ABSTRACT

Public relations has become an essential management function in governments, companies, and nonprofit organizations throughout the world. Once largely a local practice, public relations (PR) today is carried out on a national and global scale. In 2000 public relations was a $3.4 billion industry in the United States and $4.6 billion worldwide, according to the Council of Public Relations Firms, based in New York City. After the United States, the next most widely developed markets for public relations are Canada and the United Kingdom, followed by the countries of Western Europe and Asia. Emerging public relations markets include Latin America and Eastern Europe.