tactics and PR in business

These week's readings covered two chapters, tactics and PR in business.

One interesting point in the chapter of PR tactics is the part about controlled versus uncontrolled communication. Prior to this, i didn't know that there are these two differentiations in the tactics of communication. It is certainly interesting to learn that controlled tactics are those over which the PR practitioner maintains control of every aspect of the process, and uncontrolled tactics are those that can be altered or even blocked completely.

While the controlled tactics can be easily understood, I find that the definition for uncontrolled tactics a bit more tricky because the term 'uncontrolled' means a different thing from what i would expect. From this, I learnt that PR practitioners have to maintain a balance between the two tactics to ensure that a message can achieve its desired impact on the public. The job of a PR practitioner seems to be much more complicated than it appears to be!

In the chapter of PR in business which is more technical with business terms, I found the part about public relations and corporate social responsibility very interesting. This relates back to the topic about ethics in PR, but instead of it being an additional tactic for PR practitioners to employ, or something for them to take into account, it is more of a necessity for companies to be socially responsible.

Termed as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it is mentioned that it is a vital aspect of business public relations in gaining the trust of the public in a long term basis. It encompasses fairness, transparency and openess to all stakeholders, and should be a part of the business goals and activities of a company. Therefore, instead of using 'ethical' or 'socially responsible' as a PR tactic, CSR should be one of the goals of a company.

PR and the community

This week's readings is focused on the importance of taking into account the views and preferences of the community in order to succeed in plans undertaken by a company or the government.

Here are two important points mentioned in the readings:
1) how a project can be adjusted and catered to gain approval from the public community
2) the importance of understanding your target audience in order to construct meaning around a particular topic or issue

I feel that the case study about the highway in Australia is very interesting, as the methods that the PR department implemented in order to gain the favour of the community are innovative and clever. Because the community was very unhappy with the inconvenience of the construction involved, PR practitioners had to develop tactics to appease them, and one such one was by allowing children from the community to decorate the highway, which incorporated community involvement and gain the interest of the community as a whole. I think it is important that the community and the public have a sense of participation in whatever project a company is embarking on, so as to make them feel involved because they have a chance to voice out opinions.

However, this is not always possible, because PR practitioners may not have the power to make important decisions for a company. This links back to the earlier readings about how the purpose of a PR can be maximised by operating within the decision-making dominant coalition of the organisation. Otherwise, a PR practitioner would have no say in the plans of involving the public in projects or plans.

In conclusion, this week's readings gave me more insight about the close relationship required between a company and the community, and the involvement of PR in it.

Ethical Practice

This week's readings about ethical practice in public relations is a very detailed analysis about the importance of it in organizations, as well as how to go about making ethical decisions in companies.

I personally feel that the consideration of ethics in organizations is essential in today's society, because the consumers are becoming increasingly aware of humanistic behaviours of companies in the business world, and are also more concerned about the preservation of the environment. If companies do not take in consideration the issue about ethics, they would not gain positive publicity despite campaigns or advertising, and therefore lose consumer attention.

Two important points from this reading is the ethical challenges for practitioners and using ethnics as a public relations strategy.
I think the points raised about the challenges PR practitioners face is very helpful because it gives specific insights into the problems that they can possibly face. For example, the point mentioned about peer pressure to develop quotes based on what the spokesperson has said before in order to meet deadlines is a very evident problem that journalists face.

Using ethics as a public relations strategy as identified in the readings also show how a growing sensitivity among consumers for a cleaner environment, preservation of wildlife and their habitats and flexible working hours. Therefore it is important to take note of that trend in society in order to target audiences in campaigns.

The issue of ethics in public relations can be easily justified in theory, but I feel that it is difficult to put it into practice because not everyone in an organization would have similar interests in it. This is especially difficult if higher authorities in an organization does not take ethics into consideration, which makes it impossible for an individual to stick to morally correct decisions.

Overall, this readings on the importance of ethics in public relations is an interesting area of study, and is something to keep in consideration in order to become a professional public relations practitioner!