virtual public relations in the united arab emirates: a study of pr departments use of internet

8/8/2019 virtual Public Relations in the United Arab Emirates: A Study of PR Departments Use of Internet

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Virtual Public Relations inthe United Arab Emirates:

A Study of PR Departments Use of Internet

Dr. Mohamed KiratUniversity of Sharjah - UAE

Abstract:

This paper discusses t he use of internet by public relat ionsdepartment s in t he United Arab Emirates, to reach their key publicsonline and to gat her informat ion and monit or dat a t o perform t heirtasks and to promote and develop their relations with the newsmedia. Findings of t he st udy show that all 24 organizat ions have ahomepage, but only t wo t hirds of t hem are post ing t heir publicat ionson t he net , and only one t hird are using elect ronic newspapers t omonitor t heir coverage in the media and t o gat her news, data andinformat ion of import ance for t he various t asks t hey perform. Onlyt hree organizat ions out of 24 have an online newsroom, and onlyt wo have a virt ual t our about t he organizat ion. None of t he surveyedorganizat ions’ Web sit e has a fi lm or videos. Organizat ions in t heUnit ed Arab Emirat es st ill have a lot t o do t o t ake advant age fullyand rationally of what interactive communication, Internet andonline publicat ions are of fering for a bet t er performance and moreeff ect ive public relat ions.

Keywords:Interactive communications, Online publicrelat ions,Online media relat ions,Elect ronic newspapers, Web site,Online publicat ions, news rooms, press releases, visit ors’ comment sand suggest ions.“ If everybody is a publisher on t he Int ernet , your company is t oo.The Net gives you t he means to communicat e direct ly t o t he public.

Your candid, useful presentat ions t o your many publics will buy yougoodwill in t imes of t rouble”. ( Holt z,19 99 :232 ).

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Introduction:

In public relat ions, as in ot her fields, not hing seems more import ant ,than mastering the world of new technology and the adventof interactive workplace: the Internet, the World Wide Web,cyberspace. Int ernet has t remendous potent ial power for publicrelat ions and ot her communicat ions disciplines. The net has becomea st rategic tool for public relat ions depart ments. Today’s publics arebet t er educat ed, smart er and more media savvy. Public relat ionsprof essionals can use t he wired global village for immediate,effect ive and persuasive communicat ions. They can use the net

t o st ruct ure their informat ion to respond inst ant ly t o expandingissues and market development s and changes. Organizat ions todayneed t o convey their t houghts, programs and object ives t o narrowsegments of t he populat ion. The net of fers such narrow cast ing t oreport ers, analysts, consumers and opinion leaders. Elect ronic mail,int ranet s, ext ranet s, CD-ROMs and Web sit es are t he main t oolsused by public relat ions depart ment s. Media relat ions have beenpromot ed and developed t hrough t he net . Press kit s are becomingdigit al, product s are launched t hrough t he net and int erviews are

conduct ed on-line.

The World Wide Web is considered t o be t he first public relat ions massmedium allowing direct communications between organizationsand t heir publics without going t hrough news media gat ekeepingand journalist s and edit ors filt ering. Int ernet is a unique medium witha score of opport unit ies for organizat ions t o reach and int eract witht heir key publics online. Public relat ions pract it ioners can, t hrought he net , communicat e direct ly wit h their public with t ransparency,f rankness and democracy. Int ernet is a st rategic t ool for publicrelations to perform interactive communication, professionaldevelopment and conduct research.

This paper examines t he pat t erns of Int ernet usage by 24 publicrelat ions depart ment s in public and privat e organizat ions in he UAEt o promot e and develop t heir relat ions wit h t he news media and t heirrespect ive publics, and t o carry out t heir research, act ion, planning,communicat ion and evaluat ion t asks. What media mat erials, news,informat ion and data are public relat ions depart ment s displayingon t he organizat ion Web sit e? Do public relat ions depart ment s use



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t he Int ernet and online newspapers to do research and monit ort he organizat ion’s corporat e image online? Do public relat ions

departments have a policy and strategy to use efficiently andrat ionally online communicat ion t o promot e and develop t heirrelat ions with t he media t hrough the Web?

