Public relations practices in Lebanon and globalization theory

¶ … Public Relations in Lebanon

This study described and analyzed the perceptions and practices of public relations in Lebanon. It focused specifically on media relations and was based on Grunig's (1984) theoretical framework of four models of public relations: press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetrical, and two-way symmetrical.

A review of the literature was conducted that revealed a debate about whether public relations can be practiced the same way all over the world (Gruban, 1995) or if certain localized practices should be considered for each nation (Sharpe, 1992).

The research design was a triangulated method. Data were collected using a written survey questionnaire and telephone interviews with Lebanese public relations practitioners. The results showed that all four of the Grunig models were practiced in Lebanon, with the two-way symmetrical model the most popular. Evidence collected from this research supported the hypothesis of this study that public relations can be globalized despite cultural differences.

LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

Introduction

The Problem

Background of the Problem

Lebanon: General Overview

Communication Styles and Cultural Differences

Research Questions

Scope of the Study

Definition of Terms

Organization of the Remainder of the Study

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

Theoretical Perspective

Globalization vs. Localization

Advocates for Globalization

Advocates for Localization

Conclusion

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Introduction

Research Approach

Sample Population

Instrumentation 24

Survey 24

Qualitative

Qualitative Data Analysis

Summary

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS OF THE STUDY

Introduction

Quantitative Results

Qualitative Results

Answers to Research Questions

Chapter Summary

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 4

Introduction

Public Relations Principles

Summary

Limitations

Suggestions for Further Research

REFERENCES 4

APPENDIX A: MODEL STATEMENT FREQUENCY CHARTS 51

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE COVER LETTER 59

APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE 60

Practice of the Two-way Symmetrical Model

Average Score

Practice of the Two-way Asymmetrical Model

Average Score

Practice of the Public Information Model

Average Score

Practice of the Press Agentry Model

Average Score

Ranking of the Top Five Survey Statements

Average Score

LIST OF FIGURES

1. Average Survey Statement Scores by Individual Gruning Models

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

Introduction

Mucchielli, Buckley, and Cordell (1998) observed that people around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been titled "globalization."

According to Rao (1998), globalization, privatization and liberalization have become dominant forces shaping societies and economies the world over. Communication technologies have played a pivotal role in hastening the globalization process. Communication technologies like satellite broadcasting have made it possible for a tiny incident that took place in any part of the world to reach the entire world instantly and at the same time. The concept of "local news" no longer exists (McDowell, 1997; Rao, 1998).

As the world has grown smaller, the field of public relations has grown larger. More than 60 national and regional public relations associations emerged before 1989 (Kruckeberg, 1995). In the United States alone in 1989, there were 600 university departments offering graduate and undergraduate courses in public relations (Neff, 1989). In a telephone survey conducted by the Delahaye Group in 1996 of 100 randomly selected United States public relations executives, 87% of the respondents thought that international public relations would be most important during the next three to five years (Paine, 1996). Turk and Scanlon (1999) noted that "Public relations in one country is not necessarily public relations in another" (p. 7) and presented 15 case studies that illustrate the evolution of public relations in different countries and describes how public relations can be practiced in other social, political, and economic systems.

At the end of 2001, membership in the International Public Relations Association was over 900 members in more than 90 countries, representing a 20% growth from the previous year, according to IPRA President Jacques Dinan (2001 a year of sustained growth for IPRA, 2003).

Because of the increasing prominence of globalization and public relations in contemporary life, public relations practitioners and researchers are debating whether public relations can be practiced the same way allover the world (D'Jaen, 1998; Gruban, 1995; Grunig, Sriramesh, Huang, & Lyra, 1995; Hiebert, 1992; Hirsch, 1992; McCluhan & Powers, 1989; Murphy, 1996; Roth, Hunt, Stavropoulos, & Babik, 1996; Sharpe, 1992; Wilson, 1990) or if certain localized practices should be considered for each nation (Botan, 1992; Clancy, 2000; Dwek, 1995; Epley, 1992; Sriramesh, 1992; Taylor, 2000; Taylor & Kent, 1999; Waisbord, 1998; Wheeler, 1998).

The goal of this study is to enrich the body of knowledge in public relations and to augment the existing literature pertinent to whether public relations can be practiced the same all over the world by examining how public relations is practiced in Lebanon. The problem statement of the study follows in addition to background information, purpose statement, research questions, scope, and definition of terms.

The Problem

As noted previously, the existing research on international public relations falls into two categories: research that argues for practicing public relations the same way all over the world and research that argues for localized public relations practices. However, there appears to be no empirical research that addresses how public relations are practiced in Lebanon. The problem of the study was to explore whether public relations in Lebanon was practiced as it is practiced in other parts of the world or whether its practices are more localized to fit Lebanon's culture.

Lebanon: General Overview

The Republic of Lebanon is located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by Israel from the south, Syria from the east and the north, and the Mediterranean Sea from the west. Lebanon is one of the smallest sovereign countries in the world. The length of the whole country is 220 kilometers (135 miles) from South to North and varies between 20-55 miles from East to West. The area is 10,425 square kilometers (3,950 square miles) (Embassy of Lebanon, 2002). Lebanon is a democracy based on a parliamentary democratic political regime. Similar to Western democracies, the government consists of three branches: an executive, a legislative, and an independent judiciary.

The economy is a liberal capitalist one.

Lebanon's population of four million