Greetings:
I've just joined this mailing list for the purposes of staying on the bleeding
edge.
However, the delightful Susan Barnes has advised that it is entirely
appropriate to post resumes. I have done so, attaching mine as an M.S. Word
file. The short of it, for the curious, but too- weary-to-read-it, is this:
Until my recent resignation, I was VP of a major Midwest firm and I am
focusing on a return to the East, to roots, family, colleagues and a strong
business net in an agency or corporate environment. Any further interest and
professional response to my resume will be appreciated.
My experience here, reminds me, though, of the importance of culture (office,
community, regional, national, client, etc.) in the practice of classic public
relations. It is so important, I believe, that introduction to cultural issues
should be a part of academic training and workplace orientation since
"diplomacy" (the art of human relations) is the core discipline in the
practice of all PR subsets.
This understanding on my part is not new-found, but, rather, it has been
tested as never before in relocation a year ago from the apparently feared
and, by many here, loathed East Coast to the Midwest. Here, cautious drivers
paitiently wait for the rest of us to finish whatever stupid thing we are
doing before moving on to their motoring goals; there, impatience is expressed
openly with horns, facial features and worse. here, apparent politese is
offset by the roar of complaint and criticism behind lace curtains and via the
grapevine; there, one is likely to get the bad news neat, straight upm without
tonic or ice. Here, churches are equalled in number only by elegant corner
convenience stores; there, the practice of religion seems more interpersonal,
more political in character. Here, self-deprecation is the highest form of
humor, office wear is casual, leadership is not and community mores are
oligarchical and rigid (if one is an outsider) and steady (if of this)
culture. There, all of these are more apt to be draped in elegance and no less
communicative in purpose.
Being new to this forum and not yet sure of your wants and needs, I'll offer
this only as a subject for discussion and not as a screen-consuming thesis. I
would be most interested, however, in hearing views on this subject; in
knowing whether any academic PR programs are, in fact, focusing on cultural
adaptation; if this subject has been treated in PRSA's publications (or
others); and, even more so, whether there is a sophisticated practicing
organization (agency, association, etc.) anywhere — other than a foreign
corporation here or abroad — that orients or trains staff in this regard.
Rick Eaton
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