The Actualities of Public Relations Practice at an Eastern Ontario University: A Quasi-ethnographic Study

Although various studies have used ethnographic techniques to examine different concepts, contexts, and practices in public relations (Sriramesh, 2000; Daymon & Hodges, 2009), none of these studies ethnographically examined the culture within which public relations is practiced, and discourse is produced in a college or university context. This quasi-ethnographic study aims to: (1) produce an account of the core aspects of the culture within which public relations is practiced at a university in Eastern Ontario and (2) identify what PR model best represents the PR practice there. To collect data for this study, I conducted e-mail interviews with five public relations participants at the university under investigation to collect data for this study. The data collected was about the groups’ routines, practices, and behaviors that shape their experience and facilitate producing relevant discourse. I also collected some genres and documents. The findings showed that (1) collaboration characterized the culture within which PR performs its duties and activities and produces relevant discourse, and (2) the two-way asymmetrical model best represents the PR practice in the university examined. Besides filling the gap identified here, the study contributes to theory and practice in the field. It benefits those who teach public relations writing and the institution itself as it evaluates how excellent the PR practice in that institution is.