The social, political and economic contexts: keys to front-end research

Nine basic concepts that denote the social, economic, and political contexts that can be used to guide front-end public relations research are discussed. Five of these concepts fall within the realm of social context. Two each can be classified as economic and political contexts. These concepts include cultural beliefs, frames of reference, role and power relationships, and costs interpretation. The use of these concepts in the design of three specific research projects is also discussed.
Scan the literature of public relations these days and you often encounter the terms strategic planning,(1) issues management,(2) environmental scanning,(3) management by objectives(4) and proactive public relations. All of these [...]