Transcript Media, Markets, Consumers

MA
Spring 2009
Public Relations (1)
History
Definitions
Understandings
Global Contexts
Martin Nielsen
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Some didactical remarks

No 100% match between readings and lectures
Reading
Lecture



PowerPoint slides in English
Lectures in English …
… unless complete audience understands Danish
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
MA in International Business Communication:
Profile International Market Communication
and Public Relations
•
Semester
30 ECTS
2. Semester
30 ECTS
3. Semester
30 ECTS
4. Semester
30 ECTS
Linguistic Knowledge and
Method
Corporation,
Communication,
Context
Media, Markets,
Consumers
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
Linguistic Knowledge and
Method
Public
Relations
International
Market
Communication
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
“Career module”:
Internship/
Common lectures/
Case
Elective
Elective
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
10 ECTS
Workshop:
Problem and Method
MA Thesis
30 ECTS
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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 CampusNet
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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 CampusNet
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
History of public relations
− 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)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Definitions of PR: common language

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”


MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Definitions of PR: diversity
Estimates up to 2,000 definitions of PR
(Griswold/Griswold 1948: 4; Scharf 1971: 166)
Wide-ranging definition combined of 472
definitions
(Harlow 1988: 9)
”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”
(Blach/Højberg 1989: 20; translation MN)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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?)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Definitions of PR: scientific
”The management of communication between an
organization and its publics”
(Grunig & Hunt 1984: 6)
Basic elements in PR definitions
·
·
·
·
Goal oriented /systematic
Through communication
Understanding/ trust/ sympathy
relations corporation (organizations) –
stakeholders (publics)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Basic understandings of PR

Symmetrical
understanding

Asymmetrical
understanding

PR communication =
dialogue

PR communication =
persuasion

Purpose:
mutual understanding

Purpose:
persuasion

Representative:
Grunig, James/ Hunt,
Todd (1984):
Managing Public
Relations

Representative:
Toth, Elizabeth/Heath,
Robert (eds.) (1992):
Rhetorical and Critical
Approaches to Public
Relations
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Grunig & Hunts 1984 four models
Before
(”cynical”)
One-way
Two-way
Now
(”ethical”)
 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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Criticism and development/
evolution of Grunig & Hunt 1984
 Criticism
 Defence
 Utopian/unrealistic/ idealistic to
assume symmetry between PR
parties

Persuasion etc. and
instrumentality is still a part
of Two-Way Symmetric
 Two-Way Symmetric is kneeling
for interests of the public and
unconditional giving up of own
interests

Misunderstanding – it is a
mutual adaptation/accept
and a balancing process

agrees
 In reality a combination of more
of Grunig/Hunts models is used
Grunig 2001
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Criticism and development/
evolution of Grunig & Hunt 1984
 Criticism
 Defence


Corporations have greater
power than their publics and
therefore do not have to do
symmetric PR
Not quite true: publics are
not entirely without
influence (organized,
litigations, use of media)

Perspective: normative

theory to be used by
corporations (vs. to be used
by publics)
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
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
The symmetric notion
in a nutshell
 ”… 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.”
(Grunig & Hunt 1984: 23)
 ” … 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.”
(Grunig 2001: 28)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Stakeholder approach: Media
relation
Local
population
Media
NGOs,
grass roots
movements
Organizations
Norm and moral
stakeholders
Close economic stakeholders
Suppliers
Law and power
stakeholders
Lenders
Owners,
shareholders
corporation
Local
authorities
State
Employees
European
Union
Customers
Cooperation
partners
Based on Kjær Hansen 2004: 82
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Publics in Public Relations
 All-issue publics
 Aware public
(high knowledge – low involvement)
 Apathetic publics
 Active publics
(high knowledge – high involvement)
 Single-issue publics
 Aroused publics
 Hot-issue publics
 Inactive publics
(low knowledge – high involvement)
(low knowledge – low involvement)
 Non-publics
(Grunig 1983)
(no knowledge – no involvement)
(Hallahan 2000)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Global Public Relations




Globalization
Liberalization
Westernization
Universalization


Intercultural
Cross-cultural

NB: cultural closeness
· Close
· Semi-close/ semi-distant
· Distant
Fuzzy notions
Quasi-synonyms
(Scholte 2000: 44ff.)
(Gudykunst & Mody 2002, Nielsen 2004)
(Kuada 1996)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
Global Public Relations:
environmental variables

Political ideology

Economic system

Degree of activism

Culture

Media system
(Verčič et al. 1996)
 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
(Sriramesh & Verčič 2003)
MA
Spring 2009
Martin Nielsen
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