An examination of the relationship of the educational background of public relations practitioners in Latvia to roles performed

In Europe, public relations are not defined, particularly, in the former USSR republics. The author examined one of the Baltic States Latvia to find out if there is a relationship between public relations practitioners' educational background to roles performed.Forty-eight public relations practitioners of two public relations associations in Latvia comprised the sample, resulting in a 42 percent response rate. The questionnaire included 23 questions dealing with education, performance, and public relations defining.Public relations practitioners in Latvia are young in age and majority of them held managerial positions and earn high wages for Latvia standards. Most of the practitioners' have communication science degrees and only 34 percent of practitioners have degrees in public relations.Public relations organizational structure and job responsibilities are in the development stage in Latvia because employees perform job functions that are not related to their job titles.Public relations in Latvia are seen as being in a "transitional stage that helps organizations enter free market." At the same time, practitioners' define public relations being mainly concerned about communication functions like publicity and image building/reputation.Department of JournalismThesis (M.A.