Models of Public Relations in an International Setting

Abstract

Scholars of public relations have identified four typical models of public relations practice in countries with Anglo cultures—press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetrical, and two-way symmetrical. Press agentry and public information form a continuum of craft public relations. The two-way models make up a continuum of professional public relations. Research shows that public relations departments contribute most to organizational effectiveness when they practice on the professional continuum and emphasize the symmetrical model more than the asymmetrical. However, most of the conditions that foster professional public relations in Anglo countries may not exist in and around most organizations in other cultures. In addition, in other countries practitioners may practice public relations according to a completely different model. In this article, we report a meta-analysis of studies of public relations practice in India, Greece, and Taiwan. Those studies show that craft public relations predominates in these countries: Although practitioners ascribe to the values and goals of professional public relations, most do not have the knowledge to practice it. In addition, through the research we identified two additional patterns of public relations practice—"personal influence" and "cultural translation." These patterns may represent new models, but more likely they are variations within the four known models. The research also suggests, however, that public relations practice containing at least elements of the two-way symmetrical model may be generic to effective practice in all cultures.