Public relations are the practice of distributing the information between an organisation or individual and the public. The aim of PR practitioners by the client is often is to persuade stakeholders, partners, employees, investors and most importantly, the public. The practitioner’s communication stance is reaching the individuals or organisation ultimate goal. However many can examine and scrutinize public relations ethics to assert a PR problem within the industry. All PR organisations and individuals have a code of ethics of which the professionals are expected to follow. Regardless of these guidelines, ethics in individual practices seem to prove continuous and consistent violation worldwide. The James Hardie Industry, a company that is known for knowingly using products that caused thousands of people throughout Australia to grow to become sick and even resulting in death, from its products that produced massive profits is a prime example of the PR problem. However ethical communication and critically reflective practices are procedures that benefit both the public and the organisation when use correctly, opposite to the James Hardie case.
The James Hardie Industries is a an industrial building materials company, head office in Ireland, manufactory and developing materials, technologies and processes for the production of building materials. For a great deal of the twentieth century, James Hardie was the leading producer of asbestos cement sheet and other building products, which used asbestos as a support material in Australia. However working with James Hardies’ products containing asbestos caused people to develop asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma. As James Hardie was one of the companies involved in the mining of asb...
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...blic is well aware of the poor PR practice, drawn attention to by the media, that is amongst some organisation and individuals, however it cannot be justified that all PR practitioners don’t abide by ethics and morals.
James Hardie’s case did not meet an ethically and moral course of action, until the 21st century when the more of the public had an understanding grasp of what took place during the 1980’s. Organisations can look at what the industry did and learn from their mistakes. The use of ethical communication and critically reflective practice is a benefit to any PR practitioners by creating simple and easy to follow procedures that can reform an organisation. Through research is can be justified that there is a PR problem, whether it’s the disregard of ethics and the greed for profits over human health, ethics need to be abided or a PR problem will be formed.
Newsom, D., Turk, J., & Kruckeberg, D. (2013). This Is PR: The Realities of Public Relations
Bowan, S (2007). Ethics and Public Relations. Retrieved on February 14, 2012 from : http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/ethics-and-public-relations/
In an ideal medical society, no dilemma should arise on whistleblowing associated with poor medical practice or illegal behaviours. However these dilemmas arise when these whistle blowers take privileged information to the public in order to address their personal concerns or conscience. It can however be said that they are often left with little or no choice. Lipley (2001) discusses a case which occurred in the UK where a nurse wrote to the media reportedly that the elderly inpatients at her organisation did not receive adequate care and that this was jeopardising their lives. The appeals tribunal ruled that her decision was right and was both reasonable and an acceptable way to raise such issues ...
The six basic guidelines outlined by the George S. May International Company (GMS) for making ethical business decisions are so simplistic and common sensible that it is hard
Asbestos is a mineral that was used prevalently in the middle 1900’s as a building material. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral in the earth’s crust, that was once mined in the United States. Currently, the mining of asbestos is banned in the United States, and the use of asbestos is highly regulated. During the peak use of asbestos, it was used primarily for its insulating properties, for heat protection and sound dampening. Some examples of use include fire protection equipment for fire fighters, drywall, ceiling tiles, and insulation around pipe and boilers. Many schools built during the mid-1900’s contain asbestos. For this case study, a hypothetical school, Big Bend Elementary, contains
The rise of social media in the modern world has led to magnificent gaffes in the Public Relations landscape. My chosen company – SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, more commonly known as SeaWorld, and campaign – #AskSeaWorld cited in my main article (Coffee, P., 2015) made me consider how a company’s PR efforts can cause further problems for the company. SeaWorld’s reputation and financial health had been taking a series of hits since the documentary Blackfish, which highlighted their mistreatment of orca whales in captivity, and PETA’s campaign against them in late 2014. (Vigil, J., 2014) The aforementioned events caused a strong backlash in the public sphere, leading to a reduction in attendance, poor press, and a significant social media outcry.
