Beyond the "Two-way Symmetric Model" in public relations: A Theoretical Review
, Vol.7
, Twenty Second Issue
PP:15
Authors:
Emad Almudaifar-MA Public Relations, Media Department,,Public Relations Department,Mass Communication Faculty,Al Imam Mohamad Ibn Saud Islamic University
Abstract:
Public relations is a modern interrelationship science and relatively creative human skill, lacks to a unified tested and coherent theory, rather, it had been theoretical concepts and frameworks until James and Larissa Grunig and their colleagues started working on their research to study PR in practice and behavior.
For nearly 40 years, and in order to come up with standard criteria for an excellence of PR, and to build a clear, consistent and realistic theory that can be relied upon in different environments and systems, the team initially presented four functional models, Grunig called it “ press agency, public information, two-way asymmetric model and two-way symmetric model “, which describe how to practice public relations, and it recorded the stages of their development, especially in the Anglo-American environment, therefore, it could be considered as the standard criteria for an Excellence PR.
In the next stage, the team wanted to disseminate these criteria to be tested in different cultural, social and political, economic and media environments, which resulted in discovering two additional criteria founded in India and Greece, the "personal influence" and the "cultural translator" models.
The team had to restudy the six criteria together, and analyze them in depth, which helped them to be able to identify the four dimensions that can be considered the starting point of the practices and they are represented in: the form of communication, balance, means, and ethics.
However, the criticism of these four-dimensional phase paved the way for building a solid theory of Excellence PR, with general principles, that can be applied everywhere around World, and specific applications based on cultural, socio-political, economic and local environments.
As the increasing needs for the Arab World to cope with the developments in public relations, I present a theoretical review, based on the qualitative methodology, which examined the model of "two-way symmetric", and the subsequent controversy that impacted the environment of PR in practice research, and its development.
Key Words:
Two-way Symmetric Model, public relations,Theoretical Review.
Research Language:
Arabic
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