Public Relations Practices in Puerto Rico: an Exploratory Qualitative Study Delia R
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2007 Public relations practices in Puerto Rico: An exploratory qualitative study Delia R. Jourde University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Jourde, Delia R., "Public relations practices in Puerto Rico: An exploratory qualitative study" (2007). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/2233 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Public Relations Practices in Puerto Rico: An Exploratory Qualitative Study by Delia R. Jourde A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts School of Mass Communications College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Derina R. Holtzhausen, Ph.D. Kimberly Golombisky, Ph.D. Kenneth C. Killebrew, Ph.D. Date of Approval: April 5, 2007 Keywords: Public Relations, Communications, U.S. Commonwealth, Culture, Case Study © Copyright 2007, Delia R. Jourde Dedication First, I would like to honor the great women in my family for being my inspiration and source of strength. Beginning with my grandmother, my aunt/godmother, and in particular my mother. For their powerful sense of self, commitment to higher education, and fantastic sense of humor. I thank you for everything mom. I would also like to thank the men in life. From my father, who has always believed in me and told me to never settle for less. To my brother, who has always pushed me to think outside the box. And to a long-time friend and wonderful boyfriend, Angel, thank you for all your love and support. A great thank you to Dr. Derina Holtzhausen; from the first graduate orientation, I just knew she had to be my thesis mentor. I thank you for all that you have taught me in the classroom and for leading by example in undertaking international public relations research in groundbreaking ways. I would also like to thank my fellow graduate students who certainly were there for me despite the distance; you all know who you are. Acknowledgements Mi inmensa gratitud a “La Isla del Encanto” Puerto Rico, en especial a la Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico que me acogieron con tanto cariño y me guiaron en este proceso. Igualmente, a la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Universidad Interamericana, Universidad de Puerto Rico, y el Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez por toda la ayuda y acceso a información. Mil gracias al destacado Sr. Fernando Valverde por sus enseñanzas; no solo en particular hacia esta tesis, pero por todos los profesionales que lo nombraron como mentor ejemplar en la práctica de las relaciones publicas en Puerto Rico. I am immensely grateful to “The Enchanted Isle” Puerto Rico, especially to the Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico (The Association of Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico), who welcomed me with great affection and guided me in this process. Equally, to the University Sagrado Corazón, Interamerican University, University of Puerto Rico, and the Ana G. Méndez University System. A thousand thank you’s to the distinguished Mr. Fernando Valverde for all his teachings, not only in particular to this thesis, but for all the professionals who named him as an exemplar mentor of the practice of public relations in Puerto Rico. Table of Contents List of Tables iii Abstract vi Chapter One: Introduction 1 Puerto Rico as an Ideal Site 3 This Study 4 Chapter Two: Literature Review 6 Culture 6 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions 7 Excellence Theory 9 Cultural & Environmental Influences 14 Postmodern Thoughts 22 Research Questions 25 Chapter Three: Methods 27 Method, Site & Participants 27 Interviews, Culture Bag & Story Boards 29 Quasi-Ethnographic Records 32 Chapter Four: Results 33 Interview Data 33 Interview Themes 35 Country Elements 35 i Political Climate 35 Politics, History and National Pride 35 Public Perception of Government’s Role 36 Politics’ influence on public relations practice 37 National Identity 38 Family & Tradition 38 National Cultural Traits 40 Participative Public 40 Humanitarian Attitudes 41 Corporate Social Responsibility 41 Homogeneity 42 Impact of National Cultural Traits on Public Relations Practice 43 Status of Public Relations Practice 46 History of Public Relations in Puerto Rico 46 Current Status of Public Relations Practice 48 Licensing 48 Story Boards 52 Fundamentals of Client/Practitioner Dialogue 52 Educating the Client 53 Language: Spanish vs. English 54 University Degree Offerings 56 Public Relations Education in Puerto Rico 56 Past Educational Experiences 56 ii Public Relations Literature in the University Classroom 57 Puerto Rican Public Relations Book Authors 59 Current Education Status 61 Local Newspapers Scan 63 Local Public Relations Agencies Website Content Analysis 64 Chapter Five: Discussion 67 Research Questions and Discussion 67 Chapter Six: Conclusions 74 Implications for Public Relations 74 Study Limitations 76 Future Research 77 References 79 Appendices 84 Appendix A: Puerto Rico Quick Facts 85 Appendix B: Informed Consent Form (English) 86 Appendix C: Informed Consent Form (Spanish) 87 Appendix D: Demographic Questionnaire 91 Appendix E: Storyboard 93 Appendix F-U: Participant Interview Transcripts 94 Appendix V: Mr. Fernando Valverde Interview 1 Transcript 182 Appendix W: Mr. Fernando Valverde Interview 2 Transcript 187 Appendix X: Agency Website List 190 iii List of Tables Table 1: Data Collection Summary of Interviews 28 Table 2: Summary of Participant Demographic Information 34 Table 3: Communications & Public Relations Degrees Offered at Various Puerto Rican Universities 62 Table 4: Agency Website Content Analysis 65 iv Public Relations Practices in Puerto Rico: An Exploratory Qualitative Study Delia R. Jourde ABSTRACT This explorative study is a qualitative assessment of culture as a critical aspect of public relations practice in Puerto Rico. Reviewing definitions of culture, Hofstede’s dimensions of cultural values, the Excellence Theory, and international case studies, this study sought to answer the following research questions: What national cultural traits have an impact on the practice of public relations in Puerto Rico? Do Puerto Rican practitioners feel their own cultural characteristics have an impact on their practice of public relations? Does the cultural diversity of Puerto Rico have an impact on public relations practice in that country? Does the country’s strong relationship with the U.S. influence public relations practitioners to use Western-based public relations practices? Qualitative data was gathered through unstructured in-depth interviews, using a “culture bag” concept and storyboards to capture the practitioners’ perspectives. In addition, quasi-ethnographic records in relation to public relations education, a local newspaper scan, and a website content analysis of public relations agencies were analyzed. The main themes found in the interviews included the political climate, a strong sense of Puerto Rican nationality, with tradition and family as key national cultural elements. National cultural traits identified during the interviews included having a v participative, humanitarian and mostly homogeneous public; however, practitioners disagreed on whether these national characteristics truly affected their communications practices. Despite the disagreement of impact, practitioners reported that communications needs were very similar and geared to one overwhelming majority, rather than public- specific communications. Many noted the preferred communication style used emotional appeals targeted to the themes referenced above and viewed events as an ideal tactic for communications. Moreover, the U.S. influences in public relations education is notable as the university courses are taught in Spanish, but with English-written American textbooks. The theory discussed is mostly U.S. based. In addition, the lack of Puerto Rican authored literature and research is noted, and concern over licensing of practitioners was mentioned. The scan of local newspapers did not reveal many public relations issues. The website content analysis of local public relations agencies showed half of the websites as Puerto Rico specific and the prominent language used as English. vi Chapter One Introduction A recent article in The Economist (“Survey: United We Fall,” Sept. 2002) highlighted today’s internationally interconnected economy when it said: “When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold,” referring to the economic downturn due to the World Trade Center attacks. Just as economic recessions are felt globally, so are expansions in the international market, and such a marketplace is as richly diverse as it is profitable. These global changes have not left the public relations profession untouched, and diversity issues have become increasingly important. Differences of perspectives are at the very heart of public relations practice, as public relations practitioners often contend with contrasting interests among many publics. Therefore, “better understanding the influences of diversity on public relations and identifying effective ways people in public relations can respond to