What are you studying? What is ethics? Why study ethics in PR?

Transcription

1 14 & 16 July 2014

2 What are you studying? What is ethics? Why study ethics in PR? You are here to have a discussion about ethics and how to apply it to situations that might arise in PR.

3 Professional o It s a formal position that someone gets paid to do, having had extensive training and gained vital knowledge. Involves a party s relationship with the public o It involves the image/reputation of the company, but is more specific than just that. Aims at fostering a positive relationship o In other words, it attempts to build credibility with the public.

4 Ethics is a theory or principle used to make moral judgments (moral decisions). As such, an ethical theory brings together what is common in all moral judgments. o NOTE: There are more than one ethical theory or principle! Moral judgments say whether something is right or wrong, good or bad. Ethics, therefore, is the study of rightness and wrongness. For example, think about what all these moral judgments have in common: o o o Killing someone for money is wrong. Stealing is bad. You should always keep your promises. Perhaps we could say that what all these moral judgments have in common is that they apply the principle, Do to others as you would have them do to you.

5 Common Morality o Set of moral beliefs shared by most people in society. Personal Morality o Set of moral beliefs held by an individual. o Mostly the same as common morality o Some moral beliefs are different Professional Morality o Standards adopted by professionals relevant to their professions, usually stated in a formal code. o Involves preventative morality (eg. preventing harm to the public) and aspirational morality (eg. aspiring to promote pubilc wellbeing).

6 Pledge of PRSA members I pledge: To conduct myself professionally, with truth, accuracy, fairness, and responsibility to the public; To improve my individual competence and advance the knowledge and proficiency of the profession through continuing research and education; And to adhere to the articles of the Member Code of Ethics 2000 for the practice of public relations as adopted by the governing Assembly of the Public Relations Society of America. I understand and accept that there is a consequence for misconduct, up to and including membership revocation. And, I understand that those who have been or are sanctioned by a government agency or convicted in a court of law of an action that fails to comply with the Code may be barred from membership or expelled from the Society.

7 I asked Google to use Public Relations in a sentence, and these are some of the results I got. o Public relations is often looked down on by the media. o Public relations has a bad reputation. o Dirty Words, Sleaze and the Bad Reputation of Public Relations Have you heard of terms like spin, dark PR, PR stunts and propaganda? If PR is meant to build positive public relationships, and the public is so sceptical of PR, it seems like something has gone terribly wrong.

8 It is easy to look good for a limited amount of time. Sooner or later, the truth catches up and you don t look so good any more. This is exactly what has happened with so much PR. To answer the question, What has gone wrong with PR? There is a serious lack of ethics. In other words (remembering our definition of ethics), there is a lack of principles used to make moral judgments (moral decisions).

9 In this course, you will: learn some basic ethical concepts identify ethical issues within PR practice (and hopefully in life broadly) think critically about ethical issues apply different ethical theories and approaches to case studies and examples communicate effectively in writing develop an attitude that ethics is vital to professionalism and credibility in PR this is the most important thing.

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12 You will have lectures at the following times o Monday 09:30-10:20 o Wednesday 09:30-11:20 Ignore the additional periods on your timetable Lecture slides will be ed to you by me if you attend lectures. The usual lecture rules apply o If you miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed. o One person will speak at a time. o Be on time. o In general, please be respectful. o Conduct yourself in a way a PR officer would. It ll make your job a lot easier when you get there.

13 I will be available for consultation for two hours a week. Times and TBA IMPORTANT: Make sure you know how to write a professional and polite ! Dear Mr. Scholtz Please would you excuse me from Wednesday s lecture this week. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend. I am suffering from stikitodamaniosis and the doctor has recommended I stay at home for the next three days. I will provide you with my doctor s letter when I return to university. Thank you for your understanding. Kind Regards Senzi Smith

14 Hola Im still waiting for the lecture slides can you send them? Please give me my marks sir. hi wenz da test 2morrow

15 Semester Mark: Test 1 35% Test 2 35% CTs & Assignments 30% Final mark: Semester mark 50% Exam mark 50% Dates and details of exactly what to study will be given nearer the time.

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17 APHI 132

18 Please take notes where there is important information. Please make sure you sign the attendance register before you leave today. Reminder: Only 3 lecture periods per week. o Monday 09:30-10:20 o Wednesday 09:30-11:20 You do not have a lecture tomorrow. My and consultation times: TBA. Who of you stay on main campus?

19 Take out a piece of paper. Write your name, student number and on it. Do all class activities today on this page. Hand this in at the end of the lecture. Recap on ethics Description and prescription Common moral views and ethical relativism Profession and Professionalism Test your PQ Group assignment

20 Our central focus in this course is the strange word, ethics. Ethics is a theory or principle used to make moral judgments (moral decisions). As such, an ethical theory brings together what is common in all moral judgments. o NOTE: There are more than one ethical theory or principle! Moral judgments say whether something is right or wrong, good or bad. Ethics, therefore, is the study of rightness and wrongness. For example, think about what all these moral judgments have in common: o o o Killing someone for money is wrong. Stealing is bad. You should always keep your promises. Perhaps we could say that what all these moral judgments have in common is that they apply the principle: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

21 What does description mean? What does prescription mean? What is the difference? Is vs. ought. We can talk about moral judgments normatively or descriptively. o o Killing someone for money is wrong. It is good to study hard for exams. Three important things to bear in mind while discussing ethics: There is almost always a difference between how things are (how we can describe the world) and how things should be (how we can say the world ought to be). ought implies can. What is LEGAL and what is ETHICAL are not always the same thing.

