Power, legitimacy and political positioning: a case study evaluating James’ Public Relations Positioning Framework A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to The School of Creative Industries University of Newcastle, Australia. by Deborah Jane Wise B. Communication (Hons) (UoN) 21 July 2017 Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my Knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to this copy of my thesis, when deposited in the University Library, being made available for loan and photocopying subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Signed: _________________________ Date: Name: Deborah Jane Wise ii Acknowledgements I wish to firstly acKnowledge the unfailing guidance and support provided by my primary supervisor, Dr Melanie James, from the University of Newcastle. Words cannot adequately express how much I appreciate everything she has done in the course of the supervision of this thesis, including providing me with invaluable guidance and insightful feedbacK at every stage of my ‘way finding’ PhD journey. I thank her for her kindness, friendship, and her indefatigable support and encouragement to pursue this research. I would also liKe to thank my co-supervisor Professor Judy Motion from the University of New South Wales. I have always had the utmost regard and admiration for her scholarship. Given she is held is such high esteem in our field, it was with some trepidation that I approached Dr James about whether we could invite Profession Motion to be involved with my thesis supervision. I was delighted when she accepted and I am most grateful for the time she spent providing insightful critique and guidance when it was most necessary. I would also liKe to acKnowledge the generous assistance that has been provided by the University of Newcastle throughout this project. Through the support offered initially in the form of a three-year scholarship (that then became an Australian Post-Graduate Award), as well as travel scholarships and postgraduate awards, I have been able to spend extended periods of time worKing on my research. I have also been afforded opportunities to present my research in progress to my peers at conferences – a vital part of my ability to move through this project. The generous support of my colleagues and fellow research students in the School of Design, Communication and IT, and now the School of Creative Industries, throughout my doctoral project has also been very much appreciated. I also wish to thank my undergraduate students who have challenged me and spurred me on to engage with new techniques and ideas. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my four wonderful children, AnniKa, Kurt, Zane and Declan who gave me the space to be ‘a different kind of mother’ and accompanied and supported me at every step of this wonderful journey. I must also acKnowledge the worK of Ann Cowper who provided professional editorial services in the latter stages of my thesis preparation. These services were limited to editing for consistency (Standard E, Completeness and iii Consistency of the Australian Standards for Editing Practice) and complied with the University of Newcastle’s Policy for Editing of Research Theses by Professional Editors. This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Graeme and Barbara Wise. iv Abstract This research resulted in advancing understanding of how strategic positioning occurs within public relations and has also extended possibilities for the application of Positioning Theory. In terms of the public relations field I have explained, through the application of a positioning theoretical frameworK and Positioning Theory, how the intertwined concepts of power and legitimacy underpin public relations positioning. I provided an evaluation of both the 2010/2011 and 2014 iterations of James’ FrameworK for Intentional Positioning in Public Relations. Although these FrameworKs had been variously tested and applied since 2010, they had not been evaluated using an in-depth case study approach. My worK has resulted in a point of reference from which other public relations researchers can further develop conceptualisations and applications of public relations positioning. From the perspective of Positioning Theory, this research has indicated the prominence of power dimensions in positioning episodes. A suggested critical approach has been put forward that provides a sound basis from which to further investigate this phenomenon in contexts wider than public relations. The research results strongly suggested that the concept of legitimacy be given more prominence and be considered as a core factor in Positioning Theory and these results provide a platform from which a more general conceptual frameworK for intentional positioning could be developed. This research has also contributed to furthering understanding of political discourse in relation to government policies on climate change, identifying how the climate change discourse in Australia changed in 2010. The results indicated that how viewing climate change from an economic perspective achieved ‘truth’ status, wherein the very idea of action on climate change became an economic risK that tooK precedence over any concern for the environment. Keywords: public relations, Positioning Theory, positioning analysis v Referred publications resulting from this thesis: Drawing on the worK in this thesis I have published two articles in peer reviewed academic journals and I have presented my research at six international academic conferences: Refereed journal articles Wise, D., & James, M. (2013). Positioning a price on carbon: Applying a proposed hybrid method of positioning discourse analysis for public relations. Public Relations Inquiry, 2(3), 327-353. doi: 10.1177/2046147x13494966 Wise, D. (2015). Positioning PR: an Analysis of the Representation of Public Relations in Australian Political Speeches. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 16 (1), 90-106. Copies of these journal articles are included in Appendix X and Y Published refereed conference publications Wise, D. (2013). PR, positioning & a carbon tax: applying a new conceptual framework to the analysis of polarised political positions. Paper presented at the 2013 International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference, Dublin, Ireland. Referred conference abstracts Wise, D. (2015). Positioning PR: an analysis of the positioning of public relations in Australian political speeches. Paper presented at the 2015 Positioning Theory Symposium, Brugge, Belgium. Wise, D. (2015). The political positioning of the Australian carbon price/tax: a case study approach to testing the analytical framework for strategic positioning in public relations. Paper presented at the 2015 Political Discourse- vi Multidisciplinary Approaches Conference, London, UK. Wise, D. (2013). Positioning PR: an analysis of the representation of public relations in Australian political speeches. Paper presented at BCN Meeting #3 International PR 2013 Conference, Barcelona, Spain. Wise, D. (2012). Posting the shift or shifting the post? A review of the role of public relations in constructing climate change discourses. Paper presented at the 2012 Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) Conference, Adelaide, Australia. Wise, D. (2011). Positioning a price on carbon: testing a model of positioning discourse analysis in public relations. Paper presented at the 3rd New Zealand Discourse Conference (NZDC3), 2011, AucKland, NZ. vii Table of contents 1. Introduction .................................................................. 1 1.1 Background and context ................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Problem statement .............................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Statement of purpose and research questions .......................................................... 3 1.4 Research approach .............................................................................................................. 4 1.5 Assumptions .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Rational and significance .................................................................................................. 7 1.7 Definitions of key terms used throughout this thesis ............................................. 8 2. Situating the case study ............................................. 9 2.1. Overview of Australia’s political system .................................................................. 10 2.2 The Clean Energy Act 2011 ............................................................................................ 11 2.3 Australia and the vexed issue of climate change ................................................... 14 2.4 Australia’s history of policy action (inaction?) on climate change .................. 17 2.5 Chapter summary ............................................................................................................. 25 3. Review of the literature: conceptualising strategic positioning in public relations ..................................... 28 3.1 What are the origins of strategic positioning