Publication Date

2010-07-30

Availability

Open access

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Department

Communication Studies (Communication)

Date of Defense

2010-07-15

First Committee Member

Don W. Stacks - Committee Chair

Second Committee Member

Michael J. Beatty - Committee Member

Third Committee Member

Samuel A. Terilli - Committee Member

Fourth Committee Member

Donald K. Wright - Outside Committee Member

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the scope and types of public relations practices in Japan, how public relations practices of Japanese and foreign companies differ, how media respond differently to the public relations activities of Japanese and foreign companies, and how "foreignness" affects public relations activities of multinational enterprises in Japan. The sole academic journal in the field of public relations in Japan and the single commercially published public relations industry magazine were submitted to an empirical content analysis. Additionally, three cases of contest for corporate control, two of which were between an American activist fund and a Japanese company, and one between a Japanese investment fund and a Japanese company, were analyzed using a case study approach. Press releases and newspaper articles about these cases were also content analyzed. The results show that among public relations activities, crisis category appeared the most frequently in the public relations industry journal and corporate communication category appeared the most frequently in the public relations academic journal. The analysis of the cases shows that the American fund at first faced problems communicating with its stakeholders but improved its communication activities in subsequent years with better results. The content analysis of the press releases shows that American fund uses more quotes and persuasive messages in the press releases and Japanese newspapers do not treat domestic and foreign entities differently. The overall results confirm the importance of culture in public relations practices.

Keywords

Market Entry; M&A; Newspaper; Case Study; Press Release; Liability Of Foreignness; Corporate Communiction; Content Analysis

Download

Share

COinS