The Global PR Practice"

The Global PR Practice" Content Global Audiences International PR practice has matured as the world has gotten smaller and the global village is communicating and sharing data about everything. “International PR” is a bit restrictive; also referred to as global PR and can be practiced in three different ways: • A practitioner in one country can work for an group that has a presence in other foreign countries, such as Pepsi, Red Cross, IKEA, etc. • A practitioner can work for an agency that has a presence in their home country, as well as foreign countries, such as Burson-Marsteller, Hill, and Knowlton • A U.S. practitioner can signify the government of another country Today, PR can mean “multicultural PR” which is proficient between countries. This practice can be tense with trials and pitfalls as practitioners pursue to navigate cultures, customs, time zones, languages, images, and meaning on a global scale. Additionally, International PR practitioners should study another language and take cross-cultural communication courses in an effort to know and respect other cultures and customs. What is learned through this type of multicultural approach? • Differences in How We View Time and Space • Differences in How We Decipher Meaning • Message Development Across Cultures When studying and reviewing culture, it is vital to understand the research that has been shown by the world leading researcher, Prof. Emeritus Geert Hofstede's whom is an authorized researcher on the topic. Hofstede's cultural magnitudes theory is an outline for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede. It describes the properties of a society's culture on the values of its associates, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure resulting from factor analysis. It’s imperative to analyze Professor Hofstede’s country ranking to help visualize cultural differences and their influence. The website “Hofstede Centre”: http://geert-hofstede.com/ The Hofstede Centre offers valued tools to help you visualize cultural differences and their impact. Note patterns of countries which have high and low standings. Dimensions of National Cultures Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory - Dimensions of national cultures Individualism-Collectivism Individualism: A society in which the ties among individuals are loose; everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his or her direct family only US, Germany, Italy, Australia Collectivism: A society in which people from birth onwards are joined into strong, unified ingroups which throughout people’s lifetimes continue to defend them in exchange for absolute loyalty Argentina, China, Japan Power distance: The degree to which the less influential members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that control is distributed unequally Masculinity-Femininity Masculine culture societies: Men are supposed to be strong, assertive, and focused on material success while women are supposed to be kind, modest, and concerned with quality of life Japan, Venezuela, Australia Feminine culture societies: Both men and women are supposed to be modest, kind, and concerned with the quality of life Sweden, Netherlands Uncertainty Avoidance: The extent to which the members of a culture feel endangered by indeterminate or unknown situations Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication available at: www.globalalliancepr.org Complexities of International Practice Two most important roles of international PR: Counseling domestic clients in implementing their programs and campaigns for audiences abroad. Assisting foreign clients, including foreign governments, in their efforts to meet and to communicate effectively with US audiences. • Poor practice: Assuming you can just pull together a few colleagues living around the globe and become international practitioners Research is the Watchword Understand: • A country’s organization and media models • Verbal and nonverbal communication styles can cues • Government and education systems • Politics, laws and economics • Social structure, history and heritage • Business practices • Dialects Audiences: • Embassy staff and diplomats • Other expatriates • US Department of State World nations apply a great deal of government time and money communicating with onlookers in other countries. What is the United States Information Agency (USIA), and who are its international colleagues? Nations abroad often pursue PR counsel to support them in taking advantage of opportunities or resolving problems in the US. How did Israel try rebranding itself? How have the Olympics been involved in international PR? PR Around the Globe: India • India is one of the world’s largest nations and one of its fastest rising economies Unique: • Increased literacy rates in India have led to amplified newspaper readership • Papers in Hindi and other native languages dwarf English papers’ circulations • All media relations programs must be multilingual, multiethnic, and tailored for specific geographies • The Times of India in the North and West; The Hindu in the South • Corporate communications is moving toward a global framework other than national PR Around the Globe: Russia • Russia has more than 140 million clients • Events that have conveyed the Russian market to greater attention: • Presidency of the G8 summit in 2006 • Sochi 2014 • PR is new, beginning 15 years ago; relationship based • English language-based papers are recited by business leaders • Moscow Times • Russian Journal (weekly) • CSR concentrating on adoption and teenage health complications PR Around the Globe: China • PR is about 20 years old with about 2,000 agencies hiring 30,000 people • One of the country’s top five occupations • 1.3 billion Consumers • Cross-cultural worries nationally • Difference: Journalists are paid to join news conferences and write • What is happening to the dragon image? PR Around the Globe: Japan • 9th leading world population and world’s maximum literacy rate • Although its population is one-half the US’, its economy is second • PR is well established • World’s highest and least expensive admittance to broadband Ethical Issues You must be subtle and keep up-to-date of international concerns that may conflict with your individual and corporate ethics so as to not insult the countries that lets you to practice as an invitee. Pay-for-Coverage Journalists of some other nations view their reporting as advertising and expect compensation The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) has been active in trying to remove this practice • Editorial • Identification • Solicitation • Sampling • Policy statement Codes of Ethics Currently, no international code of ethics for international business occurs. Differing perceptions, cultures, and values make a universal code nearly impossible Summary All countries capitalize in communicating with key audiences in other nations. The primary trials to the practice abroad are finding knowledgeable talent and upholding the entrepreneurial spirit in a market that is drenched with multinational companies and international practices based in the United States. You must be aware of the philosophy and culture of other nations when you labor in countries other than the United States. Copyright Grantham University 2012. All Rights Reserved