Peace With Gender Issues In Public Relations example essay topic

1.0 Acknowledgments The author would like to take this opportunity to thank the manager of communication at the Sutherlandshire Council, Mrs. Sonya Zadel, for her valuable contribution with her insights and time towards finalising of this report. 2.0 Executive Summary The main objective of this report was to seek and understand the nature of current issues that are affecting Public Relations practice. The report discusses three major issues in present day practice, globalisation, ethical consideration, gender issues. The report is also aimed at contrasting this practice against theoretical teachings in the normal curriculum of public relations. The main methods of research were through the primary source of a face-to-face interview and secondary data gathering, which included reviewing publications and academic literature. In the course of the research, it was found that although the public relations industry has dramatically changed over the past decade it has also evolved to a more socially centered responsible practice.

However inconsistencies do exist with regard to ethical practice, as found through the discourse with the interviewee and other current reference sources. The findings from the report also call for a review of such practices in the field, pertaining to unethical and gender related issues. Whereas globalisation is concerned it was found that well-structured educational programs as the answer to the lack of understanding and awareness. It is the conclusion that public relations have close ties between theoretical concepts and modern day practices. With a growing number of managers seeing public relations as value creator within the organisation. Thereby placing greater importance on the decision making process that is critical and valuable to the organisation's long term benefit.

3.0 Introduction Originally public relations was conceived in the 80's as "Doing good and telling people about it" (Simon, 1980). This need to be rigorously analysed due to the fact that public relations has evolved to more complex field. The report takes into consideration that public relations in its core, represents the function of the organisation communicating to the publics that it is involved with. Globalisation although a newcomer to the industry has not been disregarded as an issue.

Globalisation has the capacity to provide significant prospects as well as the overwhelming possibility for disastrous setbacks. Professionals feel that a systematic and culturally sensitive approach is the best way to address globalisation issues and would open new gateways for future success. Nevertheless, the burden lies in the lack of awareness the practitioner holds against such diversified entities. It is important to examine the current trend towards globalisation and the most effective way of addressing it. Ethics on the other hand has never been definable as black or white; rather it has always lied in a gray zone. This ambiguity calls for professional bodies such as the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to make decisions within an ethical framework and drive members into making ethically sound judgments.

The underlying tasks of such institutions being driving its members towards making ethically sound judgments. Gender is also an issue that has been on the debated list for many decades. The profession of public relations tends to create certain psychological boundaries in to which male and female practitioners are classed. As a result numerous complications have risen, such as gender stereotyping, differences in communication symmetries. Sonya Zadel holds 16 years of experience in the public relations industry as both filling in the technical and management role. She currently resides as the Manager-Communications at the Sutherlandshire Council and having experience in the field of News media as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, Ms. Zadel had also been recruited into the New South Wales Police Service as a junior cadet.

Her current role as a communications manager incorporates issues pertaining to media and advertising, publications, organisation of civic events, hosting delegations with sister cities- the United States and Japan and the formulation of speeches for the Mayor and councilors. The interviewee, through her vast experience in the field gave insight into the issues of globalisation, social and environmental responsibility and gender stereotyping. 4.1 The Globalisation Issue Globalisation is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm, integrating capital technologies and information across national borders, linking people closer together. Globalisation is a reality and it is necessary for professionals to undertake a closer examination of the influences that these changes might have on public relations. This was the critical issue under debate at the Arthur W. Page Society's 2002 spring forum held on "Globalisation: Stop or Go?" . It was cited that more than 90 percent of the respondents to the survey believed that cultural obstacles and lack of understanding towards overseas markets are the most critical issues that should be addressed if public relations professionals are to overcome the pressures of global trading.

The main emphasis was placed on the lack of education in the particular area. Better education and awareness will considerably improve and ennoble a practitioner in helping understand and appreciate the vast differences encountered in the daily affairs of public relations activities. The Pacific region would be an ideal situational example of an international market in which practitioners would have to address a diversified group of communities and individuals with different cultural backgrounds that leads differences in perceptions, attitudes and belief systems. The emphasis is on knowing your customer and segmenting your audience appropriately. The commission carried out by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), identifies 'multicultural and global issues' among other areas as a necessity which should be included in the curriculum (The 1999 Commission on Public Relations Education). Gonring (2001) elaborates on globalisation and other significant improvements in technology as to creating a competitive marketplace where expectations are grand and second chances are scarce.

This was reflected in the recent crisis where the large multinational corporation NIKE came under the scrutiny of the public eye, after its association with exploiting human labour in less-developed countries such as Cambodia (Naglazas 2001). 4.2 Ethics and Social Responsibility Ethics cannot be summed up as being "what is right and what is wrong", however the fundamental question remains distinguishing from what is right and what is wrong. Since its launch in 1949 the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) has worked towards clarifying this ambiguity. The institute also renders assistance to its members in achieving excellence both and communication and ethics (PRIA web site). Gone are the times, where organisations had obligation in serving shareholders and creditors alone, in this socially responsible era, concerns are high as to how businesses and professionals conduct themselves.

