LAW AND ETHICS IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MODULE 1, UNIT C Module 1: Unit C Ethics and Law in Corporate Communication Importance of Ethics in Corporate Communication Corporate Communication and Professional Code of Ethics Mass Media Laws: Defamation, Invasion of Privacy, Copyright Act, Digital Piracy, RTI Ethics in Corporate communication and Public Relations Defining Ethics Greek word ‘Ethos’ - character “Moral principles or set of moral values held by an individual or group that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity” Oxford English Dictionary. “The personal values which underpin the behaviour & moral choice made by an individual in response to a specific situation. Prioritising moral values for an organisation & ensuring its behaviours are aligned with those values.”- Breit (2004) “Ethics is concerned with free international organisational conduct that affects or has consequences for a public(s).” Gruing & Hunt Importance of Ethics in Corporate Communication Help in reputation management Aid and advice management Helps in navigation when in doubt Guides individual behaviour. helps to build relationship between PR & Corporate Social Responsibility Promotes ethics, honesty, & professionalism among employees. Safeguards against unethical behaviour. Creates an agreed way of behaving & operating Improves company’s performance Promotes good Company culture Promotes good communication with employees Increases values of assets. legal Framework & professional code of ethics govern every profession & work as code of principles as well as navigator when in doubt. PR/corporate communicators are unsure about crux of the profession & hence confusion among them about what is ethical & what is not. The issues of ethics & ethical behavior are relevant to PR in three main ways In question surrounding PR industry reputation & whether its practice is ethical or not Ethical behavior of individual practitioner Relationship between PR & Corporate Social Responsibility Four Traditional Models of Business Ethics Aristotelianism Morality is a practical, not a theoretical, field, If a person is to become virtuous, he must perform virtuous activities, not simply study what virtue is. Deontological Approach Immnuel kant (1772 1840) Greek word ‘deon’ meaning duty the person who does his duty because it is his duty, is moral Aristotelism, Deontological Approach, Teleolological approach, Contractariannism, Aristotelianism Aristotelianism is a school or tradition of philosophy from the Socratic (or Classical) period of ancient Greece, that takes its defining inspiration from the work of the 4th Century B.C. philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle's works on Ethics (particularly the "Nicomachean Ethics" and the "Eudemian Ethics") revolve around the idea that morality is a practical, not a theoretical, field, and, if a person is to become virtuous, he must perform virtuous activities, not simply study what virtue is. The doctrines of Virtue Ethics and Eudaimonism reached their apotheosis in Aristotle's ethical writings. He stressed that man is a rational animal, and that Virtue comes with the proper exercise of reason. He also promoted the idea of the "golden mean", the desirable middle ground, between two undesirable extremes (e.g. the virtue of courage is a mean between the two vices of cowardice and foolhardiness). This defines virtues that can & should be followed & stresses one’s personal responsibility for developing correct behavior. Deontological Approach The philosopher who refined deontological ethics was Immanuel Kant. According to Kant the nature of morality is to do one’s duty even when we are not inclined to do it, and not because we are afraid of the consequences of not doing it. Here you see that Deontological ethics is the opposite of consequential ethics. The moral person does her duty regardless of the consequences. The term "deontological" comes from the Greek word deon, meaning "duty." This approach to ethical decisions holds that some moral principles are binding, regardless of the consequences. According to Immnuel kant (1772 1840), there are universally recognized virtues which are individual’s duty to upload; There is a ‘Categorical imperative’ to do the right thing & pursue correct moral course as it is right thing to do. Four Traditional Models of Business Ethics Teleolological approach Jeremy Bentham (1748 1832) Greek telos, “end”; logos, “science” Consequentialism or result oriented ethics It focuses on the purpose of each action and whether there is an intention or meaning for the action. Contractarian approach developed from the concept of a social contract, the idea that the people give up some rights to a government and/or other authority in order to receive, or jointly preserve, social order. Aristotelism, Deontological Approach, Teleolological approach, Contractariannism, Aristotelianism Aristotelianism is a school or tradition of philosophy from the Socratic (or Classical) period of ancient Greece, that takes its defining inspiration from the work of the 4th Century B.C. philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle's works on Ethics (particularly the "Nicomachean Ethics" and the "Eudemian Ethics") revolve around the idea that morality is a practical, not a theoretical, field, and, if a person is to become virtuous, he must perform virtuous activities, not simply study what virtue is. The doctrines of Virtue Ethics and Eudaimonism reached their apotheosis in Aristotle's ethical writings. He stressed that man is a rational animal, and that Virtue comes with the proper exercise of reason. He also promoted the idea of the "golden mean", the desirable middle ground, between two undesirable extremes (e.g. the virtue of courage is a mean between the two vices of cowardice and foolhardiness). This defines virtues that can & should be followed & stresses one’s personal responsibility for developing correct behavior. Deontological Approach The philosopher who refined deontological ethics was Immanuel Kant. According to Kant the nature of morality is to do one’s duty even when we are not inclined to do it, and not because we are afraid of the consequences of not doing it. Here you see that Deontological ethics is the opposite of consequential ethics. The moral person does her duty regardless of the consequences. The term "deontological" comes from the Greek word deon, meaning "duty." This approach to ethical decisions holds that some moral principles are binding, regardless of the consequences. According to Immnuel kant (1772 1840), there are universally recognized virtues which are individual’s duty to upload; There is a ‘Categorical imperative’ to do the right thing & pursue correct moral course as it is right thing to do. Historical codes Code of Athens, (1965, amended 1968 & 2009) inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of Man, adopted by UNO. Code of Venice,(1961 amended 2009) International Public Relations Association (IPRA) code of conduct. Personal and professional integrity Conduct towards Employers and Clients Conduct towards the Public and the Media Conduct towards Colleagues Code of Brussels, (2007 amended 2009) an undertaking of ethical conduct on public affairs by members of the International Public Relations Association Personal credo of Bateman: taken from a speech of General chairman of the VII PR world congress held on Aug 11 to 14 1976. Historical Codes Code of Venice Adopted in 1961 and amended in 2009, the Code of Venice is an undertaking of professional conduct by members of the International Public Relations Association and recommended to Public Relations practitioners worldwide. In the conduct of Public Relations practitioners shall: Conduct towards Employers and Clients 1. Have a general duty of fair dealing towards employers or clients, past and present. 2. Not represent conflicting or competing interests without the express consent of those concerned. 3. Safeguard the confidences of both present and former employers or clients. 4. Not employ methods tending to be derogatory of another practitioner’s employer or client. 5. Not, whilst performing services for an employer or client, accept fees, commission or any such consideration in connection with those services from anyone other than the employer or client without the express consent of the employer or client. 6. Not propose to a prospective client that fees or other compensation be contingent on the achievement of certain results nor enter into any fee agreement to the same effect. Conduct towards the Public and the Media 7. Conduct themselves with respect to the public interest and with respect for the dignity of the individual. 8. Not engage in practice which tends to corrupt the integrity of any channel of communication; 9. Not intentionally disseminate false or misleading information. Code by Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 1. Observance 2. Integrity 3. Dialogue 4. Transparency 5. Conflict of interest 6. Confidentiality 7. Accuracy 8. Falsehood 9. Deception The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) In the conduct of public relations practitioners shall: 1. Observance Observe the principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 2. Integrity Act with honesty and integrity at all times so as to secure and retain the confidence of those with whom the practitioner comes into contact; 3. Dialogue Seek to establish the moral, cultural and intellectual conditions for dialogue, and recognise the rights of all parties involved to state their case and express their views; 4. Transparency Be open and transparent