The Problem:

There is a common denominat or bet ween online journalism and onlinepublic relat ions, bot h need each ot her and bot h use news, report sand data from each ot her. Online journalism needs and use onlinepublic relat ions: Press releases, report s, Company and managers’profi les, lat est news and event s, press clippings, video news it ems…et c. Public relat ions depart ment s use online newspapers andpublicat ions to monitor t he organizat ion’s corporate image, newscoverage and public opinion. PR depart ment s use online newspaperst o do research t o plan and manage t heir act ivit ies and programs.Excellent communications and public relations are those thatserve t o facilit ate t he relat ionship bet ween an organizat ion and it sst rategic publics. The Int ernet can play a significant role in t his kindof public relat ions, but generally it has not yet been used to t hat end.Most public relat ions act ivit ies on t he Int ernet are limited t o usingit as yet anot her channel for t he one-way, t op-down publishing ofinformat ion under t he t radit ional formula of mass communicat ion.Most public relat ions act ivit ies online are not st rategic, t hey are notmeasurable and t hey are not t argeted toward specific audiencesor const ituencies. For t he most part , organizat ions’ online publicrelations efforts are limited to a small component of a larger,catchall company sit e on t he World Wide Web. A huge number oforganizat ions and inst it ut ions have not yet embraced t he Int ernetat all as a communicat ion t ool. The home page is st at ic , it neverchanges. On t he page, t he company proudly displays it s logo andlinks t o t he various sect ions of t he sit e. As a result , t he one sit eneeds t o accommodat e all possible audiences, from cust omers andconsumers t o newspaper report ers and invest ment analysis.Excellent communications and public relations are those thatserve t o facilit ate t he relat ionship bet ween an organizat ion and it sst rategic publics. The Int ernet can play a significant role in t his kindof public relat ions, but generally it has not yet been used to t hat end.Most public relat ions act ivit ies on t he Int ernet are limited t o using



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it as yet anot her channel for t he one-way, t op-down publishing ofinformat ion under t he t radit ional formula of mass communicat ion.

And t hen t here are t he huge number of organizat ions and inst itut ionst hat have not yet embraced the Int ernet at all as a communicat iont ool. Most public relat ions act ivit ies online are not st rategic, t heyare not measurable and they are not targeted toward specificaudiences or const it uencies.

For the most part, organizations’ online public relations effortsare limit ed t o a small component of a larger, catchall company siteon t he World Wide Web. Most companies est ablish t heir out post

on t he Web using the company name. The home page is stat ic , itnever changes. On t he page, the company proudly displays it s logoand links t o t he various sect ions of t he sit e. As a result , t he one sit eneeds t o accommodat e all possible audiences, f rom cust omers andconsumers t o newspaper report ers and invest ment analysis. Onelink point s t o product informat ion, another t o job opport unit ies…(Holtz,1999:11).

Public Relat ions in t he Unit ed Arab Emirat es:

As an emerging nat ion, t he United Arab Emirates has experiencedrapid development and change in a very short period of t ime. Thankst o it s oil resources, open market economy and rat ional management ,t he count ry at t ract ed huge foreign invest ments and has been ablet o be a regional center for t rade and business. Modern organizat ionsand inst it ut ions cannot survive wit hout professional and effect ivepublic relations. In a country where expatriates form two thirdsof the population, and where there are over 200 nationalitiesand t housands of f oreign and internat ional companies and firms,efficient communication and healthy relations between variousbodies and organizat ions in t he count ry are a must . Engaging in hugedevelopment s plans in various sect ors, t he Emirat i governmenthas t o communicat e, educat e, inform and prepare t he populat ion,whether local or expat riat e, t o keep up wit h t he pace of change anddevelopment which is taking place in t he region and worldwide .The private sect or, has also, in order t o survive and compet e, t o beup to dat e wit h the lat est developments at t he internat ional scalein t erms of informat ion t echnology, communicat ions, and publicrelations.



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Public Relat ions in t he Unit ed Arab Emirat es has emerged as animport ant profession t o int eract , cat er for and keep up with t he

rapid development that the country has witnessed since thedeclarat ion of t he union on t he second of December 1971.With theadvent of t he union and t he oil, the count ry wit nessed large scaledevelopment programs in all aspects of life. Such developmentprograms needed eff ect ive public relat ions. The count ry enjoys ahigh per capita income (over 20,00 0 US $) , a f ree market economy,a st rong inf rast ruct ure and a cosmopolit an societ y wit h expat riat esf rom all over t he world. This healt hy and encouraging environmentat t ract ed foreign investments. Hundreds of mult inat ional and

foreign companies est ablished t heir offices in t he count ry, openingt he doors to t he emergence of t he public relat ions indust ry. Bot hpublic and privat e sect ors start ed PR department s, services andoffices t o keep up wit h t he new changes and development . Thecount ry has not depended only on oil resources and wealth, butdiversified it s economy and engaged huge investment s in tourism,t ransportat ion, telecommunicat ions, t rade, and lat ely real est at e.( Badran,Turk, Walters,20 04:46 )

