Public Relations AND Business Ethics

Questions: 1.You work for a major multinational organisational as their public relations manager and have been asked to evaluate a sponsorship request from a not-for-profit organisation. Outline the factors which may influence your decision? 2.Outline some of the ethical issues which may be faced by public relations practitioners in their working life? Answers: 1. Sponsorship is one of the most effective ways, which enhances the recognition of a multinational Company. It does so in numerous of ways such as by highlighting the logo of the Company in their campaigning, by highlighting the sponsorship on the social media platform and many more. For multinational companies, publicity of their social works keeps an utmost importance. Corporate companies do so willingly to show their desire for the social works. However, the fact is not the same. These steps are in major cases only to highlight the good sight of the Company to enhance its business in the market. As a public relationship manager of a multinational organisation, I will consider the following factors: Brand Visibility To the corporate companies, the sponsorship activities with some non-profit organization are a source to their brand recognition. They seek for this step to enhance their brand appeal in the market. As a public relation manager, I am required to check the record of accomplishment of the non-profit organization, which has been considered for the sponsorship. This is required to ensure that the branding of the Company is on the right hand. Recognition I am also required to ensure that the concerned non-profit firm do publicise our sponsorship in the market. This helps in enhancing the market recognition of the Company. This is also required to ensure that the firm does a publicity of my company on social media platforms. Creativity As a public relation manager, I have to ensure that the targeted non-profit organization takes a good care of the Companys logo. The logo of the Company speaks about the branding of the Company. It needs to be properly placed at every approval. Legality The type of activities the non-profit organisation is engaged and the existing stakeholders opinion on it will decide the sponsorship. The legality of the concerned non-profit firm, its actual activities, controversies and all the related facts will be considered and verified in order to decide on the sponsorship. For example, according to an article, the Bush Administration have discovered supposed link between various terrorist organizations and several charities ("University of Kansas School of Law | School of Law", 2017). An international American NGO has threatened to shut down its Indian branches in order to save itself from government probe ("US NGO threatens to shut shop, blames Modi govt for 'ideological targeting'", 2017). The non-profit making organization often engage in illegal activities, try to escape government probes and terrorist financing. Their legality factor should be ensured before sponsoring the organization because it is a question of goodwill of my MNC emplo yer. 2. The public relation practitioners are often faced with certain situations in their profession, which poses challenges to them. Some of such challenges are discussed below: Providing truthful information: The public practitioners are often under the pressure to distort the true information. They often have to spread manipulated truth so that the owners (companies, political parties concerned) can use the information to gain public sympathy and favour. For example, if an accident was caused due to municipal negligence on a road, the public relation spokesperson is made to present the accident as minor even if fatalities have been caused. The public relation practitioner should instead help their principles to present a more transparent picture before the public. Their main aim of these practitioners should be creating a positive image of the companies or government departments based on truth. Offering Authentic Context: The public relationship officers and managers should maintain ethics and morality. They should provide the information at the right time when it is of real use. The public relationship firms often present their views to deviate public opinion and happenings that are more crucial. For example, they often spread news like victory of the Indian cricket team more prominently than the news of a blast. They should understand that the blast is of national importance whereas cricket is entertainment and comparatively less important. Thus, the public relation officers should pay highest priority to national importance. Advising leaders: The public relationship practitioners should advice the organizations that use them to spread the news. They should advice them to follow ethical means of operations and not to spread false rumours. They should make aware that misleading the stakeholders would create a negative image of the organization, which will cause long-term market loss. Thus, the organizations should follow ethical modes of working and use these professional to spread authentic information. Fellow Sponsors: The public relationship professionals are often hired to spread messages about CSR and philanthropic activities of the companies. Their ethics requires spreading the good initiatives of the company. They should communicate all the involved sponsors of the events so that the people have right information about the event and the sponsors in turn are able to reach the target consumers. For example, if an event is jointly hosted by Unilever, the global FMCG giant and Vodafone