Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
School of Management Sciences
Department of Marketing and Communication Management
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The field of public relations has always been mainly American and First World orientated. During an international public relations symposium held in 2000 in Bled, Slovenia, leading specialists and academics in the field decided that the time for other approaches to the study of public relations must be investigated. For the first time it investigated Asian, Eastern European and African perspectives. Prof Ronel Rensburg has been responsible for documenting the perspectives from Africa in ongoing research of the theory, teaching and practice of public relations in countries on the African continent.
To date research has concentrated on the functional approaches to public relations (mainly on technician roles in the field as well as on operational outcomes of the process). European and African views place a stronger emphasis on the critical approaches to public relations (its strategic role and intent — taking into account political, socio-economic, cultural and ethical impactors).
The African approach to public relations could make a contribution specifically with regard to aspects such as developmental issues, government communication, health issues (especially AIDS) and ethics. Public relations practitioners and educators can have a very powerful impact on the African continent if a concerted effort is made to address Africa's poor international image. South Africa is currently the most developed country in sub-Saharan Africa and could be regarded as the trend-setter of the African continent in the area of public relations education and practice
Contact person: Prof RS Rensburg.
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