A Sentient-Oriented Approach: Human-Centered and Care-Driven Relationship Management for Tibetan Cultural Startups

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Part I: Excellence: The Practitioner's Responsibility. L. Hon, How Public Relations Knowledge Has Entered Public Relations Practice. Part II: Advances in Understanding Excellence and Communication. C.H. Spicer, Collaborative Advocacy and the Creation of Trust: Toward an Understanding of Stakeholder Claims and Risks. R.L. Heath, Management Through Advocacy: Reflection Rather Than Domination. D.W. Stacks, M.L. Watson, Two-Way Communication Based on Quantitative Research and Measurement. K.D. Plowman, Public Relations, Conflict Resolution, and Mediation. Y. Rhee, Interpersonal Communication as an Element of Symmetrical Public Relations: A Case Study. P. Murphy, Coping With an Uncertain World: The Relationship Between Excellence and Complexity Theories. Part III: Advances in Understanding Excellence and Management. B. Steyn, Contribution of Public Relations to Organizational Strategy Formulation. M. Sung, Toward a Model of Scenario Building From a Public Relations Perspective. U. Stroh, An Alternative Postmodern Approach to Corporate Communication Strategy. B.K. Berger, Public Relations and Organizational Power. Y-H. Huang, A Revisit of Symmetrical Communication From an International Perspective: Status, Effect, and Future Research Directions. J. Scott, Relationship Measures Applied to Practice. S.A. Bowen, The Extent of Ethics. K. Hallahan, Integrated Communication: Implications for Public Relations Beyond Excellence. Part IV: Advances in Program Planning and Its Evolutions in the New Century. L. Aldoory, B-L. Sha, The Situational Theory of Publics: Practical Applications, Methodological Challenges, and Theoretical Horizons. D.R. Holtzhausen, Activism. B-L. Sha, R.L. Ford, Redefining Requisite Variety: The Challenge of Multiple Diversities for the Future of Public Relations Excellence. L. Aldoory, Reconceiving Gender for an Excellent Future in Public Relations Scholarship. L.M. Hagan, For Reputation's Sake: Managing Crisis Communication. Part V: Conditions for Global Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. C-J.F. Hung, Toward the Theory of Relationship Management in Public Relations: How to Cultivate Quality Relationships? Y-R.R. Chen, Effective Government Affairs in China: Antecedents, Strategies, and Outcomes of Government Affairs. K. Sriramesh, The Relationship Between Culture and Public Relations. A. Tkalac, The Application of Situational Theory in Croatia. R.I. Wakefield, A Retrospective on World Class: The Excellence Theory Goes International. Part VI: Challenges to Educators. D.K. Wright, J.V.S. Turk, Public Relations Knowledge and Professionalism: Challenges to Educators and Practitioners. M.P. Russell, An Education Model to Prepare for Excellence in Public Relations: A Case Study of the Syracuse University Limited Residency/Distance Learning Master's Program in Communications Management.

Purpose Much of public relations scholarship in the last three decades has been dominated by discussions about best practices. Theories developed over the years have often been based on western practices with little focus on emerging economies such as Africa. The growing call for a shift to a new system, especially from a non-western perspective has resulted in scholars examining public relations scholarship and practice in other jurisdictions, particularly in Asia. The onset of globalisation increased the scholarly discussion on public relations theorising, with culture playing a significant role in these discussions. This paper undertakes a review of the various discussions on public relations theorising due to globalisation and discusses its implications for public relations scholarship and practice in Africa.Design/methodology/approach The paper approaches the issue by examining relevant literature on globalisation and societal changes, public relations theorising, and the African worldview.Findings The paper concludes by proposing an African public relations framework that reflects the African worldview. The framework proposes that African public relations can be premised on four levels, humanist, relational, communalist, and strategic.Research limitations/implications This research is limited in the sense that the proposed framework has not been empirically tested for verification. It offers scholars the opportunity to empirically test it within the African setting.Practical implications The framework presents an opportunity for practitioners to review public relations practice within the African context.Originality/value The paper's originality is premised on the development of a public relations framework premised on African social values.

