This article traces the origins and continuing development of a research tradition that conceptualizes public relations as a strategic management function rather than as a messaging, publicity, and media relations function. The tradition began serendipitously with the development of the situational theory of publics in the late 1960s, followed by the application of organization theory to public relations, the symmetrical model of public relations, and evaluation of communication programs. The Excellence study, which began in 1985, brought these middle-level theories together and produced a general theory, a theoretical edifice, focused on the role of public relations in strategic management and the value of relationships with strategic publics to an organization. Since the completion of the Excellence study, scholars in this research tradition have continued to improve and furnish the edifice by conducting research to help public relations professionals participate in strategic decision processes. This re...

Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations As a Strategic Management Function

This research investigates hypotheses about differences between Chinese and American managers in the configuration of trusting relationships within their professional networks. Consistent with hypotheses about Chinese familial collectivism, an egocentric network survey found that affect- and cognition-based trust were more intertwined for Chinese than for American managers. In addition, the effect of economic exchange on affect-based trust was more positive for Chinese than for Americans, whereas the effect of friendship was more positive for Americans than for Chinese. Finally, the extent to which a given relationship was highly embedded in ties to third parties increased cognition-based trust for Chinese but not for Americans. Implications for cultural research and international business practices are discussed.

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Guanxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers

Although the history of adopting the Western Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept in China spans less than 20 years, the core principles of CSR are not new and can be legitimately interpreted within traditional Chinese culture We find that the Western CSR concepts do not adapt well to the Chinese market, because they have rarely defined the primary reason for CSR well, and the etic approach to CSR concepts does not take the Chinese reality and culture into consideration This article resolves these problems and contributes a new definition of CSR, called here – the Harmony Approach to CSR Simply, the Chinese harmony approach to CSR means ‘respecting nature and loving people’ It is the first time CSR has been defined in relation to Confucian interpersonal harmony and Taoist harmony between man and nature Conceptually, this definition will broaden our understanding and will fit the characteristics of the Chinese market better The idea of incorporating cultural contexts into CSR concepts could also contribute to future CSR studies In business practice, it will help corporations to adopt CSR on their own initiative The proposed virtues of traditional Chinese wisdom, in particular, will guide corporations to a new way of improving their CSR performance

The Impact of Chinese Culture on Corporate Social Responsibility: The Harmony Approach

http://www.rcmewhu.com/upload/file/20150507/20150507210826_1229.pdf

Cultural awareness in knowledge transfer to China—The role of guanxi and mianzi

This research tested a model that posits the linkages among perceptions of the organization–public relationships, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward an organization among members of a key public. Among the 6 relationship indexes proposed by Hon and J. E. Grunig (1999), perceptions of satisfaction and control mutuality were the best predictors of a positive attitude toward the organization. In this study we also found that positive attitude was a precursor to supportive behavioral intentions toward the organization.

Testing the Linkages Among the Organization–Public Relationship and Attitude and Behavioral Intentions

This study of multinational companies in China focuses on the role culture plays in relationship cultivation. The author interviewed 40 participants from 36 multinational companies in China. The findings revealed that characteristics of Chinese culture, such as family orientation, guanxi, relational orientation (role formalisation, relational interdependence, face, favour, relational harmony, relational fatalism and relational determination) had an influence on multinational companies’ relationship cultivation strategies. Multinationals from Western countries were found, however, to be more persistent in maintaining their own cultural values in relationship building than multinational companies from Asian countries.

Chun‐ju Flora Hung

Papers

Cultural influence on relationship cultivation strategies: Multinational companies in China