ABSTRACT
A new conceptual approach to all aspects of public relations can be seen in the application of positioning theory. A positioning analysis of a situation can readily indicate where positioning efforts could be challenged and can thus inform decision making at the highest level. For researchers, positioning theory guides analysis of public relations from macro-level sociocultural aspects of practice through to micro-tactical levels of individual programs. It provides an overview of issues to be considered in public relations positioning through the three dimensions of power suggested by Smudde and Courtright: hierarchical, rhetorical and social. According to the rhetorical dimension of power can be associated with manipulative motives and negative associations such as "deception, lying, or even spin". It highlights how rights and duties relate to the idea of the local moral order and the way power has been wielded in public relations episodes.
