DSS 20007 Community Relations

1. DSS 20007 Community Relations Topic Twelve: Information Technology, PR Ethics and Globalization

2. What are the challenges facing public relations? • Technology • Globalization • Need for tailored approaches • Creativity • Increased specialization

3. Public Relations and Information technique History and Foundation • Internet developed by the Dept. of Defense as part of a communications network during the Cold War in l969. • The World Wide Web was developed by physicist Tim Berners-Lee to enlarge the Internet for multiple uses in l989.

4. Web continued • The web is a collection of millions of computers on the Internet that connect using information in HTML, or hypertext markup language. • Multimedia can be combined using sound, graphics, video, animation, etc. and serves as a powerful tool in cyberspace.

5. Internet and Its Importance to the Profession • Public relations professionals use the Internet as a means to communicate with various constituencies and as a commercial tool. • Consider in the year 2000, Americans spent nearly 8 hours a week online, sending three times as much e-mail as regular mail, and spending $20 billion on online retail purchases.

6. Communications Medium • Almost every organization has a website today. There is a need for professionals to be interactive specialists to communicate via the Internet. • The net also serves as a source for research, correspondence, contacts, internal and external communication vehicles, and other media portals.

7. Challenges With tremendous growth expected, practitioners have these challenges: • The demand to be educated versus being sold • The need for real-time performance • The need for customization

8. Cyber Areas for the practice • E-mail • Websites • Online media relations • Online monitoring • Product promotion • Investor relations

9. E-mail • Can be used internally as well as externally as a tool • Newsletters, bulletins, announcements • Many publications now have been replaced with electronic ones or co-exist • Feedback is quick and easy • Can’t replace face-to-face communication but serves as an alternative

10. Online Newsletters • E-mail newsletters mostly used for external use to customers, investors, or the media and have some important differences from traditional print newsletters: • No more than one page • Link content • Regularly sent • Encourage feedback

11. Development should include planning and answer the following questions: What is the goal? What is the content going to include? How often will it be edited? How will design be enhanced? How interactive will it be? How will use be tracked? Who will be responsible? Planned Web Sites are an Important Interface with the Public

13. Websites • Should provide information that is needed. The more that its objective is achieved, the more “sticky” your site becomes. • Stickiness is measured by the amount of time visitors spend at the site and how many pages they view.

14. Website newsrooms News releases and via newswires— general, financial, and paid Other online publicity Speeches Annual/Quarterly reports Annual meetings Interviews Digital press kits Photos, profiles, ad copy Online Publications

15. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/interactive/index.jhtml

16. Need for Vigilance • The public relations practitioner should monitor the Internet with regard to: • Discussion groups, chat rooms which can be venues for discontent and unscrupulous actions • Rogue Web sites presenting negative or confusing information • Urban legends, which mostly contain bogus or misleading information/rumors

17. Product Promotion • Internet provided the shift from bricks to clicks economy • Buyers quickly access information without interference • Adlinks are a promotional device used. It is a small advertisement that promotes another site or page and can automatically connect you to the site references because of the hyperlink.

18. Investor Relations • Can be used as a more controlled communication mechanism to deal with company stockholders and communities • Investors can directly use to keep track of investments and the market

19. Intranets, Extranets, and CD-ROMS • Intranets expand internal communications capabilities • Extranets allow the organization to use the Internet to communicate to targeted external targets • CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) can store unchangeable rich information and increases capabilities and access

20. What are ethics? Ethics refers to the values that guide a person, organization, or society—the difference between right and wrong, fairness and unfairness, honesty and dishonesty.

21. Ethical decisions are based on • Our moral choices • Norms of society • Legal principles • Organizational values • Professional values

22. A person’s ethical choices depend on several factors but are not limited to our: • Culture • Religion • Education

23. These codes of ethics must be: • Monitored • Assessed • Enforced

24. Professional ethics are often referred to as “applied ethics,” a commonly accepted sense of professional conduct that is translated into formal codes of ethics.

25. Can you identify some ethical dilemmas confronting society? • Cultural, Religious, Business, Government, Political, Media

26. Can ethics and profits co-exist? A question to ponder…

27. What leaders in your opinion have high credibility? • International/ National • HKSAR Government • Business Sector • Community

28. Corporate Codes of Conduct are needed to: • Increase public confidence • Stem the tide of regulation • Improve internal operations • Respond to transgressions

29. What is corporate social responsibility? A social norm that holds that any social institution is responsible for the behavior of its members and may be held accountable for their misdeeds.

30. Social Responsibility Categories • Product lines • Marketing practices • Corporate philanthropy • Environmental activities • External relations • Employment diversity in retaining and promoting minorities and women • Employee safety and health

31. Some of the areas of concern: • Internet journalism • Reality Television • TV bogus News programs • Print journalism scandals

32. Four Relevant Ethical Theories: • Attorney/adversary model by Barney and Black • Two-way Communication model by Grunig • Enlightened self-interest model by Baker • Responsible Advocacy model by Fitzpatrick and Gauthier

33. Six Core Values of the PRSA Code • Advocacy • Honesty • Expertise • Interdependence • Loyalty • Fairness

34. A P R Practitioner should 1. attempt to work in accord with the public interest; 2. adhere to highest ethical standards of accuracy and truth, avoiding the dissemination of misleading or false information; 3. be obligated to keep commercial confidentialities of his or her present and past employers; 4. not serve two organizations which have a conflict of interest, unless there is proper disclosure and permission from both parties; 5. behave ethically and in good faith and shall not deliberately disparage the professional integrity or reputation of any fellow practitioners, whether working for a public or private sector organization or client; 6. not intentionally entice other member's current clients, unless with prior mutual agreement that it will not lead to any conflict of interest; 7. not intentionally damage the professional reputation or practice of another practitioner; 8. If a member has evidence that another member has been guilty of unethical, illegal, or unfair practices, including those in violation of this Code, the member should report the case to the Executive Committee for appropriate action, such as admonition; 9. have the obligation to observe the Code of Professional Standards and support the Executive Committee in the enforcement of the Code.

36. Public Relations Challenges continued • Reseach/results orientation • Decreased sexism • Minority recruitment • Education • Ethics and reputation

37. Ways you can level the playing field….. • Become involved with and have active participation in student public relations organizations • Secure part-time employment that uses skills important to public relations work • Attend professional meetings in the community, learning about public relations

38. Ways to Level continued • Activities and meeting practitioners that can be valuable contacts later on. • Seizing every opportunity, formal internships, voluntary work for non-profit associations, or political candidates, service on the school newspaper, radio, and/or television stations, merchandising in class projects to local merchants.

39. What have you done to level the playing field? Have you… • Joined PRPA? (If one is available in your area) • Worked as an active member of PRPA? • Attended workshops, conferences sponsored by PRPA? • Ran for an office? • Made valuable professional contacts? • Participated in an internship to increase public relations skills?

40. Visit Web site http://www.prpa.com.hk/chi/index.asp

41. Leveling continuedHave you… • Increased your skills by participation in the school newspaper, radio, television center? • Worked on a political campaign? • Worked for a non-profit organization? • Worked on in-class projects aimed at increasing skills in the local community?

42. Questions to ponder…. • What is the outlook for women in public relations? • What is the outlook for minorities in public relations? • What are the issues facing each group? • How will you change things?

43. Values that Public Relations Professionals must uphold: • Honesty • Professionalism • Ethics • Humanity • Leadership