22 What are some moral views that you hold? Write some down. To help you along, complete the sentences: It is wrong to is bad. It is right to is good. What do you think?

23 What moral beliefs are common? Where do we all agree? Where do we disagree? Can we come to some agreement? Isn t it all relative? Each person, community, culture, society or country has its own moral code of beliefs. (True?) Therefore there is no single ethical theory that everyone can agree on; moral beliefs are relative. We need to accept that there are different views and thus we should tolerate differences in moral views. This view is known as ethical relativism.

24 Who of you think that ethical relativism is right? Does anyone disagree? There are a few important problems with ethical relativism. Let s see if we can identify some of these. First: Is ethical relativism a descriptive or prescriptive theory? Does disagreement mean that we cannot reach agreement eventually? Think about scientific facts, like The earth is round. Some people still believe that the earth is flat. Second: Even if ethical relativism is right, tolerance can become a problem. Some things are either (1) impossible to tolerate, or (2) conflict with each other.

25 Who agrees with ethical relativism now? When we discuss and debate ethics in a group and in society, we need to assume that we can reach agreement on at least some important points. When looking for an ethical theory, we need to debate in a way that: o Respects others views, even if you think they are wrong. o Argue using facts and logic. o Try to find a theory that is inclusive, or in other words, one that we can apply to everyone equally. So, even if ethical relativism is right (and we all hope that it is not), we will carry on our discussion of ethics as if it were wrong.

26 We will critically think about at least four different ethical theories over the duration of this course: African ethics or ubuntu o A person is a person through other persons. Virtue theory (Plato and Aristotle) o You are what you repeatedly do. Utilitarianism o For the greater good! Deontology o Always follow the rules.

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28 What is the difference between having a profession and having professionalism? On your page, write down a short paragraph about what you think each one is and how they are different. Profession a job with specific competencies (things you re able to do), such as (1) being skillful in a certain area through education and training, (2) accepting certain duties to one s clients and broader society, (3) having high standards of performance. o o o o o Chef PR officer Professor Economist Sportsman/woman There can be professionals (people who hold a professional job) who do not display professionalism; lawyers, doctors, accountants who do not display professional qualities of character.

29 What is professionalism? Professionalism is a positive quality of character in one s professional work. David Maiser: Professionalism is predominantly an attitude, not a set of competencies. Real professionalism has little, if anything, to do with which business you are in, what role within that business you perform, or how many degrees you have. Rather it implies pride in work, a commitment to quality, a dedication to the interests of the client, and a sincere desire to help. So, we have seen that you can have a profession without professionalism. But can you have professionalism without a profession?

30 What do you think your level of professionalism is? Write numbers 1-5 on your piece of paper, and score yourself on the following questions. 1. Do you always treat people you work with (including bosses, clients, people you manage) with the respect you expect to be afforded? a) always b) usually c) rarely d) never

31 2. Are you courteous in your communication (even on the phone and in ) with others? a) always b) usually c) rarely d) never

32 3. Do you do every assigned task to the best of your ability? a) always b) usually c) rarely d) never, if I can get away with it

33 4. Do you do what you know to be right from a moral perspective? a) always try b) only when I think someone might be looking c) I do what is right for me d) I couldn t care less about doing the right thing

34 5. Do you keep up to date on what s going on in the field of public relations? a) Yes, I m dedicated to continuing education both formally & informally b) I try to. I read the trade literature c) I read stuff when I get a chance d) Why should I? I know enough

35 Score yourself: Give yourself five points for every (a), three for a (b), one for a (c) and no points for a (d). 25 points: You truly demonstrate professionalism. You would be a good role model for neophyte public relations practitioners. Most employers would be proud to have you on their staff points: You are not quite there. You probably consider yourself to be a professional, but you don t quite have what it takes to demonstrate what others would describe unconditionally as professionalism. Sometimes just being aware of your shortcomings can move you toward fixing them points: You need some professionalism intervention. It s time to reexamine your personal ethics and your work ethic, but there is probably hope. Under 18 points: Are you aware that you might be contributing to public relations less-than-spotless reputation?

36 Due: 25 August at 09:30 (beginning of the lecture) Format: Arial size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified margins. You will be penalised if your format is incorrect. You will be penalised if your assignment is late. No hand-written assignments will be accepted. This assignment is designed to be done in groups of 3 or 4 students.

37 Identify one ethical issue relating to PR or communication more broadly in a newspaper article. Attach that newspaper article to your final assignment. (1) Explain the situation in your own words and state the ethical issue/problem you identify in that situation. (2a) Explain one ethical theory (of your choice) and (2b) apply what you think one should do in this ethical issue based on this theory. (3a) Explain a second ethical theory (again, of your choice) and (3b) apply what you think one should do in this ethical issue based on this second theory. (4) Which ethical theory provides better guidance, in your view? Explain your preference briefly. I do not want you to tell me what you think is the right thing to do. You need to put yourselves in someone else s mind and think what they would think. Provide your view in (4), and support your preference with good reasons.