Images of Nations and International Public Relations or The Information Society

Images of Nations and International Public Relations

Author: Michael Kunczik

This volume addresses the importance of images of nations in international relations. One fundamental assumption is that the behavior of states is not the same as that of individuals. States are social systems whose behavior as a rule directly corresponds neither to the motives of their respective leaders nor to those of their populations. However, it is also self-evident that international activities always depend on personal relationships. The studies presented relate to more or less deliberate attempts to induce change in images. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter, findings made in public relations, advertising research, prejudice research and other fields are also taken into account. Very often it is impossible to distinguish between the image of the nation-state and the images of big enterprises such as Krupp, Ford, or Coca Cola. For this reason, the country of origin effect is also discussed.

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The Information Society: A Retrospective View

Author: Georgette Wang

"A useful cross-national comparison, made more so by the fact that 19 countries include many different levels of economic development." --Communication Booknotes We are told that the industrial age is declining and the information age is emerging. In this new age, our lives will be cleaner, greener, more pleasant, more intellectual, and perhaps even less manic because we will value ideas rather than things. In the cusp of this new era are we better off today than we were yesterday? Why has information, information technology, and the information economy and society become so visible and assumed so much importance in our daily lives? To answer these and other questions, The Information Society examines 19 countries, which are categorized as high-, middle-, and low-income nations by their Gross Domestic Product per capita, to define "Informatization" along three primary dimensions: infrastructure, economic, and social. Herbert S. Dordick and Georgette Wang take a retrospective look at the information explosion of the past 20 years to see where we have been, what have been the consequences, and where we are now based on the forecasts and predictions made over the past two decades. This in-depth study will be of special interest to students and scholars in communication studies, technology/information systems, political science, sociology, and management and organization studies. The Information Society will also be of value to development planners and decision makers.

Table of Contents:

	Preface
	Acknowledgments
1	Introduction	1
2	Information Technology, the Information Society, and the Economy	8
3	A Matter of Measurement	31
4	Informatization	59
5	Looking for the Infrastructure: Charting the Measures	68
6	How Does the Information Work Force Contribute to Economic Growth?	86
7	Information Technology and Social Change: Beyond Infrastructure and Economic Growth	105
8	Reading the Trends	120
	Appendix A	133
	Appendix B	136
	References	149
	Author Index	155
	Subject Index	158
	About the Authors	167