The challenges of international education: Developing a public relations unit for the Asian region

Western models of public relations tend to dominate the discipline, but
the efficiency of such models in light of global public relations and the richness of
alternative – particularly South East Asian – approaches will be interrogated in
this paper. There are few scholars who take a critical approach to public relations
practice, or consider the significance and practice of public relations in non-
Western and developing nation contexts. Those who do tend to approach
international public relations as an opportunity that offers the multinational
company competitive advantage and sound image management in international
markets, rather than as the potential for developing ethical and reciprocally
meaningful communication practices.

This paper aims to address issues of globalisation and the demands of ethical
approaches and social responsibility by developing a context-sensitive
orientation to the discipline. The complexities resulting from the internationalising of the field, specifically in terms of education and professional practice, will be explored and illuminated through reference to case studies in SE Asia and Australia.