The period of t he sevent ies and eight ies was charact erized bybuilding all kinds of inst it ut ions and organizat ions in all sect ors andfields: Primary educat ion, vocat ional educat ion, higher educat ion,health, communication, transportation, agriculture, industry,t ourism, manpower development , sport s, cult ure and media. Thisperiod was a period of rapid change, and a drast ic t ransformat ionin all aspects of life. In t he media sect or, Al-It ihad newspaper wasest ablished in 1969, in 1970 Omran brot hers started Al-Khaleejdaily, which became later one of the leading newspaper in the

count ry. Emirat es News was est ablished in 1971, t hen af t er cameAlwihda in 1973, Alfajr in 19 75, Khaleej Times in 1979, Gulf News in1979, Albayan in 1980. This period also wit nessed a proliferat ionof hundreds of magazines and various specialized and professionalpublicat ions t o keep up with t he rapid development s in all sectorsand domains.The audiovisual media went t hrough t he same experience as theprint media. Thanks t o the Brit ish, broadcast ing st arted f romSharjah in 1969, and in 1971 it started from Abu Dhabi and Ras

Alkhima opening the way t o commercial radio. Television started inblack and whit e in 1969, in 1972 t he PAL system was adopted by



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Abu Dhabi and Dubai. (Nafadi; Babbili & Hussein, 1994:229302-) .As for advert ising, t his period wit nessed a widespread expansion

of privat e advert ising agencies, and t he indust ry started t o growfollowing the path of overall development in t he count ry.

Public relat ions experienced it s beginning and start ed t o grow anddevelop alongside with what was happening in various sect ors of life:education, health, sports, telecommunications, transportation,,media, indust ry, t rade, services, agricult ure, t ourism and t he listgoes on. Int ernat ional public relat ions firms, started during t hisperiod, t o discover t he huge business opport unit ies available in t he

United Arab Emirates. As a result , t ens of well-known internat ionalPR firms opened t heir offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in t he eight ies,t hus cont ribut ing t o a large extent t o t he evolut ion, developmentand expansion of t he PR indust ry in t he United Arab Emirates.

By t he mid eight ies, 63% of government depart ments and variousorganizations and institutions in the country had their publicrelat ions depart ment . The ot her inst it ut ions and organizat ionst hat didn’t have a PR body assigned such t asks to ot her services

such as human resources depart ment , financial, market ing andsales department , while ot hers out sourced private public relat ionsagencies. (Alkhaja, 1985).

The Unit ed Arab Emirat es became a regional and an internat ionalcenter for various media organizat ions t hat used t o be establishedin Western capitals, thanks to its free market economy, goodinfrast ruct ure and rat ional policies. Dubai Media Cit y was able t oat t ract t ens of Arab and int ernat ional broadcast ing firms. According

t o t he 2005 Unit ed Arab Emirat es yearbook, t he media boom in t heUAE in t he beginning of t he t hird millennium was as follows:

The media scene in t he UAE wit nessed major development s int he field of media t echnology as well as in the establishment ofvarious media cent ers such as Emirat es Media Incorporat ed,Dubai Media Corporat ion... The UAE has numerous indigenoussatellite TV stations. Some focus on Arab culture and identity,ot hers on business and sport …It also has a number of t errest rial

st at ions broadcast ing in Arabic and English…Emirat es CableTV and Multimedia (E-Vision)…offers viewers of a total of 160



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entertainment and interact ive channels in approximat ely 1 4languages. There are six Arabic and t hree English daily newspapers

in circulat ion in t he count ry, in addit ion to more t han 16 0 magazinesand journals published by local and nat ional organizat ions, cult uralcent ers, clubs, chambers of commerce and indust ry, municipalit iesand educat ional inst it ut ions.

(UAE 200 5 Yearbook: 309 ) .The ninet ies wit nessed a major development in the field of publicrelat ions in the United Arab Emirates. Int erest in the professiont ook place and increased t remendously. Various depart ment s,

organizat ions and inst it ut ions whet her privat e or public, commercialor services realized t he import ance of PR for t heir survival andsuccess. The organizat ion realized t hat it needs a sit e on t heInt ernet , a document ary film, a catalogue, a booklet , a compactdisk, and various other media mat erial t o communicate wit h it spublics and inform t hem about it s act ivit ies, product s and services.These new challenges imposed on t he new and modern organizat iona public relat ions body t hat will t ake care of various tasks andresponsibilit ies such as liaising wit h t he media, product ion of media

mat erials, research, management and decision-making. As a result ,t his period witnessed t he beginning of public relat ions educat ionand t raining in various higher educat ion inst it ut ions in t he count ry.

