriented communication”

(Griswold/Griswold 1948: 4; Scharf 1971: 166)

(Harlow 1988: 9)

(Blach/Højberg 1989: 20; translation MN)


Definitions of PR: PR organizations

”Public relations helps our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into harmony.”

(www.prsa.org > Official Statement on Public Relations


Definitions of PR: PR organizations

”Public relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.

Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.”

(www.cipr.co.uk > Looking for PR > What is PR?)


Definitions of PR: scientific

”The management of communication between an organization and its publics”

Basic elements in PR definitions

· Goal oriented /systematic· Through communication· Understanding/ trust/ sympathy· relations corporation (organizations) –

stakeholders (publics)

(Grunig & Hunt 1984: 6)


Basic understandings of PR

Symmetrical understanding

PR communication = dialogue

Purpose: mutual understanding

Representative: Grunig, James/ Hunt, Todd (1984): Managing Public Relations

Asymmetrical understanding

PR communication = persuasion

Purpose: persuasion

Representative:Toth, Elizabeth/Heath, Robert (eds.) (1992): Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations


Grunig & Hunts 1984 four models Press Agentry/Publicity: attention at almost any price, truthfulness secondary

Public information: precise, true, but usually beneficial information about

the organization

Two-Way Asymmetric: Scientific research to find out how public can be

convinced/persuaded to act according to organization’s interest

Two-Way Symmetric: Research and dialogue to create symbiotic change in

ideas, attitudes and behaviour with both, organization and public

Before

(”cynical”)

One-way

Two-way

Now

(”ethical”)


Criticism and development/evolution of Grunig & Hunt 1984

Criticism

Utopian/unrealistic/ idealistic to assume symmetry between PR parties

Two-Way Symmetric is kneeling for interests of the public and unconditional giving up of own interests

In reality a combination of more of Grunig/Hunts models is used

Defence

Persuasion etc. and instrumentality is still a part of Two-Way Symmetric

Misunderstanding – it is a mutual adaptation/accept and a balancing process

agrees

Grunig 2001


Criticism and development/evolution of Grunig & Hunt 1984

Criticism

Corporations have greater power than their publics and therefore do not have to do symmetric PR

Perspective: normative theory to be used by corporations (vs. to be used by publics)

Defence

Not quite true: publics are not entirely without influence (organized, litigations, use of media)

Development: normative theory (5 item action plan) to be used by publics

• Self-criticism: Symmetry rather a process than a state of affairs or a result

Grunig 2001


”… the public should be just as likely to persuade the organization’s management to change attitudes or behavior as the organization is likely to change the public’s attitudes or behavior.”

” … communicators … must listen as well as argue. This does not mean, however, that they do not argue or attempt to persuade. Rather, they must consistently remind themselves and management that they might not be right and, indeed, that their organization might be better off if they listen to others.”

The symmetric notion in a nutshell

(Grunig 2001: 28)

(Grunig & Hunt 1984: 23)


Stakeholder approach: Media relation

Close economic stakeholders

Based on Kjær Hansen 2004: 82

Norm and moral stakeholders

Law and power stakeholders

Local population

Media Organizations NGOs,

grass roots movements

Cooperation partners

Customers

Employees

Suppliers

Owners, shareholders

Lenders

State

European Union

Local authorities

corporation


Publics in Public Relations

All-issue publics

Apathetic publics

Single-issue publics

Hot-issue publics

Aware public (high knowledge – low involvement)

Active publics (high knowledge – high involvement)

Aroused publics (low knowledge – high involvement)

Inactive publics (low knowledge – low involvement)

Non-publics (no knowledge – no involvement)(Grunig 1983)

(Hallahan 2000)


Global Public Relations

Globalization Liberalization Westernization Universalization

Intercultural Cross-cultural

NB: cultural closeness· Close· Semi-close/ semi-distant· Distant

(Scholte 2000: 44ff.)

(Gudykunst & Mody 2002, Nielsen 2004)

(Kuada 1996)

Fuzzy notions

Quasi-synonyms


Global Public Relations

Intercultural/ Cross-cultural dimensions of PR only insufficiently studied

Necessity to do empirical research on global/ intercultural/ cross-cultural PR

(Sriramesh & Verčič 2003)


Global Public Relations: environmental variables

Political ideology

Economic system

Degree of activism

Culture

Media system

Infrastructure− Political System− Level of Economic Development− Activism− Legal System

Media environment− Determinants− Dimensions− Corporate Culture

Societal culture− Images of Nations− Media Control− Media Outreach− Media Access

(Verčič et al. 1996)

(Sriramesh & Verčič 2003)


Summing up

PR has gone from propaganda to two-way symmetric communication

PR definitions comprise goal orientation, (mutual) understanding, communication basing, relations between organizations and publics

A central distinction is symmetric vs. asymmetric Publics may be categorized in different ways,

giving the PR practitioner the possibility to characterize his/her target groups in some detail

International PR has not yet been studied profoundly, but awareness is recommended when using Western/ Anglo-American models on any country’s PR

ma spring 2009 martin nielsen public relations (1) history definitions understandings global...

Documents

ma spring

martin nielsen ma

public relations semester

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ma thesis problem

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