Public Relations and Business Legitimacy

Abstract

The vast field of public relations contains multiple theoretical, methodical, and conceptual approaches, with research spanning such disciplines as sociology, ethics, linguistics, communication studies, behavioral psychology, management theory, and many more. Upon giving an introductory overview of main developments in the field with a specific focus on the concept of business legitimacy, this chapter proposes to follow a specific path promising fruitful insights for the student, practitioner, or researcher with an interest in business legitimacy. It is argued that the two-way symmetry model of excellence benefits from being theoretically informed by a Habermasian perspective on publicity and communication when dealing specifically with issues of pragmatic, moral, and cognitive forms of legitimacy. Taking such theoretical bearings, the chapter ultimately presents a contemporary case study exemplary of a prototypical business legitimacy issue.