Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Public Relations Through A New Lens—Critical Praxis Via The Excellence Theory, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

The “Excellence Theory” (J.E. Grunig et al., 2002) was initially developed, and is continually being tested, in order to demonstrate what makes for public relations practices that are both efficient and ethical for all parties involved. There is criticism which purports that such a normalizing theory is no longer relevant for current social, political, or corporate realities encountered by the public relations practitioner or researcher. This essay presents the “Excellence Theory” as a critical inquiry paradigm, allowing for the creation of spaces accessible by otherwise marginalized publics by the public relations practitioner.