ABSTRACT
It is clear that society has changed a lot since 1967. Today, businesses often need to “go global or go home” (Cook 2007). Globalization has helped public relations become a growth industry around the world, but the global marketplace is complex (McCleneghan 2005). The increasing spread of democracy and free enterprise makes for increased competition and communication. Meanwhile, barriers to business might be low, but cultural sensitivities are high: think of the controversial introduction of Playboy magazine in Indonesia and the angry reaction in the Muslim world to the Pope’s anti-Islamic comments (Cook 2007). To succeed in today’s world, companies and agencies must understand local behaviors and preferences (Cook 2007). In this section of the chapter, we shall explore the public relations implications of increasing multiculturalism, emerging democracy, and rising anger at the pervasiveness of Western lifestyles and values that globalization brings. Further, we shall look at how the increasing expectations for companies to be socially responsible and the need to manage crisis on a global scale deepen the challenges in executing successful international public relations.