Online Public Relat ions:

Excellent communications and public relations are those thatserve t o facilit ate t he relat ionship bet ween an organizat ion and it sst rategic publics. The Int ernet can play a significant role in t his kindof public relat ions, but generally it has not yet been used t o t hatend. Int ernet has become an essent ial communicat ions medium forPR pract it ioners, it is a powerf ul and integrated tool and a worldwidenet work wit h a broad applicat ions internally and externally. Int ernetis a new medium requiring new ways of t hinking and new PR t act icsand t echnologies.Int ernet is a medium t hat cannot be ignored by PR prof essionals andpract it ioners. It is t o be noted here t hat t he principles of PR are t hesame and remain the same, t he only change is t echnology t hat PRshould use and adopt t o reach it s dif ferent goals. Wit h online publicrelat ions audiences are self -select ed by personal interest and no



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longer geographical, audiences are also global and local. Online publicrelat ions means interact ivit y. It is closer t o direct t han mass media.

This means that public relat ions should emphasize int eract ion withindividuals online through t wo way symmet ric communicat ion.

Online communication serves all tasks and types of content inorganizat ional communicat ion. Online is t he closest an organizat ioncan come t o one channel carrying all forms of communicat ion fromplain t ext t hrough mult imedia. Email is a primary communicat ionst ool internally, ext ernally and t o nat ional media. Public relat ionsdepart ment s can t hrough email send t ext , pictures, and images.

Online newsrooms are essent ial and a must for companies. Int imes of crises, online public relat ions help solve so many problemsquickly and efficient ly. Online public relat ions helps in researchand data gat hering, as well as, monitoring t he corporate imaget hrough online newspapers and all kinds of elect ronic publicat ions.Suggest ions boxes and visit ors’ comment s and quest ions t hrought he organizat ion’s Web sit e are major sources for research and datagathering and are import ant feedback for public relat ions’ act ivit ies

planning and programming and a good source for decision making.

Online is a major medium t hat PR pract it ioners should use efficient lyand rat ionally for ef fect ive public relat ions. Online has mat uredquickly as a communicat ions medium, it is a nearly inexhaust iblet opic. Public relat ions prof essionals should adopt and master t henew technology because of t he various services it provides for at ransparent democrat ic and eff ect ive communicat ion t o promoteand develop st rong relat ionships bet ween the organizat ion and it s

publics.



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Online media relat ions:

The press is not only one of t he most important groups wit h which anorganizat ion must communicat e, it also is one of t he easiest groupst o apply t o t he Int ernet …You can hardly find an inst it ut ional Websit e that does not feat ure a link to material produced by t he mediarelat ions depart ment . Report ers use Int ernet -based e-mail as ameans of corresponding wit h sources af t er init ial contact was madeand t he ident it y and credibilit y of t he source established.

Your job as a media relat ions professional is t o make a report er’s

job easier. In doing so, you best represent your company and makeit more likely t hat report ers will list en t o your point of view, yourstory pit ches, and your request s. Use t he Int ernet t o facilit at e thisapproach t o media relat ions by making informat ion available, not byinvading report ers’ e-mail boxes wit h unwant ed e-mail.

Public relat ions pract it ioners in the age of internet and digitalsociet y are invest ing online media relat ions t o make t he work oft he news media, report ers and journalists easier and more efficient

and t o achieve PR object ives and goals. Online media relat ions is amust for successful public relat ions. This can be achieved t hroughwell designed and well t hought Web sit e with a well st ruct ured newsroom, links and various media materials such as press releases,latest news and act ivit ies, press releases archive, news clippings,online publicat ions, videos, phot o galleries, virt ual t ours, films anddocument aries. Ot her news, data and informat ion such as companyand execut ives profiles, public relat ions managers and pract it ionerscont act ’s numbers and speeches’ archive, execut ives CVs andphot os should be displayed on t he company’s Web sit e and shouldbe easy t o reach and use by journalist s, report ers and news media.Holt z argues t hat :

The real benefit of doing media relat ions on t he Int ernet comesfrom t arget ing t he media as a dedicat ed audience and craft ing ast rategy t hat specifically addresses t heir needs…Ideally, t he jobof the media relations department is to help reporters do their jobs. That object ive is ent irely consist ent with t he broader goal ofpublic relat ions, which is t o manage the relat ionship bet ween t heorganizat ion and it s various audiences. (Holt z,19 99:11 5)



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Literat ure Review:

An emerging body of research on the use of new technologies,mainly Int ernet , by public relat ions depart ments to promot e anddevelop t heir media relat ions and reach t heir key publics suggestst hat Int ernet integrat ion is a must for eff ect ive and successful PR.Mayhall argues that Int ernet can be used in the profession of publicrelat ions as a t ool of communicat ion, PR pract it ioners professionaldevelopment and research.(Mayhall,2003) .