This chapter provides a roadmap on how public relations perspectives have contributed to corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication research. In defining CSR, public relations scholarship has emphasized the inclusion of stakeholder expectations and the aspects of relationships and alignments between organizations, stakeholders, and the society. Public relations scholarship has developed its own unique hybrid instrumental approaches to CSR communication. In doing so, it has widened the scope of emphasis to intangible and long-term public outcomes of organization-public relationships such as stakeholder pressure and expectations, trust and engagement, and stakeholder feedback and dialogue. In recent years, a notable trend is the increased influence of public relations theories and concepts on CSR scholarship. By bridging theories and concepts from multiple disciplines, public relations scholarship contributes to the interdisciplinary nature that characterizes CSR research. It has facilitated interdisciplinary theory-building and bridged different though related CSR theories and concepts. Public relations scholarship also contributes to a broadening of CSR research scope through the extension of the CSR concepts’ applicability beyond profit-organization and consumer stakeholder groups: It extends to include non-profit and government organizations as well as community members, employees, activists, and so forth.

This work is an examination of cross-cultural or intercultural research relevance in public relations. It adopts the analytical approach in exploring the fusion between fact-finding on the cultural environments of the publics of an organization and achievement of mutually beneficial relationship that organization and its publics. Therefore to learn more about public relations practice, it is important to explore the assumptions underlying the issue of cross-cultural research. It was recommended among others, that since public relations agencies, in most cases operate or engage clients who transcend various cultures, it becomes imperative that cross-cultural research would be, particularly, indispensable in achievement of public relations objectives. I. Introduction Professions, people, institutions and do not exist in a vacuum. They exist in a specific culture or socio-cultural environment. Public relations is a profession that basically deals with the maintenance of a good relationship between an organization and its publics. Public relations agencies operate within specific cultural settings. Be it an international or local agency, its operations factor in the cultural settings of the host community of the agency or that of the target audience. Culture is all-encompassing sphere which permeates every facet of life. Public relations is a profession that deals with various publics often sometimes existing in diverse cultures. For any business activity to survive it must thread cautiously in the cultural terrain in order not to hurt the sensibilities and value convictions of business owners, host community members, and target audience. If culture refers to patterns of behaviours and thinking that people living in a social group learn, create and share (Encata Encyclopedia, 2006), then it is a thread that lines the society and its various components, including the professions, disciplines, one of which is public relations. Ever since Ivy Lee handed out the first fact sheet about public relations to journalists in 1906, public relations has been described as a mediated communication activity used to reach out multiple publics. Prevailing opinion has been that public relations practitioners are in an ideal position to bridge the gap between the media and general public. While it is true that public relations practitioners often perform this boundary-spanning function, the media and the general public are not always the target of public relations activities and communication. In specific terms, the publics of any public relations activity vary according to the organizations mission/vision. It is, perhaps, for this reason that Taylor and Kent (2009:131) state that the practice of public relations focuses on a variety of key publics - shareholders, employees, suppliers, activists, the media and the consumers. However, it may be added that these publics are not stereotyped. They may vary in their intellectual capabilities, educational background, environmental settings, religious inclinations, political ideologies, etc. For this reason, therefore, public relations scholars have examined the roles, functions and assumptions about public relations practices and have found out that the conception and the execution of public relations campaigns/programmes are affected by the cultural nuances upon which the organization publics operate.

Many public relations practitioners and scholars have warmed to the idea that the practice of public relations is relationship management. Recent research has begun to explore the ways in which adaptations of interpersonal relationship-building strategies can be incorporated into an organization-public relationship context. The current investigation is a longitudinal study that links respondents who identify themselves as in relationship with the university to the behavior of returning to the institution. The investigation also linked relationship attitude statements to personal, professional, and community relationship scores. The findings from this investigation suggest that relationship attitudes play a role in retention, providing a quantitative illustration showing that public relations strategies, grounded in interpersonal communication relationship-building theory and adapted to meet relationship needs and expectations, can positively affect public member attitudes, evaluations, and behaviors. The results also indicate that when public members view the world differently than the organization, relational dissatisfaction can result, which in turn can lead to relationship termination. Moreover, the results show that organizations’ and public's progress through “turning points” in a relationship, and the identification of these turning points can provide practitioners with an opportunity to engage in dialogue with key public members. The article concludes by discussing the benefits that can be accrued by adopting a relationship-building approach to the study and practice of public relations.

