ABSTRACT
Resource dependency theory has become a significant part of that common ground, a subset that could hardly be characterized as idealistic or normative. Contingency theory places highly independent-egoistic tendencies at a “pure advocacy,” self-centered extreme on a continuum of relationship-building stances and highly social, collectivist tendencies at a “pure accommodation” extreme of that continuum. Contingency theory has become “a theory to understand how the inevitable competition and conflicts that occur in a complex world can be managed”. The two-way asymmetrical model is one of the four basic models of public relations posited by excellence theory. Two-way asymmetrical public relations are “the use of communication to manipulate publics for the benefit of organizations”. An adversarial society assumes that spokespersons with alternative views will emerge to balance the advocate. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
