Journal of Public Relations Research

Braun, Sandra L.

2007 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260701331747

This research builds on the framework provided by Ver[cbreve]i[cbreve], L. A. Grunig, and J. E. Grunig (1996) and Sriramesh and Verčič (2001) that proposes that international public relations be researched within five contextual variables—political systems, level of activism, culture, economics, and media systems. This study examines the effects of the political environment on public relations in Bulgaria. It offers subcategories for the variable, providing a more extended typology for future research. The effects of the political environment on public relations come through four major gateways of influence—a country's political history, the pervading political philosophical climate, the effects of economic policies created by political bodies, and the effects of political geography.

Fröhlich, Romy; Peters, Sonja B.

2007 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260701331754

Against the background of the high feminization of the German agency sector, this article investigates 2 specific factors that help explain women's careers in public relations agencies: gender stereotypes and the organizational context. We present parts of a recent German explorative study: Long interviews were conducted with 13 female public relations experts to explain their view on women's situation in public relations in general and to describe their own careers. Findings reveal the evolution of a “PR bunny” stereotype that adds a negative touch to the female image as “natural born communicators.” Furthermore, our results support the argument that women seem to prefer (a) the organizational culture of public relations agencies, (b) agency-specific job tasks, and (c) agency-specific work processes. Possible consequences for practitioners and the profession are discussed.

Jin, Yan; Cameron, Glen T.

2007 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260701331762

The contingency theory of public relations relies heavily on the concept of threat without fully developing the concept as well as its operationalization. This study addresses this weakness through the exposition of 2 key dimensions of threats in crises as threat type and duration, and empirically testing their effects on public relations practitioners' cognitive appraisal of threats, affective responses to threats, and the stances taken in threat-embedded crisis situations. A Web-based experiment on 116 public relations practitioners was conducted using a 2 (external vs. internal threat type) × 2 (long-term vs. short-term threat duration) within-subjects design. The findings revealed the main effects of threat type and threat duration on threat appraisal, emotional arousal, and degree of accommodation. Interaction effects indicated that external and long-term threat combination led to higher situational demands appraisal and more intensive emotional arousal.

Chen, Yi-Ru Regina

2007 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260701331770

This study addresses how multinational corporations (MNCs) interact with government by examining the strategic management of government affairs in 25 MNCs in China from the perspectives of public relations and corporate political activity. Twenty-seven qualitative interviews were conducted. Results show that 16 of the 25 MNC include their government affairs managers in strategic management. Government affairs contributes to the process by aligning their business goals with the development of policies and regulations. Government affairs managers play 4 roles in the process according to the level of regulation and the frequency of external environmental changes of the MNCs: the business developer, expert prescriber, senior advisor, and internal consultant. Government affairs specialists use direct and indirect sources to gather information relevant to environmental scanning. Results also suggest a positive relationship between the participation of government affairs in strategic management and excellence in government affairs. However, in addition to excellence in government affairs, organizational mechanisms of management, organizational expectation and culture, and the nature of the MNC's industry also affect the integration of government affairs with the overall strategic management.