Public Relations Professionalism And Excellence In The Arab World Problems And Drawbacks

This paper discusses the issue of professionalism and excellence in public relations in the Arab World. Professionalism has been described as a set of parameters that improve the image, and social impacts of an occupation. The professionalization of PR requires a body of knowledge, a domain of expertise, a high social status, accountability toward the public, a code of ethics and education as a means of testing competence and maintaining standards. After forty years of public relations practice, the Arab World has a long way to go to achieve professionalism and excellence. The profession lacks professional bodies, well educated and trained practitioners. PR in the Arab World suffers from a negative perception from society, an environment hostile to transparency, one way communication, absence of managerial role and research.