Leadership and Public Relations in Two Emerging Markets: A Comparative Study of Communication Management in Latvia and Russia

• In Event: Leadership, Employee Communication, and PR profession

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to investigate and compare public relations developments in two emerging markets—Latvia and Russia—through an examination of public relations leaders and leadership. The integrated model of excellent leadership in public relations (Meng & Berger, 2013) provides conceptual foundations for this paper. A survey of Latvian (n=111) and Russian (n=215) public relations professionals is used to address the following research questions: (1) what issues are important to public relations leaders in Latvia and Russia?, (2) what action strategies do Latvian and Russian public relations leaders use to deal with these issues?, (3) what leadership abilities in public relations are valued in Latvia and Russia?, and (4) what actions should be taken to facilitate the development of future leaders in public relations in Russia and Latvia? This paper responds to these questions, as well as analyzes the findings within the broader sociopolitical contexts in Latvia and Russia.

Authors

• Baiba Petersone, Riga Stradins U

• Elina Erzikova, Central Michigan