In a study on “ Virt ual public relat ions in the United Arab Emirates” ,

Ayish analyzed t he use of t he Int ernet as a public relat ions t ool by20 government and privat e organizat ions in t he UAE. The authorlooked at the availability of corporate or institutional profile,communit y services, press releases and news, phot o galleries,search f acilit ies, f eedback facilit ies and bilingual communicat ions.Ayish argues t hat public and privat e organizat ions in t he UAE areusing Int ernet as a public relat ions t ool, and t hat t hey have a st ronginterest in realizing a symmet rical model of public relat ions acrossprivat e and public sect ors. The aut hor not ed t hat in many cases, PR

staff are not direct ly involved in t he const ruct ion and updat ing oft he organizat ion’s sit e.

Alkhaja conduct ed a research on t he PR Int ernet ’s use in the UAE.She surveyed 10 0 public relat ions pract it ioners from public sect or(50) , privat e sect or (30) and public-privat e (20) . The aut hor foundt hat 87% of t he organizat ions in the UAE have a Web sit e. Only 5 .44 %of public relations departments participated in the constructionand updating of the organization’s Web site, while 81.82% oft he computer and IT departments designed and maint ained it .Organizat ions used Web sites to promot e t heir corporat e image,t heir act ivit ies and t heir products (58.3%) and to gather ideas andinformat ion and t o exchange let t ers with bot h int ernal and ext ernalpublics (18.5%).Findings of t he st udy showed also t hat 79% of PRdepart ments are using Int ernet in their work, and 47 % use it t o getnew ideas for t heir communicat ion act ivit ies and 19.2% t o exchangelet t ers with journalists.



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Johnson argues that public relat ions pract it ioners use t he Webt o promot e media relat ions, internal communicat ion, invest ors,

government , and cust omers relat ions. Public relat ions pract it ionersare using t he Web as a tool of t ransparent , democrat ic and directcommunicat ion with t he organizat ion’s key publics.(Johnson,19 97)In a st udy on “ Reaching key publics online: Universit y publicrelations practitioners’ use of the World Wide Web”, Silvermancontent analyzed 261 American doctorate-granting universitiest o det ermine how t hey are using the World Wide Web t o provideinformat ion for key publics. The aut hor concludes That :

In general, America’s doct orat e-grant ing universit ies are doing wellin t heir Web ef fort s t o communicat e wit h alumni, current student s,prospect ive student s, and facult y and st aff , but t here is room forimprovement , bot h in t erms of content and links, t o ot her key publicssuch as parent s, t he business communit y, and research partners.(Silverman,2004:10)

In a study on t he technological realit ies of public relat ionspract it ioners in Ghana, Kwansah-Aidoo argues:

As pract it ioners, t heorists and public relat ions educat ors cont inuet o make predict ions about t he impact of new technologies on publicrelat ions, it is inst ruct ive to not e that t here is a technological dividebet ween pract it ioners in developed count ries and t heir counterpart sin developing count ries, and also, t hat wit hin developing count riest here is st ill a furt her chasm between the technological haves, andt he have-not s. These divisions are by and large indicat ive, reflect ive,and also represent at ive of t he wider socio-cultural, economic and

polit ical set t ings in which pract it ioners operate. (Kwansah-Aidoo,2005: 13) .

O’Malley and Irani did a study on “ Public relat ions and t he Web:Measuring the effect of interactivity, information, and access toinformat ion in Web sit es” . The object ive of t he st udy was to examinewhether interactivity, information, access to information or anycombinat ion t hereof , would be the best predict or of int ent ion. Thest udy suggest s t hat a combinat ion of informat ion and int eract ivit y

would be the best predictor of intending to revisit a Web site.(O’Malley and Irani,19 98:1,9) .



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Research Quest ions:

RQ1: What are t he pat t erns of Int ernet usage by public relat ionsdepart ment s in t he UAE?

