A Comparative Analysis of International Public Relations: Identification and Interpretation of Similarities and Differences Between Professionalization in Austria, Norway, and the United States

Abstract
This research addresses the need to understand how culture affects public relations. Practitioners from three different cultures Austrian, Norwegian, and American—are compared in terms of professional orientation, fulfillment, and practitioner roles. Austrian practitioners reported a stronger professional fulfillment than their Norwegian and American counterparts. Other differences and similarities are identified and explained using culture-specific, work-related values. For example, strong professional fulfillment in Austria is viewed as a function of the value this culture places upon training and education. Those engaged in international public relations must consider such differences and similarities when choosing between standardized (globalization) and customized (localization) communication strategies.