Paradox in Public Relations: A Contrarian Critique of Theory and Practice is a thought-provoking exploration of public relations, aiming to promote changes in meaning and perception by creating new meta-realities for public relations. The term "Public Relations" was embraced by early practitioners primarily because it sounded more professional than the often-pejorative alternatives. This book argues for a reframing of some of the popular realities associated with modern-day public relations and uses psychological and organizational change theory to critique paradoxes in public relations theory and practice. By examining public relations through the lens of paradox, we can begin to identify the logical fallacies that have inhibited progress and innovation in public relations practice and theory. The book explores the paradoxical nature of key concepts, including public interest, relationship management, accountability, stewardship, loyalty, community, and ethics. It also recommends new conceptualizations for understanding the field. This book will be of interest to media, communication, public relations, and advertising faculty and graduate students, particularly those interested in public relations theory and ethics. Scholars from other disciplines can also use this exploration of paradox in PR as a learning tool for identifying logical fallacies and inconsistencies.

The transition of Public Relations (PR) practices from conventional to digital resources can be observed. Despite these platforms catering to the primary needs of Communication, they also necessitate a need for ethical practices to avail maximum benefit from them. This research also focused on the effect of cultural and contextual factors on how ethical behavior is considered in digital public relations practices in Kuwait. Data was gathered from 267 Public Relations (PR) practitioners through Qualitrics.com and analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results revealed that Cultural Factors significantly affect Digital Signaling in Public Relations Practices, indicating respondents practice communication relying on their perceptions about Public Relations (PR) practices, privacy disclosure, and the guidelines provided by their organizations. Further, the effect of Contextual Factors also remained significant, showing the impact of organizational social media policy, guidelines, and training on the Public Relations (PR) practices among them. Besides, ethical approaches regarding socially responsible behavior, client-centred approaches, and organizational monitoring of PR practices also remained prominent. It is concluded that digital signaling holds a growing significance in Public Relations practices. It is important to skillfully navigate the factors affecting these practices to uphold ethical standards and ensure meaningful engagement with stakeholders. Hence, skillfully cultivating cultural and contextual facets remains crucial for sustaining ethics and driving effective stakeholder involvement as the digital sphere evolves within contemporary Public Relations.

Public relations scholars who have adopted a relationship management perspective have reported that the relationship that exists between an organization and key public members influences key public member perceptions, attitudes, evaluations, and behaviors. Scholars argue that in the relationship management perspective, the role of the public relations practitioner is to support and manage organization-public relationships, not simply transfer information. However, the practice of public relations more typically employs traditional mass communication models rather than true relationship principles. The current investigation extends the axioms of interpersonal communication to an organization-public context, finding that many of the concepts, when adapted slightly, are applicable to an organization-public relationship. Understanding the axioms of organization-public relationship communication should help practitioners develop a clearer conceptualization of the role that communication and relationships play in organizational functioning, and lend more credence to the notion of public relations as relationship management.

In recent years, Digital Leadership (DL) has been recognised as an important practice for school principals. DL focuses on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in support of school principals’ leadership practice. This qualitative study was undertaken with the aim of understanding DL among principals from four High Performing Schools (HPS) in Malaysia, particularly from the perspective of public relations. Semi-structured interviews were employed involving four exemplar school principals as the main respondents and 12 school staff as the secondary respondents of the study. The findings indicate that social media has become the contemporary public relations conduit among exemplar Malaysian school principals. The findings also suggest that third parties, such as students, parents, and alumni, enhance school principals’ public relations practices via their social media accounts. The aforesaid findings have meaningful implications for other school principals in similar school settings and contexts to better integrate social media in their public relations practice, especially by leveraging third-party social media accounts.

For several decades, the relational perspective has served as an influential paradigm for the study and practice of public relations. Consequently, the potential benefits of applying a relational perspective in political public relations, as well, has been highlighted. Such an approach to political public relations should facilitate collaboration among political actors to achieve mutually beneficial political goals. Therefore, understanding the application of relationship management concepts and theory to the study and practice of political public relations is essential for both scholars and practitioners. To that end, this chapter reviews the key literature regarding relationship management and organization–public relationships; provides an overview of the extant research examining the relationships among politically situated actors, publics, and organizations; and charts the development of political organization–public relationship (POPR) models. The chapter also discusses the challenges that increased affective polarization, social sorting, and politicized media could present for the effective implementation of authentic relationship management strategies within political contexts. The chapter concludes with an appeal to continue the exploration and application of relationship management within political public relations so that the benefits of the relational approach can be fully realized.