RQ2: What media mat erials, news, informat ion and dat a are publicrelat ions department s displaying on the Web sit e?

RQ3: Do public relat ions department s use t he Int ernet and onlinenewspapers t o do research and monit or t he organizat ion’scorporate image online?

RQ4: Do public relat ions depart ments have a policy and st rategy t ouse efficient ly and rat ionally online communicat ion t o promot e anddevelop t heir relat ions with t he media t hrough the Web?

Methodology:

The following organizat ions were select ed t o assess pat t erns of

their usage of online publications and Internet to promote theirmedia relat ions and perform online public relat ions.



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A media relat ions Web site Analysis Sheet what developed for t he

purpose of t his study (appendix A). It ems included the availabilit y

on t he organizat ion’s Web site of news room, press releases, latest

news and act ivit ies, press releases’ archive, speeches’ archive,

CVs and phot os, news clippings, company and execut ives’ profi les,

PR’s cont act numbers, online publicat ions, virt ual t our, fi lm, videos,

and visit ors’ comment s and suggest ions. The study also used a 26

items-quest ionnaire administered t o public relat ions depart ments’

managers in t he 24 organizat ions of t his st udy (appendix B) . The

quest ionnaire was designed to assess the use of t he Int ernet andonline publicat ions by public relat ions depart ments t o promot e and

develop relat ions wit h news media and organizat ion’s key publics

online.

Findings :

Media Relat ions Web Sit e Analysis’ Findings:

Some findings of t he st udy show a healt hy t rend in PR media relat ions

t hrough t he Web, while others indicat e that t here is a lot of work

t o do t o invest all t he pot ent ialit ies of t he Web for a bet t er public

relat ions and news media performance.

News room, speeches’ archive, news clippings, PR’s cont act

numbers, virt ual t our, film and videos

Only t hree out of 24 organizat ions in this study have a news room

in their Web sit e. This means that t he majorit y of t he organizat ions

Webs are not well organized and st ruct ured t o reach t he media and

t o give them an easy and effect ive access to t he organizat ion’s

act ivit ies, news and event s. Online newsroom are usually st ruct ured

and organized in a way t o provide a link where journalist s and

report ers find all t he informat ion and t he news t hey need to cover

t he organizat ion. Only two of t he 24 organizat ions of t he study havea speeches’ archive. And only t hree had news clippings which are of



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a great import ance for journalist s and report ers. They usually use

t hem for background st ories and t o cat ch up wit h what have been

said and published by ot her news media about t he organizat ion they

are covering. Findings of t he Web sit es’ analysis show also t hat only

t wo out of t he 24 organizat ions’ Web sit es posted t heir PR managers

and pract it ioners cont act numbers. This is a major drawback

considering that journalists and report ers need some t elephone

numbers and emails to contact directly the right person in the

organizat ion who can provide t hem with t he necessary informat ion

t hey are looking for. Findings also indicated that t he organizat ionssurveyed by t his st udy didn’t use the Web efficient ly t o build up

good media relat ions. None of t he 24 organizat ions of t his study

have a film or video news it ems on it s Web sit e, and only t wo have a

virt ual t our. These are t he negat ive aspects of using t he Web by PR

depart ments to build and foster media relat ions. On t he other hand,

some posit ive aspect s emerged throughout t his study.

They are as follows:

Press releases, latest news and act ivit ies, press releases archive,

company & execut ives’ profi les, online publicat ions and visit ors’

comment s and suggest ions:

All the organizat ions of t his study except for t wo post news releases

and lat est news and act ivit ies on their Web sit e. Over t wo t hirds of

t hem provide a company profi le as well as top managers and seniorexecut ives’ bios and CVs. Over half of t he companies displayed t heir

publicat ions on t he Web and have a “box” for visitors’ comments

and suggest ions. These are good signs of effect ive and successful

online public relat ions. Such news, informat ion, publicat ions and

archives are all important elements of professional coverage,

efficient report ing and in-dept h analyses and present at ions.



