Internet adoption by Saudi public relations professionals

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of individual, organizational, and social contexts on internet adoption by Saudi public relations professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the diffusion of innovations model, this study investigates the responses of 354 Saudi public relations professionals to a survey about internet adoption in public relations‐related tasks.

Findings

The paper finds that only 46 per cent of Saudi public relations professionals adopted the internet for public relations. Organizational context variables were the influential predictors of internet adoption.

Research limitations/implications

In the light of the intense bureaucracy in Arab organizations, scholars should be cognizant of the roles played by Arab organizational structures in the adoption of innovations.

Practical implications

While the adoption of innovations in Western organizations is more likely to be influenced by commercial needs, organizational structures play more defining roles in Arab organizations' adoption of innovations.

Originality/value

The study is one of the few to investigate the influence of organizational contexts on the adoption of innovations in Arab societies.

Citation

Al‐Shohaib, K., Al‐Kandari, A.A.J. and Abdulrahim, M.A. (2009), "Internet adoption by Saudi public relations professionals", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 21-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540910931373