Ethics in businesses are broken down into two main criteria, being social and environmental. In his article Verschoor (2001) identifies that "Best practices" help attain a superior overall corporate reputation, which leads to easier recruiting, improved employee productivity, lower turnover, and higher customer loyalty". These are merely a few of the possible advantages that a corporation could achieve being more socially and environmentally conscious. Social responsibility is not a fad that might pass away in a few years, as Jeffrey Garten, dean at the Yale School of Management believes "corporate America is being required to engage in triple-bottom-line (Financial, environmental and social) reporting in the very near future" (PR News, 2002).

As retaliation against past mistakes NIKE has introduced a corporate social responsibility report, which includes the organisations social responsibilities, environmental practices, labour practices and community affairs among others (web). This action follows the international consumer backlash on NIKE after reports of labour exploitation in Asian based factories (Naglazas 2001). However there still remains scepticism as to the true nature of function. The interview conducted, identified that ethics are often not taken seriously enough; however it is was conveyed that each individual situation calls for a different approach. "Situational ethics" as it would sound more appropriate seems to run hand in hand with most decision making. According to Sonya Zadel "ethics is given priority in the decision making process of public relations", however it was also passed that ethics is not always adhered to by the majority of current practitioners.

4.3 Gender Issues Men are more towards the competitive side of the relationship whereas women tend to be more concerned with the relationship itself and equity (Gilligan, 1982). This worldview of separating men and women into two stereotypical roles has led the way to gender discrimination in most parts of the public relations industry. In the recent past the imbalances between the two genders have moved from a male dominated environment to one of female domination. A considerable number academics and professional leaders have voiced there concern on the majority of women as being a road block on salaries and loss of status of the public relations as a profession. (Toth, 1988). The interviewee's idea on the suggested topic has significant correlation to the discussion, it was in her view that the profession in the past was a male dominated industry with most men in the management ranks while women were filling in the technical role of public relations.

The move towards a female orientation is supported by the argument that the female view of public relations is valuable because of a "commitment to anti authoritarian, anti elitist, participatory and emancipatory values" (L. Grunig, 1988). The values and ideology and truths that are associated with the feminine role suggest that their role would bring a more symmetrical dimension to public relations and men would be one of a more asymmetrical nature. Psychologists have shown that both men and women can have a feminine view or a mixture of masculine and feminine views. This tends to show that both genders could work for the excellence of public relations communication (Wetherell, 1989). These observations lead to the conclusion that the gender issue seems to be disappearing and making way to a more equally balanced profession, where both genders contribute their own values towards the excellence in public relations.

Nevertheless according to Seital's observations " Uni PR sequences report female students outnumbering males by as much as 80%" (1998) 5.0 Conclusion Weighing all the information, it can be summarised that public relations theory does to some extent coincide with modern-day practice. It is also the conclusion that most practitioners are aware of the major issues such as globalisation, ethics and social responsibility and gender stereotyping and discrimination. Globalisation is a reality; the influences are intensive and far reaching. The current trend establishes a move from the lack of awareness and understanding towards other cultures to the need for education as a means to an end. It is through the tireless endeavour that practitioners could achieve a better operating environment.

It should be also noted that the need for educational support in this realm is critical and all efforts should be made in including globalisation into the curriculum. Public relations related ethics is one of the main issues discussed. The fact that it is close to impossible to differentiate from what's right and what's wrong creates infinite complexities. There isn't a golden rule which practitioners are to follow, each should take it upon themselves to decide whether or not the actions are consistent with their espoused values and principles. The shortcoming of conventional wisdom has been the driving force behind gender related discrimination within the profession. Recently, however the importance of the feminine role has brought about a shift in the tide, with the cry for a more fostering and relationship focused managerial perspective.

However if the current trend persists the shift is likely to be headed towards female dominance in the future. There still remain inconsistencies with theory to practice. The issues discussed can nevertheless be overcome by social orientated planning, better understanding and sensitivity to surrounding issues. 7.0 Appendix - Interview Manuscript Name of Interviewee: Sonya Zadel Job Title: Manager-Communications, Sutherlandshire Council Contact Number: 97100493 The Interview consisted of three phases.

The first focused on the interviewee's personal background and experience and later was followed by an in-depth study of the interviewee's own system of thoughts on public relations issues and concepts. The following is the script notes of the more specific questions asked during the interview. What made you choose public relations as a profession? I started out a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald and after that worked as a cadet at the NSW Police Service, before I joined the Sutherland shire Council. How long have you been in the public relations industry? 16 years What position do you hold within the organisation?

Communications, I coordinate all media, advertising and publications that are related with the Sutherland council. I also coordinate delegations between the two sister cities that the council hosts (Japan and the United States). I also formulate the speeches that the Mayor and other Councilors make to the public. What would be the most important task that you " ve undertaken as a practitioner? Conveying accurate information to the media and manipulating it in certain ways to get the information as it is truly intended. How do you measure success at work?

