Week 3

Theoretical Context

Marianne D Sison

Understand the various theoretical contexts that apply to public relations

As explained by Marianne D Sison (2006, 2009), adopted from Trujilo & Toth (1987)

Perspective	Focus of framework
Functionalist /Systems	Practitioner roles, reporting relationships ,organisational structures and systems, responsibilities, activities, organisational profiles, practitioner focus on effectiveness and efficiency, managerial bias, alignment of an organisation’s needs with needs of the public.
Interpretive/ Rhetorical	Practitioners as producers of symbols, discourse, meaning, as corporate advocates, as shapers and creators of organisational culture, and as receivers and interpreters of organisational symbols.
Critical/ Dialetical	Practitioner views of their power, control and influence in the organisation, involvement in process and dialogue, practitioners’ ability to effect organisational change.

Understand systems theory, communication theory, public relations theory, rhetorical theory, cultural theory and critical theory

A continuation of the previous entry…

System theory also consists of cybernetics or ‘the study of regulation and control in systems’ (Littlejohn 1999,52), requisite variety meaning to employees with different point of views and boundary spanning which blurs the lines between the organisation and its environment.

Communication theories include information transmission models which basically explains how message is received and then transmitted to the key publics, persuasion theories such as attitude vis-à-vis behaviour change which is to suggest that attitude first needs to change in order to shape behaviour, source credibility, two step and multistep flow which suggests that people have opinion leaders upon which they look up to and emotional appeals.

Coorientation theory discusses how PR practitioners can direct differences in viewpoints to reach a consensus and use it to their advantage, which includes agenda setting where the media sets out to transmit certain messages over others and framing which refers to how a message is put across.

Public relations theory consists of the excellence theory which suggest the standard and function of PR, Grunig & Hunt’s four models which basically explains the type of information that is used and how it is used and the difference between two and one way communication and also how relations of the organisation with the environment and key publics are used, situational theory of practice that explains the basis for and the mode of communication and relationship management that explains how relationship shapes PR.

Rhetorical theory is basically concerned with how symbolic means are used by key publics to construct meaning while cultural theory discusses how cultural differences make an impact to PR and critical theory questions the voice and power balance between the organisation and politics.