Article Review on Public Relations in Society

This article review discusses the construction of Australian Day, Australian public relations campaigns, and globalization and public relations. The article explores the gaps in literature and the importance of preserving culture in public relations.

Running head: PUBLIC RELATIONS IN SOCIETY
Article review on public relations in society
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Topic: Public relations in society
Article 1
Article title: The construction of Australian Day: A Study of Public Relations as “New
cultural intermediaries”
Author: Jim Macnamara and Robert Crawford
Summary:
Australian Day is important in the Australian culture. This day witnesses the
conglomeration of Australians as a nation. Recapitulation of the achievements is the main
activity performed by the Australians in this gathering. According to National Australian Day
Council (NADC), this day is marked for celebrating the richness in the cultural diversity.
Exclusion of the Aboriginals reflects incompleteness within the celebrations. The article upholds
the evidence of Australian Day celebration, under the media and cultural studies. This expanded
the knowledge of the public relation practitioners, regarding the different cultures. However, lack
of examination of the evidences has not exposed the steps taken by the practitioners for
promoting the Australian culture. This lack is one of the gaps in the literature related to the
Australian Day.
One of the other gaps of the article is the failure towards excavating the exact reason for
celebrating Australian Day. However, at one point, the article considers “strive for public
support” as the main reason for observing Australian Day. According to the other perceptions,
Australian Day was significant, as it was a collaborative attempt of the Australians to celebrate
the quest for adding meaning into their lives. Therefore, it can be said that the critics were mixed
in terms of the Australian culture. Bordieu attaches value and weightage to the critics, who
question the cultural programs taking place on radio and television. Countering this,

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experimenting with the cultural sentiments contradicts the true essence of ethics. Delving deep
into this experimentation, it is an interplay with the individual sentiments of the people, which is,
in turn, adds a negative connotation to the aspect, “culture”.
New petite bourgeoisie was the term coined by Bordieu to represent the elites. However,
they were categorized, as the public relation practitioners peeked into their personal and private
space. Even in these narrations also, there were disparities between the actual descriptions and
the exposed facts. Mediatization of the new petite bourgeoisie secludes them from the
mainstream society. This seclusion adds hypothetical perspective to their profession, negating
their cultural integration with people from other occupations. The arguments provided by Negus
in the article merges the intermediaries, which restores the lost cultural value in the statement of
Bordieu.
Consideration of the space between the product and consumption would help in gaining
an insight into the practices towards preserving the Australian culture. This would require a
deeper examination of evidences regarding the cultural events and practices. The article lays
special emphasis on advertising practices. Advertising is one of the efficient means of informing
the people about the latest trends. Maintaining rationality in advertising would result in the
preservation of individual sentiments of the people, which enhances the culture. Campaigning is
one of the other techniques, which can be adopted for assessing the approaches of the people in
response to the events taking place.
Australian Day is a symbol of cultural heritage for the inhabitants. Commercialization of
the festival by advertising and promotion would be a shameful act in terms of preserving the
culture and maintaining peace and harmony.

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Article 2: Australian Public Relations campaigns: A selected historical perspective 1899-1950
Author: Mark Sheehan
Summary:
Campaigns are one of an effective tools adopted by the Public Relations Professionals in
terms of enhancing the stability in the relationship with public domain. There are evidence
regarding the campaigning activities in the early 1900. Usage of radar gained prime importance
in the campaigning activities. The main aim of the article is to peek into the people involved in
the campaigns. In this, the major focus is on the professional development of the public relation
practitioners. Different perspectives are attached to the definitions of campaign for gaining an
insight into the rationale behind their undertakings. The campaigns
One of the main purposes of these campaigns was the achievement of economic growth.
The article mentions the high economic growth during the 150th anniversary of the white
settlement in Australia. This was during the period of 1938, when the political parties were
actively involved in the campaigns. 20th century witnessed the exploitation of the communication
tools for adding more supporters to the parties. This was illegal in terms of playing with the
sentiments of the people. Adoption of wrong means for gaining public support was against the
workplace ethics.
In terms of the varied identities of public relations, there were fewer campaigns. It was in
the era of 1897 that the members of Association of American Railroads used the term
“campaign” for making the people aware of newly introduced rails. Evidences of academic
writing reflect the commonality of “public relations” from the beginning of 1897. The era of
1830 achieved an escalation in the public relations. The major drive behind this was the