The discipline of public relations is a modern profession which has been in existence for only close to a century; however, it has already taken an important role in the fields of business, government, entertainment and non-profit organizations including educational institutions and healthcare organizations. Public relations professionals are required to have excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills and have the ability to persuade the public. It is imperative for PR professionals to effectively communicate with its public in order to establish and maintain a positive relationship. Furthermore, public relations professionals must have the ability to work under pressure and effectively manage crisis which may have detrimental effect on the company and the public it serves. State purpose of paper and an overview of what will be covered in the introduction
OSHA defines asbestos as a fiber that includes six different types of minerals such as chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite. Asbestos is actually known for its heat resistance and insulating properties in which is designed for everything such as fire-proof vests and brake pads to home and commercial construction. But our primary concern is that asbestos is the carcinogenic potential of airborne fibers. Asbestos is a critical toxin in the mining field and it is important to know the precautions and regulations to eliminate and control the toxins, and possibly find other alternatives than the use of asbestos.
This Coca Cola malfunction incident demonstrates that if attention is not paid to the ethical operation or the company it could challenge and threaten a company’s short and long term performance. This could have long lasting affects on the companies operations and requires strategic decisions to restore company’s image in the eyes of the customers. Gaining the trust of customers takes long time but it is broken with one small incident.
Edward L. Bernays deserves recognition far greater than that which he receives. "The father of spin" documents the career of Edward Bernays, the man himself and the monumental findings that precede him. Bernays not only fathered public relations as we know it he also shaped molded and embodied ideal practices of public relations and spin in everything that he did.
Many managers and organisations make the mistake of assuming that what’s wrong is illegal and what’s legal is right and if it’s legal it must be ethical. Yet many ethical dilemmas present themselves before the decision makers where right and wrong can not be clearly identified. They involve conflict between interactive parts – “the individual against the organisation or the societ...
...d not suffer from bad consequences on the long run. On the other hand, the Exxon-Valdez oil-spill case is an example of deceptive PR. Indeed, not much was done for the Alaskan community and the corporation ended up being perceived in a very negative way by the general public. These two crisis communication cases show that people and mechanisms of power have things in common with Machiavelli’s times, but society has become less tolerant of evil strategies. Rulers or corporations still have the means to deceive, but people are no longer subject to an authority considered divine. Therefore, the ones who govern are exposed to feedback and can hardly avoid the consequences of their acts.
We are currently in an era where the profession of public relations is widely viewed as being “spin doctors” and hype can often eclipse reality. Most individuals see public relations as people who manipulate the public mind, rather than tell the truth. We are often accused of distorting reality, propaganda and withholding information. With these circumstances, you could have thought that “ethical public relations” was an oxymoron. Although not everyone is in tune with today’s public relation’s world, it is critical to assert a practitioners' beliefs of ethics in the practice of public relations. Being an ethical public relations practitioner is fundamental, especially when it is your duty to build trust and enhance stakeholders’ reputations.
Ethics, as according to Johanessen, Valde, & Whedbee (2008, p. 1) is a study that argues what should be the grounds principles for right and wrong human behaviour. There are public relations scholars from Kruckeberg (1998) have made a point to relate universal ethical values as professional values. It is therefore necessary to integrate these values into the public relations profession. The Institute of Public Relations Singapore (IPRS) has supported this in their code of ethics. A principal stated that, “A member shall conduct his professional activities with respect for the public interest and the interest of the profession.” This means that every decision and strategy that the public relations practitioner should account for their employee, client or community. However, a report done by
Public relations is everywhere today. It is a practice that has become an important aspect of any business venture. Whether an organization is not for profit, for profit, or governmental, they still need and desire to communicate their purpose within the community and public relations allows this to happen. There are several publics in which the PR practitioner must correspond with and each requires a different means of communication. Internal publics are inside the organizations such as clerks, managers, and stockholders. "External publics are those not directly connected to the organization: the press, government, educators, customers, suppliers, and the community" (Seitel, 2004). Each public plays a key role in the PR of the organization. The many functions of PR can also be categorized based on what purpose they serve the organization.