Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Beyond Traditional Diplomacy: Public Relations Strategies in Digital Engagement by Foreign Ambassadors on X in Saudi Arabia(University of Kansas, 2024-11-14) Alhammad, Ayman Saad; Belmas, Genelle; Etheridge, ChristopherIn the digital communication era ambassadors and diplomats use different methods of practicing diplomacy which take an approach based on direct communication for building relationship with the audience, rather than only communicating with government or through traditional media to reach out to the public. The overlap between public diplomacy and public relations in terms of the theoretical and the practical made scholars think that it might be useful to adopt public relations models and theories in public diplomacy research. Putting diplomacy in the context of building relationships as a key goal may help to move public diplomacy from a normative to practical paradigm. This dissertation project draws on an organizational public relations model which consists of three stages. The researcher adopted a model of cultivation relationship with stages that consists of six strategies: access, positivity, openness, networking, sharing of tasks, and assurance. The researcher used these strategies to analysis the tweets of five foreign ambassadors in Saudi Arabia to explore how do they cultivate relationships when communicating with the public on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) using qualitative content analysis. The research reveals that all ambassadors studied used more than one strategy in one tweet. The most frequently used strategy by the Djiboutian ambassador was networking, while the French and Japanese ambassadors used positivity most frequently. A cultural theme dominated the content of most ambassadors’ tweets; however, the Djibouti ambassador’s tweets focused primarily on political issues. This research contributes to the theoretical body of relationship-building literature in the context of digital diplomacy; additionally, concepts like care-based relationship building models and nation branding emerged.11 0Item Restricted Esports World Championship in Saudi Arabia, League of Legends World Championship 2025(Brunel University, 2023-12-13) Nader, Asmaa; Wayne, Michael; Coleman, JosephineThis study aims to identify key concepts and analyze public relations tactics that can be used in Saudi Arabia for the League of Legends World Championship press conference public relations campaign. It discusses how these tactics can be employed to enhance collaboration, communication, resource sharing, and impact measurement within the campaign. The research emphasizes on the importance of using effective strategies to achieve campaign goals and maximize its impact.60 0Item Restricted The United Kingdom Muslims' Perspectives Toward Tourism in Saudi Arabia After Hajj or Umrah(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-19) Alshamrani, Zuher; Hooper, NicolaMillions of pilgrims visit Saudi Arabia annually to perform the religious duties of 'Hajj and Umrah'. This research aims to explore the willingness of UK pilgrims to engage in tourism activities after Hajj or Umrah by examining the literature on tourism and public relations in Saudi Arabia. A survey was used to measure attitudes, while focus groups were used to explore these attitudes in greater depth. Data was collected from 109 UK Muslim participants, and the results indicated that most were subsequently willing to engage in tourism activities. Almost a quarter of the participants expressed that they have a moral or religious conflict when mixing Hajj or Umrah with tourism. Their main interests regarding tourism in Saudi Arabia are visiting Islamic landmarks and local cuisines, while their main concerns are hot weather and financial costs. The image they hold regarding tourism in Saudi Arabia is associated with religion, as it is the country that contains Islamic sanctities and offers nothing else. The majority of UK pilgrims lack awareness of the tourism opportunities in Saudi Arabia, and receive the information they do acquire from social media. Public relations can play a crucial role in enhancing the image of the Saudi tourism sector, addressing misconceptions, raising awareness of the available tourism opportunities, and developing mutual understanding with the target audiences. This can be achieved by considering pilgrims as the main stakeholder, adopting the Two-Way Symmetrical Model as a framework for communication, and applying a Change Model. This research provides an overview of UK Muslims’ perspectives towards the Saudi tourism sector and discusses the role of PR in promoting Saudi Arabia as an attractive destination. The research aims to help public relations practitioners in the Saudi tourism sector attract more tourists.21 0Item Restricted An Exploration of The Use of Social Media (Websites/ Twitter) As A Public Relations Communication Technique by Saudi Charities for Relationship Building(2023) Aljaafar, Alhanouf; Rydzewska, Joanna; Rees, SianThis exploratory thesis is one of the first to investigate how charitable organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) create dialogue, develop trust, and build relationships using websites and Twitter, aiming to identify strategic communication plans for enhancing fundraising through donor relationship-building via digital means. The theoretical framework comprises Social Exchange Theory, Kent and Taylor’s (1998) principles of dialogic communication, and the two-way symmetrical model of public relations (PR) to examine the use of websites and Twitter as PR tools. Data was collected through qualitative content analysis of the websites of 95 charities, 289 tweets from the Twitter accounts of seven charities, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 11 PR practitioners from five charities. The findings revealed that Saudi charities tended to use their websites as a source of information but underutilised the ability to facilitate dialogic communication with stakeholders. Usefulness of Information was the main dialogical principle of communication emerging from the website and Twitter analysis. However, the information disclosed on websites was insufficient, with 38 providing annual reports, 49 with media centres and 76 publishing financial reports. The findings showed that Saudi charitable organisations were not fully exploiting interaction and two-way communication on their websites or Twitter. A charity’s transparency and credibility influence potential donors to make contributions, and the interview results indicated that confidence can be built by delivering and promoting successes and providing visual images and financial reports, as these increase donations. This study offers insight into how Saudi charities use websites and Twitter to communicate and build trust with the key public, extending upon existing knowledge of how websites and social media can be used for PR purposes by charitable organisations. It concludes with implications of how Saudi charities can use websites and Twitter to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders.25 0Item Restricted The Role of Digital Public Relations in Enhancing the Reputations of Saudi Universites Among Their Taget Audience: Umm Al-Qura University As Model(2022-11-27) Hawsawi, Zuhair; Zheng, SharonCombining digital media with public relations has led to an unprecedented transformation of influence on universities. It is crucial for university public relations managers to be aware of social media activity surrounding their institutions. Reputation is crucial for universities, since it has a significant impact on the quality of the institution and determines whether a university’s target audience is satisfied or dissatisfied with its offerings, hence the significance of professional digital public relations (DPR) in sustaining universities’ reputations among their audiences. The primary purpose of this research is to enhance understanding of the role of DPR in augmenting the reputation of Saudi institutions within their target audience. Furthermore, it proposes a formal approach for dealing with incidents through DPR to enhance universities’ reputations. In addition to a comprehensive assessment of the relevant literature on DPR, actual data were collected using a structured Google Forms questionnaire and analysed as part of a case study involving Umm Al-Qura University. The study findings on the significance of DPR as a means to increase the university’s reputation were unexpected. Moreover, the university’s reputation among its audience was neutral. This study concludes by recommending that similar research be conducted, albeit by utilising a survey study across many Saudi institutions to gather comprehensive findings that contribute to boosting the reputation of Saudi universities via DPR.60 0