PurposeThis paper examines the engagement of public relations (PR) in advancing sustainability within Turkey, exploring both current contributions and future potential. It analyzes how PR professionals and scholars conceptualize sustainability, revealing divergent perspectives within the industry. The study delves into the perceived roles and responsibilities of PR professionals in driving sustainable initiatives, highlighting the key challenges hindering their impact. Ultimately, the research identifies essential knowledge and skills needed to empower Turkish PR to effectively contribute to a more sustainable future.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a qualitative research approach using semi-structured in-depth interviews with two distinct groups: experienced PR professionals holding director positions in agencies and corporate communication departments, and PR professors with at least five years of teaching experience in Turkey.FindingsThe findings reveal a dynamic, yet complex, landscape of sustainability within the Turkish PR industry. While PR professionals are actively integrating sustainability into strategic initiatives and emphasizing measurable impact, they face barriers to full integration, and their conceptualization of sustainability often differs from that of PR scholars. The findings point to a critical need for targeted education and professional development to better equip Turkish PR practitioners to drive sustainable development.Originality/valueMethodologically, the incorporation of representative groups, consisting of senior communication professionals and professors, offers valuable insights that can inform improvements in PR practices, enhance PR education, and advance the understanding of sustainability within the field of communication within the specific context of Turkey.

Contents: Preface. J.E. Grunig, Communication, Public Relations, and Effective Organizations: An Overview of the Book. Part I: The Basic Theory. J.E. Grunig, J. White, The Effect of Worldviews on Public Relations Theory and Practice. L.A. Grunig, J.E. Grunig, W.P. Ehling, What Is an Effective Organization? J. White, D.M. Dozier, Public Relations and Management Decision Making. F.C. Repper, How Communication Managers Can Apply the Theories of Excellence and Effectiveness. Part II: The Program Level: Effective Planning of Communication Programs. J.E. Grunig, F.C. Repper, Strategic Management, Publics, and Issues. D.M. Dozier, W.P. Ehling, Evaluation of Public Relations Programs: What the Literature Tells Us About Their Effects. D.M. Dozier, F.C. Repper, Research Firms and Public Relations Practices. Part III: The Departmental Level: Characteristics of Excellent Public Relations Departments. J.E. Grunig, What Is Excellence in Management? W.P. Ehling, D.M. Dozier, Public Relations Management and Operations Research. J.E. Grunig, L.A. Grunig, Models of Public Relations and Communication. D.M. Dozier, The Organizational Roles of Communications and Public Relations Practitioners. W.P. Ehling, J. White, J.E. Grunig, Public Relations and Marketing Practices. D.M. Dozier, L.A. Grunig, The Organization of the Public Relations Function. L.C. Hon, L.A. Grunig, D.M. Dozier, Women in Public Relations: Problems and Opportunities. W.P. Ehling, Public Relations Education and Professionalism. Part IV: The Organizational Level: The Conditions That Make Excellence in Public Relations Possible. L.A. Grunig, How Public Relations/Communication Departments Should Adapt to the Structure and Environment of an Organization...And What They Actually Do. L.A. Grunig, Power in the Public Relations Department. L.A. Grunig, Activism: How It Limits the Effectiveness of Organizations and How Excellent Public Relations Departments Respond. J.E. Grunig, Symmetrical Systems of Internal Communication. K. Sriramesh, J.E. Grunig, J. Buffington, Corporate Culture and Public Relations. K. Sriramesh, J. White, Societal Culture and Public Relations. Part V: The Economic Level: What Public Relations and Communication Contribute to the Bottom Line. W.P. Ehling, Estimating the Value of Public Relations and Communication to an Organization.

Insect tea originated from ethnic minority regions in Southwest China: A review on the types, traditional uses, nutrients, chemistry and pharmacological activities.

Public relations and community: A persistent covenant

This essay argues that community serves as a viable theoretical foundation for the development of public relations theory and practice. Four arguments are set forth, based on (a) the pervasiveness of the community idea and ideal in everyday life and contemporary scholarship, (b) conceptual limitations rooted in the widely accepted focus on publics in public relations, (c) the emerging recognition of community-related theories in public relations scholarship, and (d) the strength of community building as a philosophy to drive public relations practice.