COMM11110 - Blog Post 5 - Public relations issues - ethics

What would the consequences be if I accepted this gift, even though it is against the code of ethics for the organisation? Each organisation has their own values and code of conducts and ethics which employees are to abide by. The Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) is the national industry body for public relations and communication professionals in Australia, who represent and provide support to over 3000 individual practitioners and more than 175 consultancies nationwide. All members of PRIA are required to commit to their code of ethics, and consultancy members are also bound by an additional code of practice (Public Relations Institute of Australia n.d.). These standards are set out to guide professionals in their work and to maintain respect and integrity. A public relations practitioner needs to be well prepared to deal effectively with ethical issues that they may face in their careers  (Wilcox, Cameron, Reber & Shin 2013). As a public relations practitioner I would thank the client for the gift and would state that I value their cultural values and common practices however it is not in my code of ethics or value to accept gifts from clients. This may put myself or the organisation I work for in disrepute and would also breach the code of conduct and ethics that I am bound by with my employer. The situation and my response would still remain the same if I were in India, as I would still be employed by the same organisation and bound by the same code of conduct and ethics. As a public relations practitioner, it is essential that I represent the core values of my employer, even if I am an advocate for the client.

References

Public Relations Institute of Australia n.d., About us: overview and corporate profile, viewed 23 January 2014, http://www.pria.com.au/aboutus

Wilcox, D., Cameron, G., Reber, B & Shin, J. 2013, Think Public Relations, Pearson Education, New Jersey