the telecommunication giant, the PR agency should communicate the names of both the companies. Developing a communications campaign strategy Goals: The goal of the organisation Nature Play is to provide facilities to children with opportunities to venture into natural areas like lakes and parks. The catch line stated itself clarifies the goal. The organization can create plans of arranging picnics and outings under names like License to play and Grow with nature play ("Nature Play QLD", 2017). Objectives: The objective of the campaign is to interact with the parents of the children. Today, parents do not allow their children to play in fields, parks, lakes and hilly areas. Today Singapore is undergoing rapid industrialization, which is leading to new residential complexes coming up at a very fast rate. This leaves the children with very little natural areas to play in and they stay indoors. The children do not get the chance to play in parks and fields, thus get deprived of the advantages of outdoor activities. This is exposing them to weak immune systems, which further increases the chances of them falling ill. Children who do not play outside do not get exposure to sun and suffer from vitamin deficiencies(Del et al., 2015). The objective of the mission is to generate awareness among parents about the necessity of outdoor activities like playing in the fields and parks. Many parents do not allow their children to play because they fear exposure to dirt, mude and germs which the harbour. The involvement of the laundry detergent brand OMO is the solution to this anxiety. OMO is a brand owned by Unilever, which guarantees the quality of the product. The product is available in variants for hand washing and machine washing which makes the product fit for both the usages ("Omo", 2017). The involvement of the Nature Play and OMO acts as the strong assurances for the parents that their children can play in the fields and parks freely to derive the benefits of the outdoor activities. Their support guarantees the parents that they will be able to wash the clothes of their children free of all dirt and germs. Target audience: The target audience of the campaign will be the parents and their children. The campaign is an interaction between the company Nature Play and the parents. The company will speak to the parents and make them knowledgeable about the benefits children derive from outdoor activities. The organisation will encourage the parents to let their children go out into the natural areas by participating in the various outdoor programs. The campaign is supported by the laundry detergent brand of Unilever, OMO. The target audiences of the product are the parents of the children. Nature Play will convince the parents to allow their children to take part in its nature related activities. OMO will ensure that the dirty clothes of the children dirtied with mud, dirt, grime and germs are cleaned free of the pollutants. Key messages: The key message of Nature Play for the parents is to allow their children to participate in outdoor activities through its nature related activities. This is supported by OMO, which will clean the clothes of the children dirtied as a result of the outdoor activities. Overall strategy and tactics: The overall strategy is to hold a discussion session with the parents in the presence of their children. The representative of Nature Play will open the session by speaking with the parents and make them aware of the importance of outdoor activities to the physical development of the children. It will be like an outing for the parents and their children where they would be provided with a picnic ambience. The company would arrange for some activities for the children so that they can have fun. OMO will also interact with the parents and speak to them about their product. The representative of the laundry detergent will demonstrate the usage of the powder and prove its superiority in washing away dirt and germs from the clothes of the children. They will encourage the parents to allow their children to play in the open. Then they will point out the power of OMO to wash away the dirt on the childrens clothes as a consequenc of their contact with the open fields and parks. References: Del Pinto, R., Pietropaoli, D., Chandar, A. K., Ferri, C., Cominelli, F. (2015). Association between inflammatory bowel disease and vitamin D deficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Inflammatory bowel diseases,21(11), 2708. Harrison, J. S., Wicks, A. C. (2013). Stakeholder theory, value, and firm performance.Business ethics quarterly,23(01), 97-124. Nature Play QLD. (2017). Natureplayqld.org.au. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://www.natureplayqld.org.au/ Omo. (2017). Unilever global company website. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://www.unilever.com/brands/our-brands/omo.html Public Relations Consultants Association of India | Overview. (2017). Prcai.org. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://prcai.org/about-us/overview/ Public Relations Consultants Association of India | Overview. (2017). Prcai.org. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://prcai.org/about-us/overview/ University of Kansas School of Law | School of Law. (2017). Law.ku.edu. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://law.ku.edu US NGO threatens to shut shop, blames Modi govt for 'ideological targeting'. (2017). CatchNews.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://www.catchnews.com/india-news/us-ngo-threatens-to-shut-shop-blames-modi-govt-for-ideological-targeting-1481131201.html