Ethics and Public Relations

PR 350: International Public Relations

Academic Essay

Table of Contents

 Question 3
1. Introduction 4
2. Definition of Ethics 5
3. Should ethical behaviour differ from country to country? 8
4. How can public relations practitioners an international company 's ethical behaviour? 11
5. Conclusion 13
6. References 14

Question
Ethics and public relations – some might say it is an oxymoron. What is your definition of ethics? Should ethical behaviour differ from country to country? How can public relations practitioners influence an international company 's ethical behaviour? Discuss using international examples.

1. Introduction
In today 's fast moving business world; where mergers, friendly and hostile takeovers, bankruptcy, and corporate scandals reign supreme; a company 's image and reputation are perhaps two of the most important assets a firm may possess. Creating "just the right image" in the public 's eye is essential for the survival of any organization and why many organisations today either hire a public relations agency or have their own public relations department.
Unfortunately, for many public relations practitioners, this means using whatever means possible; including foregoing all ethical virtues, in order to create that "right image" for their client and for their organisation. It is because of the dubious practices by these practitioners that led journalists to call public relations practitioners "PR flakkers", a derisive term given by journalists to PR people for putting forth slanted, self-serving information, which does not tell the whole story most of the time (Vivian, 1999, p.309).
Therefore, this academic essay aims to discuss whether ethics and PR can work hand-in-hand even though it may be considered an oxymoron relationship, whether ethical behaviour should be different from country to country and how public relations practitioners can use ethics to help

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