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Quest ionnaire’s Findings:

As for t he Web sit e analysis’ findings, t he quest ionnaire’s findings

show some good news and some bad news. The bad news show t hat

in over t wo t hirds of t he companies the public relat ions depart ment

do not design or maint ain t he Company’s Web sit e. This is a negat ive

t rend in online public relat ions. To be ef fect ive on t he net , PR

depart ments should be part of t he t eam t hat const ruct , design and

maint ain t he Web sit e of t he organizat ion, they should be involved

and have a say in what t o be displayed on t he Web sit e? How? When?

and for what purposes? They should make a syst emat ic and scient ificuse of t he new t echnology t o reach t heir key publics online, and t o

give t he opport unit y t o t heir audience t o communicat e and int eract

t hrough t he net with the organizat ion. Public relat ions depart ments

should also display on t he organizat ion’s Web sit e news, report s,

data, profiles and CVs t hat are of import ance t o t he news media,

report ers and journalist s. Respondent s in their majorit y said also

t hat t hey are not using email t o perform t heir PR work. Over half of

t he respondents are not aware of t he meaning and import ance of

a news room, press room, media room or media cent er online for

Web media relat ions This is a dramat ic finding if we are t alking about

online media relat ions.

As for monitoring t he media online t o assess t he corporat e image of

t he organizat ion and it s coverage by t he news media, over t wo t hirds

of t he respondent s said t hey do not use Int ernet t o do research. Thiscan be explained by t he fact t hat in real life public relat ions, research

is not a priorit y in a large number of public relat ions depart ment s in

t he UAE. ( Kirat ,200 5:16 7) .

The good news about online public relations in the United Arab

Emirat es are stated as follows by t he respondents of t his st udy ‘s

quest ionnaire: Public relat ions managers and pract it ioners think

t hey should const ruct and upgrade the organizat ion’s Web sit e.

The majorit y of t hem think also that providing press releases, and



124

press releases’ archive, post ing t he companies publicat ions and

displaying the latest news and event s and fut ure act ivit ies of t he

organizat ion are all indispensable and essent ial element s of good

media relat ions online. Over t wo t hirds of t he respondents said they

use visit ors’ comment s, suggest ions and feedback in t heir planning

and act ivit ies. All t he respondent s t hink that Int ernet has helped

t remendously t heir organizat ion in promot ing online relat ions with

t he news media. .



125

Discussion and Conclusion:

Findings of this study show positive and negative trends of the

usage of t he new t echnology, namely Int ernet , by public and privat e

organizat ions in the United Arab Emirates. It is t o be not ed here t hat

t he successful adopt ion of new t echnologies in t he field of public

relat ions depend on several factors such as the background and t he

educat ion of public relat ions pract it ioners, management st rategies

and met hods, democracy, how public relat ions is conceived, and how

it is pract iced in real life. It has been argued by many t hat globalizat ionwill definitely lead t o democrat izat ion in t he Third World count ries.

Unfort unat ely, such t hing never happened. Technology, has

never by it self made success for t hose who apply it . In t his regard,

Kwansa-Aidoo argues:

As pract it ioners, t heorists and public relat ions educat ors cont inue

t o make predict ions about t he impact of new technologies on public

relat ions , it is inst ruct ive t o not e that t here is a technological divide

bet ween pract it ioners in developed count ries and t heir count erpart s

in developing count ries, and also, t hat wit hin developing count ries

t here is st ill a furt her chasm between t he t echnological haves and

t he have- not s. These divisions are by and large indicat ive, reflect ive,

and also represent at ive of t he wider socio-cult ural, economic and

polit ical set t ings in which pract it ioners operat e.

(Kwansa-Aidoo,2005:13).

The case st udy of 24 UAE organizat ions’ use of t he Int ernet show

that public relations departments have to get more involved in

constructing and updating the organization’s Web site. More

transparent, democratic, symmetric two-way communication

should be adopt ed by t he PR pract it ioners. Media relat ions online

are not efficiently promoted and developed by public relations

department s. Findings show t hat PR are not using virt ual t ours,

fi lms, videos, news rooms, PR’s cont act numbers, news clippingsand speeches’ archive. In t he UAE, as in ot her Arab and Third World



126

count ries, t he problem of online public relat ions is a problem of

the practice of the profession itself, and not only a problem of

t echnology. In t his regard, Kirat not es:

Alt hough public relat ions is growing very fast in t he Middle East , and

alt hough it is developing along t he years but st ill t he profession is

facing some old problems.Public relat ions in the Arab World is st ill dist anced from t opmanagement and relegat ed t o secondary roles inst ead of advisingand cont ribut ing in the decision -making. The st atus of PR in societ yis correlated wit h t he degree of f reedom, democracy and t he place

public opinion occupies and the role it plays in societ y.(Kirat,2005:330331-).

