Dr. Holger Sievert and Stefan Porter are the first winners of the Institute for Public Relations BledCom Special Prize for the best new research on the cultural variable in public relations practice. The award was presented at BledCom2009, an international public relations research symposium at Lake Bled, Slovenia.
The German researchers, associates at komm.passion GmbH, submitted the winning paper entitled “An Expanded View From the Corner Office – Further Discussions and Research on the Global Navigation of International Corporate Communications.” It proposes an analytical platform for understanding international corporate communications, linking public relations knowledge with relevant expertise from other disciplines.
The prize, created by the Institute’s Commission on Global Public Relations Research, was presented by commission chair Peter Debreceny.
“The commission seeks to develop management tools by which organizations can more effectively govern their global public relations programs,” said Debreceny. “That’s why this year’s prize focused on research that helps practitioners understand how and why the culture of a country or region is an essential variable influencing how public relations is practiced.”
Any paper that BledCom judges accepted for the conference was also eligible for the special prize. The BledCom judges picked three finalists. In addition to the winning paper, the other finalists were:
- “Transcending Boundaries: The Public Relations Practitioner as Cultural Mediator” by Dr. Michèle Schoenberger-Orgad, Waikato Management School, Hamilton, New Zealand
- “Cultural Diplomacy as a Form of International Communication” by Dr. Marta Ryniejska-Kiełdanowicz, University of Wroclaw, Poland
All three papers are available on the Institute’s free website. (See BledCom Award)
