Broadening the Concept of Expectations in Public Relations

Expectations have been connected to many central concepts of public relations research, yet definitions of what is meant by expectations are lacking. This article aims to broaden the understanding of expectations by taking into account their multidimensional nature, suggesting that there are several...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of public relations research 2015-01, Vol.27 (1), p.81-99
Main Authors: Olkkonen, Laura, Luoma-Aho, Vilma Liisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Confidence
Expectations
Public relations
Studies
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Expectations have been connected to many central concepts of public relations research, yet definitions of what is meant by expectations are lacking. This article aims to broaden the understanding of expectations by taking into account their multidimensional nature, suggesting that there are several explanations to expectations depending on what the expectation is based on. We suggest that, in organizational context, expectations are two-fold assessments of what is considered good or desirable (expectation tone ranging from positive to negative) and the confidence placed in the organization (organization-specific context ranging from high to low confidence). As a result of the conceptual review with theoretical input from areas outside the scope of public relations, the article presents the Expectation Grid, where expectations are acknowledged as continuums of tone and context.
ISSN:1062-726X
1532-754X
DOI:10.1080/1062726X.2014.943761