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This is a conceptual paper that tries to highlight, articulate and think about the relationship of public relations (PR) with culture, and examines how Saudi Arabian traditional cultural practices, such as wasta and karam, influence how PR functions in this area. While PR in the Middle East is currently still developing, its present state is affected by confusion as to what PR means and what it should do in a company. Researchers have examined what determines the state of PR in this area by examining the economic development of the countries and the relationship between PR practitioners and journalists. Existing research has, however, chosen to look at Arab PR through a Western lens, which means they have examined the state of PR in this area by Western standards of PR and have not taken into consideration Arab culture. The paper will examine how the elements and cultural differences complicate the understanding of PR practice in Saudi Arabia and therefore what questions need to be asked to be able to clarify these things at a theoretical level, but also to be able to look at the practice in analytical terms.

Student counselling in schools is an area that is well established in both developing and developed countries around the world, and has been made available to a wide range of ages (i.e. 5–18 years old) (Harris, 2013). In addition, while the many benefits of student counselling have been widely researched and documented, the problems and obstacles encountered by student counsellors has received less attention. This research aims to combine a brief review of the literature, with the researcher's own 16 years of professional experience of student counselling in Saudi schools, in order to provide a critical account of Saudi student counselling practices. The research shows that cultural, social and financial barriers and challenges may be stopping student counselling practices from developing effectively in Saudi Arabia. It puts forward ways in which student counselling practices might be improved in order to help children and young people in schools across Saudi Arabia.