This book examines the intricate relationship between culture and public relations within the Middle Eastern context, adopting an interpretive, inductive approach to explore how various cultural dimensions shape the enactment of key public relations concepts. Using the Global Public Relations Framework (GPRF) as a guiding structure, the book analyzes the influence of political, economic, societal, media, activist, and organizational cultures on public relations in Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The book first focuses on Israel, investigating how cultural factors influence organizational identity and reputation. The book then shifts to the UAE, exploring how cultural dynamics affect organizational listening and engagement among organizations and publics. By examining the dialectical interaction between local and global cultural factors, the book offers a nuanced understanding of how public relations is practiced in these diverse Middle Eastern contexts.
This book provides valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and students interested in global public relations, intercultural communication, and Middle Eastern studies. It highlights the significance of cultural specificity in shaping public relations strategies and practices, offering a unique contribution to the field’s understanding of public relations in non- Western settings.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: Towards a holistic approach to intercultural public relations 2. On organizational identity: Culturally grounded organizational identity formation 3. On organizational reputation: A culturally embedded organizational reputation model 4. On organizational listening: Subtextual organizational listening to sounds of silence 5. On engagement: Bounded relational engagement amidst relational dialectics Concluding remarks: The way forward for intercultural public relations
About the Author :
Ruth Avidar (PhD, University of Haifa) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication and the Department of Health Systems Management at Yezreel Valley College. She heads the Marketing Communication track and is a former PR practitioner. Her research focuses on digital public relations, interactivity, artificial intelligence in public relations, and digital dialogue and engagement. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Public Relations Review and the Journal of Public Relations Research. She serves on the editorial board of Public Relations Review, International Journal of Strategic Communication, and Corporate Communication: An International Journal, and is a recipient of the Berger Research Award for ethics and futurism in global strategic communication, awarded by the Global Strategic Communication Consortium.
Ganga S. Dhanesh (PhD, National University of Singapore) is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. Her intercultural experiences in India, Singapore, the UAE, and the United States inform her research, published in journals such as American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of International Management, and Public Relations Review. An associate editor at the Journal of Communication Management, she serves on the editorial boards of Business Horizons, Journal of Public Relations Research, and Public Relations Review. A recipient of several research awards, she led Zayed University’s partnership with the UAE chapter of Unstereotype Alliance, convened by UN Women, and led the first Global Capabilities Framework study in the Middle East.
Review :
"The book’s formative examination of public relations practice in Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a pioneering holistic approach to cultural influence variables. Notably, authors have lived and taught in the UAE and Israel, adding an unsurpassable experience dimension. It is an essential course requirement!"
Pam Creedon, Professor Emerita, University of Iowa
"Relying on the Global Public Relations Framework of five socio-cultural variables, this book analyzes organizational identity, reputation, listening, and engagement in Israel and the UAE. It adds to the body of knowledge in global/intercultural/international public relations and is a must-read for those interested in these topics."
Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Professor of Public Relations, University of Colorado