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widespread utilization of communication tools- speech, pamphlets, and strategic polls. Here, the
role of Amos Kendall needs to be applauded as he indulged in counseling sessions for guiding
President Jackson. Coordination between the branches of the political parties brought Jackson to
limelight. This case study acts assistance towards exploration of the cultural practices, present in
the Australian threshold.
History is the witness to the different and varied use of public relations. The explorative
approach undertaken by the article proves beneficial for the readers in terms of projecting the
immense popularity of media. Radio took over newspaper in the 19th century, followed by
television in the 20th century. However, the purpose of informing the people remained the same.
The case studies reflect the ways through which the public relation practitioners used the
communication tools for strengthening their public relations. Campaigns can be one of the
mediums proposed by MacArthur model for conveying the latest messages to the public domain.
1942 was the era, when public relations got its pure essence. It is at this stage that the one
way communication was widely used for disseminating the essential information to the public.
This was time specific in terms of assessing the public approaches towards the undertaken
communication tools. Two-way communication initiated in the period of 1960, where there was
mutual understanding between the party members and the public. Both sides communication
proved essential in gaining an insight into the needs and requirements of the public. This insight,
in turn, helped in ensuring public welfare, one of the important components for preserving the
culture.

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Article 3: Globalisation and public relations: An overview looking into the future
Author: Krishnamurthy Sriramesh
Summary
For decades, public relations have been considered as a 20th century phenomenon.
Evidences regarding the public relations practice can be traced in the threshold of UK and USA.
In the recent past, many researches have been conducted for exploring the public relations
practice, which were evident since the pre-Biblical times. Even there are research regarding the
public relation practice in the middle east, which dates back to 4000 years. Scholars need to be
praised for taking the public to the age of tablets for disseminating the information to the public.
With the advancement of science, transformations have come in the communication mediums.
Typical examples in this direction are newspapers, radio, and television.
Globalization has covered all of the spheres including the public relations. Publicizing the
relations was an attempt to enrich the cultural diversity. Typical evidence in this direction are
reformation of Europe after World War 2 and formation of United States in 1946 among others.
Lifting of the trade barriers acted as a green signal for the companies to make widespread use of
the public relation practices. The immediate result was enrichment of the cultural diversity
through the hands of media. The article highlights the introduction of latest and modern
technologies, which enabled the media personnel to intimate the public the current affairs.
Specifically, the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) gains
prominence in the relationship between globalization and public relations. 1990 was the era
when social media found its presence. The initial stages were not that productive, as the people
lacked the operational skills. In the later stages, social media exposed wonders in terms of easing

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the process of delivering goods and services. This communication medium gathered popularity
among the people, as it was cheaper. Through this aspect, the article exposes one of the other
dimensions of the relation between globalization and public relation.
Theoretical considerations proposed by the article seem beneficial in terms of enhancing
the readers’ knowledge about globalization of public relations. Typical example in this direction
is the model of public relations. This model sheds light on the strategies undertaken by the media
personnel for enhancing the stability in their public relations. The article upholds the evidence
regarding the policies, which were implemented in the organizations of US and in the few
democratic countries of the West. Within this, public relation scholarships were one of the
important developments in the period of 1990.
Adhering to the principles of media proved beneficial in terms of executing effective
advertising practices. Involving the coalition parties for decision-making resulted in the
achievement of positive outcomes. Complying with the contract terms and conditions preserved
the stability in the relationship. This compliance was included within the strategies, which
systematized the dissemination of the information to the public.
Introduction of scholarships in the public relations is the recent example of globalization,
which creates a mass appeal for expanding the media business. However, rationality is crucial in
terms of attracting more customers. Here, consciousness towards preservation of culture is the
cornerstone towards enhancing the public relations.

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References
Macnamara, J., & Crawford, R. (2013). The construction of Australia Day: A study of public
relations as ‘new cultural intermediaries’. Continuum, 27(2), 294-310.
Sheehan, M. (2007). Australian public relations campaigns: A select historical perspective 1899–
1950. Australian Media Traditions: Distance and Diversity.
Sriramesh, K. (2009). Globalisation and public relations: An overview looking into the
future. Prism, 6(2), 1-11.