We do try to have statistical methods in measuring public relations activities. We have a a figure of 75% customers of which we anticipate the message will reach. We haven't been able to carry out surveys as it is very costly. We also measure success by the increase sales. And in some cases, for example we asked the public to reduce the pollutants that was added to the waterways in the council area. Afterwards we were able to measure the success of the campaign by measuring the water quality and the improvement are recorded.

So, you would say that in most cases you would get the audience's attention. Yes. Thought most campaigns address urgent issues that need quick action. How close does ethics come into play in play and how much of an importance is weighed?

Well in my opinion I make it a priority in the business never to lie and keep bearing on the truth. We operate for the council's behalf, I personally don't see that publishing misleading information would of any service to either the organisation or its publics. Is there a written code of ethics or similar at your work place? The council has a set of commitments towards the society as a whole.

But in my experience I have noticed that most ethical guidelines that companies follow are influenced mostly by money What values do you incorporate with regards to the business? I promote the council and therefore I put the council's objectives and values before mine, so I guess its not my own objectives but the councils. What would you think as the most appropriate penalty for a breech in the ethical consideration? I think that the backlash that follows after unethical behaviour of organisations and individuals are self regulatory, the press council and the media penalty enforces a lot of activities to be more ethical in a sense, showing that crossing the line would be bad news for the person (s) involved.

This would then be negative publicity and bad reputation. I think this is a penalty in itself. The media has the power to make or break. What would you consider as the most influential group or person that helped you in gaining an ethical framework? I think it was mostly my family and afterwards I was mostly influenced by the environment that I worked. I also think that the environment your brought up in has a major influence on the set of ethical standards one would live by.

Do you know of the Public Relations Institute of Australia? Are you a member of the institute? How close do you follow it guidelines? Yes I do know of PRIA, and I used to be a member of the institute, I do think mostly in day to day affairs the strict ethical standards are followed.

The code I believe is on transparency of practitioners. Do you think PRIA has been successful in its efforts? To an extent, but I know of practitioners who get away with a lot of unethical behaviour. I really don't think anything would actually totally put an end to unethical behaviour in the industry. But nevertheless the standards seem to be met by more practitioners everyday. Scale Questions (1 strongly agree, 5 strongly disagree, 3 neutral) Most modern day practitioners are honest and trustworthy 3 Most women are more ethical than most men 3 Sometimes it is necessary to break the rules to go ahead 2 How close does business follow the industrial standards of 3 Today Do you think that globalisaiton and technology is a barrier that should be overcome in public relations.

For sure, communication break throughs and the Internet are providing great opportunities in reaching almost everyone. For instance I'm involved in the coordination of most aspects regarding the association and programs involved with our two sister cities in Japan and the United States. We have a multitude of relations extending from cultural relations to student exchange programs. However their should be an emphasis on how practitioners use these systems to achieve their ends. In your opinion is cross- cultural communication an obstacle or a challenge.

I would consider on most part as a challenge, however in this area in which I'm serving there isn't much diversity. In a recent campaign to prevent waste water from seeping into the bay, we carried out research trying to identify the groups that reside in the shire. There was an 80% population who were from an English speaking background and 20% from a non-English speaking background. The results also showed that there was very few mult-linguists in the area. To get the message through we published the program in 5 major languages to accommodate each and everyone.

What is the male to female ratio at the current place, do you think this is different from other. Where I work it is a 50: 50, however if I recall correctly when I was working at the Sydney Morning Herald it was 90: 10 and the same goes with the Police Service. However now its more balanced than it used to be. Do you think that public relations has evolved from its original conception of 'maintain the organisation's relations with its publics' I think that the idea has definitely broadened and expanded into a more strategic function than before, where the role was more technical. I think that public relations have also become to most practitioners a science. 6.0 Reference List Gilligan, C. (1982).

In a different voice, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Grunig, L.A. (1988). A research agenda for women in public relations. Public Relations Review, 14 (3), p. 53 Seital F.P. (1998). The Practice of Public Relations (7th ed.

). New Jersey. Prentice Hall. Simon R. (1980). Public Relations: concepts and practices (2nd ed.) Columbus, Ohio, Grid Publishing, p. 6. Toth, E.L. (1988).

Making peace with gender issues in public relations. Public Relations Review, 14 (3), p. 36-47. Verschoor (2001) Wetherell, B.J. (1989). The effect of gender, masculinity and femininity on the practice and preference for the models of public relations. University of Maryland's, College Park. Journals and other media Naglazas M. 2001, "Saga Of The Sweatshops", The West Australian, 3 June, p. 5.

(PR News 15 Apr. 2002.58 (15), p. 1.) The NIKE corporate website. web Gonring M. (2001). "Global Mega trends Push IMC Concepts to Forefront of Strategic Business Thinking", Journal of integrated Communication. For more information, please visit web.