Chapter 5 - Public Relations Ethics

1. Introductory Statements

  . The practice of PR is all about gaining credibility, and credibility begins with telling the truth.

  . The cardinal rule of PR is: "to never lie"

   . The heart of PR counsel is: "to do the right thing"

2. About Ethics

  a. Definition

  "Standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues"

  b. Ethics or Moral Philosophy

  The field of ethics, or moral philosophy, aims to differentiate between the concepts of right and wrong behavior. It involves systematizing, defending and recommending.

  Nowadays, philosophers distinguish between 3 general subject areas:

  1. Metaethics

  2. Normative Ethics

                        Normative ethics aim to define moral 

                  standards to regulate right and wrong 

                  conduct.

  3. Applied Ethics

  Applied ethics focuses on examining 

                      specific controversial issues such as 

                  abortion and homosexuality.

      c. PR Ethics

  PR people must be ethical in terms of:

  + Professional ethics

  + Applied ethics  

            This suggests a commonly accepted sense of professional conduct that is translated into formal codes of ethics, which are monitored, assessed and enforced through actions taken against those who deviate from norm.

3. Ethics across disciplines

a. Ethics in Government

  Ethics has never had a perfect reputation when it comes to politics

  b. Ethics in Law

  PR counselors are strictly mandated by law to register the foreign entities they represent.

  c. Ethics in Business

  For many people today, the term business code is an oxymore.

  PR industry is linked in collective minds to ethical slipperiness and deceptive communication.

  d. Corporate Social Responsibility

  1. Categories

   + Marketing Price (e.g. fair price)

   + Corporate philanthropy

   + Environment activities

                  + External relations (e.g. support of minorities)

   + Employee safety and health 

            2. Tasks

                  Social responsibility discipline focuses on doing the following:

   + Analyzing the issues

   + Evaluating the performance

   + Setting priorities

   + Allocating resources to the priorities

   + Implementing programs

  3. The Pyramid of Social Responsibility

Chapter 4 - Public Relations Management

1. Associative Statement 

  Managers insist on results. 

      Without a realistic budget, no organization can succeed.

2. Management of Process of PR

  PR is much more a planned, persuasive social managerial science.

  The best PR programs can be measured in terms of achieving results in building the key relationships on which the organization depends.

  The boundary role: when PR managers function as a liaison between the organization and its internal and external publics. They have one foot inside

the organization and one outside. They help their colleagues to communicate across organizational lines both within and outside the organization.

  PR professionals should think strategically in terms of the strategic process element of their own roles. Their mind-set is directed at communication key

messages to realize desired objectives to priority publics.

3. Reporting to Top Management

  Public relations should be the corporate conscience and it promotes the entire organization. To perform this function effectively, it needs to report 

to top management. 

4. Conceptualization of the PR Plan

a. Definition

  "Strategic planning the organization's overall game plan, has a longer planning horizon (typically three to five years) and is performed at the 

corporate and business levels of the organization."

b. Why planning?

  Strategic planning for PR is an essential part of management:

  + It is critical to win the support of top management.

  + It gives accounts for PR actions.

  c. Important axes

  PR practitioners must consider:

   + Objectives

   + Structure

   + Planning

   + Budget

   + Research

   + Evaluation

d. Organizing the PR program

  Environment -> Business Objectives -> PR Objectives and Strategies -> PR Programs

  The environment must dictate overall business objectives. These, in turn, dictate specific PR objectives and strategies.

  The PR plan must include

           + Clear-cut objectives to achieve org. goals.

           + Targeted strategies to reach those objectives.

           + Specific tactics to implement the strategies.

  All planning requires thinking. Planning for short-term PR program may require less thought than planning a long-term campaign to win support for a public policy issue.

5. Creating the PR Plan

  The PR plan must be spelled out in writing, and should answer management questions and concerns about the campaign being recommended.

  Here is a way it might be organized:

   + Executive summary 

   + Background

   + Situation analysis

   + Message statement

   + Audiences

   + Key audiences messages

   + Implementation

            + Budget

   + Monitoring and evaluation

6. Activating the PR campaign

  The plan specifies a series of what's to be done and how to get them done.

  The four-part skeleton of a typical PR campaign plan resembles the following:

  1. Backgrounding the problem

   + Situation analysis

   + Background

   + Case statement

  -> specify the major aims of the campaign.

  A PR planner should divide the overriding goal into several subordinate objectives

  2. Preparing the proposal

  It sketches broad approaches to solve problems at hand. It generally includes the following:

                        + Situational analysis

                        + Scope of assignment

                        + Target audience

                        + Research methods

                        + Key messages

                        + Communication vehicles

                        + Project team

                        + Timing and fees

  3. Implementing the plan

  It details the operating tactics. Specific activities are defined, people are assigned to them and deadlines are established in a time chart specifying when each action will take place.

  4. Evaluating the campaign

  This aims to find out whether the plan worked or not. It is achieved through answering these method questions:

  + Did we implement the activities we proposed?

  + Did we receive appropriate public recognition for our efforts?

  + Did attitudes change?

7. Setting PR objectives

  PR professionals are managing by objectives (MBO) and results (MBR) to quantify the value of PR in an organization.

  The key to using MBO effectively is to follow these 7 steps:

  1. Defining the nature and mission of the work.

  2. Determining the results in terms of time, effort and personnel.

  3. Identifying measurable factors on which objective can be set.

  4. Setting objectives.

  5. Preparing tactical plan.

  6. Establishing rules and regulations to follow.

  7. Establishing procedures to handle the work.

  Two questions are most frequently asked:

  + How can we measure PR results?

  + How do we know whether the PR program is making process?

8. Budgeting for PR

  In recent time, PR budgeting has increased due to media placement, media monitoring and special events.

9. Implementing PR programs

Community Relations	Investor Relations	Consumer Relations
PR Research	PR Writing	Special PR
Institutional Advertising	Graphics	Website Management
Media Relations	Philantropy	Internal Communication

10. PR Departments and agency

Department	Agency
. Staff professionals	. Line professionals
. Support the primary business of the organization	. Help organization to earn
. Inside looking out	. Outside looking in
. Subjectivity	. Objectivity
. Report directly to the CEO	. Managers listen more carefully . Less flow of information