Findings of t his study show t hat public relat ions depart ments in t heUAE have no clear policy and a st rategy t o use t he Int ernet t o promot eand develop healt hy relat ionships bet ween the organizat ion and itspublics. The companies’ Web sit es are st ill lacking a media relat ionsstrategy and lack a lot of information and data of importance to journalist s, report ers, news organizat ions and key publics. This

confirms what Ayish found in his study of 20 UAE organizat ions’ Useof t he Int ernet : in the UAE:

This sit uat ion seems quite alarming, underscoring low appreciat ionof t he role of public relat ions in virtual communicat ions. In t his case,PR staff members cont inuet o play t heir t radit ional role in real world sit uat ions, but when itcomes to onlinecommunicat ions, they do not seem t o have a big say in cont rolling

t he flow of informat ion t o t he public. This may suggest t hat whatappears online a bout a certainorganizat ion may be in t une wit h what is carried out in real worldcommunicat ions.(Ayish,2005 : 387 ).

For sure, news media, report ers and audiences are using, and willuse Int ernet more and more; public relat ions depart ments have t ofind out how, when, where and for what purposes are using t his new

t ool and how t o make an efficient use of it t o achieve t heir object ivesand goals. Then, t hey have t o build communicat ions programs and



12

effort s t o accommodat e those t rends t o sat isfy t he needs of t henews media, the publics and the organizat ions themselves. The final

goal in online public relat ions is not t he fact t o have a Web sit e foryour organizat ion, but rather is what you have inside that Web sit e,what kind of informat ion, dat a, stat ist ics, archives, phot o galleries,virt ual tours, video news clips and useful links.

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Appendix B: Quest ionnaire

Dear colleague,

We are conduct ing a study on online public relat ions in the United

Arab Emirates. Kindly fill in t he following quest ionnaire . We would

like t o inform you t hat all your answers will be t reat ed in st rict

confidence. Neither you, nor your organizat ion will be report ed by

name.

We would like t o t hank you in advance for your t ime and cooperat ion

Q1: What is t he name of your organizat ion?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q2: What is your job t it le ?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q3: Who designs and maintains the organizat ion’s Web sit e ?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q4: According to you, who should design and manage t he

organizat ion’s Web sit e ?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q5: Does your organizat ion’s Web sit e have a newsroom, pressroom,

news bureau, media room, or media center?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q6: If yes, What kind of news, report s, informat ion does it display?

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………



134

Q7: Do you use Int ernet t o promot e online media relat ions in your

organizat ion? How?

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q8: Do you use email t o perf orm your PR t asks? If yes, how?

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

………….………..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..…Q9: Do you use email t o send press releases, news, phot os, and

informat ion about t he organizat ion’s act ivit ies t o news media? If

yes, please give examples:

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q10: Do you have a press releases’ archive on your organizat ion’s

Web site?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q11: Do you have an archive for your organizat ion officials and top

managers’ speeches, st atements, interviews?

……………………………………………………………………………Q12: Does your organizat ion’s Web site display profi les, phot os and

CVs of it s execut ives and top managers?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q13: Are public relat ions managers, pract it ioners and company’s

spokesman’s contacts numbers available on the organization’s

Web site?

……………………………………………………………………………



135

Q14: How is your organizat ion’s media relat ions Web sit e st ruct ured

and organized?

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q15: Do you use public relat ions online research in your organizat ion?

If yes, how?

……………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Q1 6: Are t he organizat ion’s publicat ions posted on it s Web sit e? If

yes list t hem please.

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q17: Does your organizat ion’s Web sit e have online bullet in

boards?

……………………………………………………………………………

………….………..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..…

Q18: Is there a virt ual t our about your organizat ion on its Web sit e?

……………………………………………………………………………Q19: Does you organizat ion use videos and Web cast s t o reach its

key publics online?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q20: Is t here a film about your organizat ion on it s Web sit e?

……………………………………………………………………………



Q21: Do you monit or online publicat ions t o do your PR work? If yes,

please give examples:

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q22: Do you monit or online newspapers t o do your PR work? If yes,

how?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q23: What kind of informat ion and dat a you get f rom t he net t o

perf orm your PR t asks?

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

Q24: Is there a visit or f eedback link on the organizat ion’s Web sit e

t hat allows members of t he public t o report t heir views, comments,

quest ions and suggest ions?

……………………………………………………………………………

Q25: If yes, do you use publics’ f eedback in your PR work? And how?

……………………………………………………………………………………….………..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..…

Q26: In your opinion, have your organizat ion’s media relat ions been

promot ed and developed through t he net ? If yes, please explain and

give examples:

……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………Thank you for your part icipat ion in t his study

virtual public relations in the united arab emirates: a study of pr departments use of internet

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