On the definition of public relations

On the definition of public relations: a European view

Dejan Vercˇicˇ*, Betteke van Ruler, Gerhard Bu¨tschi, Bertil Flodin

Pristop Communications, Trubarjeva 79, SVN-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Received 1 April 2000; received in revised form 1 May 2001; accepted 1 July 2001

Abstract

The article confronts a U.S.-based definition of public relations as relationship management with

a European view that besides a relational, argues also for a reflective paradigm that is concerned with

publics and the public sphere; not only with relational (which can in principle be private), but also with

public consequences of organizational behavior. The article is based on a three year research project

on the European Public Relations Body of Knowledge and it reflects on the consequence of that

project for definitional activities in the US practitioner and academic communities. © 2001 Elsevier

Science Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

In a recent article Hutton1 reopened a debate on the definition of public relations with the

purpose “to propose a definition of public relations; explore some of the implications of that

definition, in terms of the domain of public relations; propose a three-dimensional framework

by which to analyze public relations theories and practice; and encourage the process of

integration, rather than disintegration, of the field.”2 We find his endeavor commendable, yet

a bit flawed: as many authors before him Hutton approached the field of public relations as

being a solely North American theory and practice. By reading his article a reader gets the

impression that the conceptual issues Hutton discussed using solely sources from the U.S.

equally apply around the globe and that the definition based solely on U.S. theory and

practice has a global validity. In this article we would like to question this based on our

three-year research program on public relations in Europe. At least from a European

perspective we find Hutton’s definition, dimensions and the domain of public relations being

* Corresponding author. Tel.:
386-1-23-91-200; fax:
386-1-23-91-210.

E-mail address: [email protected] (D. Vercˇicˇ).

Pergamon

Public Relations Review 27 (2001) 373–387

0363-8111/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

PII: S0363-8111(01)00095-9