This document discusses the ethical dimensions of public affairs and crisis management. It defines public relations and explains that the goal is to create successful relationships between organizations and their various stakeholders through effective communication. It also discusses ethics, public issues management, and crisis management. Specifically, it outlines the key aspects of public issues life cycles, stakeholder networks, and the processes of issue management and developing an effective crisis management plan.

1. Ethical Dimension Of Public Affairs And Crisis
Management
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
DR. RAJIV KUMAR SAHIL JAIN
BBA-2,2428

2. Introduction
There are many different definitions of public relations and most of them
contain relatively the same basic elements because they number all the
activities that PR comprehends. Learning about PR is systematizing practical
experience that for instance comprehends help in crises situations,
understanding the public opinion from behalf of management1.PR is used in
many institutions: the unions, business organizations, state departments,
religious institutions, non–governmental organizations and foundations. All of
them have their own goals.
In order to achieve their goals they have to create successful relationships
with different publics as employees, shareholders, local community. Basically,
the most important thing is to achieve understanding between client and its
public through effective communication, which is not easy to achieve and
practitioners must always be aware of public opinion and the public stance
regarding an organization.

3. Ethics
Ethics is the study of what constitutes right or wrong, or good or bad human
behaviour. More precisely, „it is set of criteria by which the
decisions are being made about what is wrong.
Through the centuries many different views about ethics were made.
Utilitarian's, for instance, take position that the ethical act is one that
produces the greatest possible balance of good over bad for anyone affected.
This is also called Robin Hood ethics.

4. Public Affairs management
 Public issues
 Managing the public affairs functions
 Issue Management
 Crisis Management

5. Public issues
 Public issue
 An issue that is of concern to an organization’s stakeholders.
 Stakeholder expectations
 A mixture of people’s opinions, attitudes, and beliefs about what
constitutes reasonable business behaviour.
 Performance-expectations gap
 A gap between what stakeholders expect and what an organization is
actually doing.

6. A stakeholder network focusing
on a public issue
Stakeholders
with a shared focus
on an issue
Stakeholders
with a shared focus
on an issue
Stakeholders
with a shared focus
on an issue
Stakeholders
with a shared focus
on an issue
Stakeholders
with a shared focus
on an issue

7. Phases of the public issue life cycle
 Phase 1: Changing Stakeholder Expectations
 When a performance-expectation gap emerges, the seeds of a public issue
have been sown.
 Phase 2: Political Action
 When a problem is placed on the agenda for government action.
 Phase 3: Formal Government Action
 When legislative proposals or draft regulations emerge. Characterized also by
an increased number of people involved in the conflict.
 Phase 4: Legal Implementation
 When a new law or regulation is implemented and companies are forced to
comply with the law.

8. The public issue life cycle

9. Public affairs activities
 External forces
 Loss of public trust institutions
 Globalization of world markets
 Rise of the Internet
 Internal forces
 Better communication within organizations
 More experience dealing with significant change and complexity
 Growing focus on the interplay between the organization, its environment, and
its strategies
 Public affairs management
 The active management of a company’s external relations, especially its
relations with external stakeholders such as government and regulatory
agencies, customers, investors, and communities.

10. Corporate public affairs activities of
250 companies

11. Corporate public affairs activities of
250 companies

12. Public affairs management’s relevant
stakeholders and functions

13. Public affairs management’s relevant
stakeholders and functions

14. Public affairs management’s relevant
stakeholders and functions

15. Public affairs management’s relevant stakeholders
and functions

16. An effective public affairs function
must:
 Manage public affairs as an ongoing, year-round process.
 Cultivate and harvest the capability to build, develop, and maintain
enduring stakeholder relationships.
 Influence stakeholders using refined information.
 Recognize the importance of managing the grass roots.
 Communicate in an integrated manner.
 Continuously align its values and strategy with public’s interests.
 Improve its external relations using the accepted facts of contemporary
management practice.

17. Issue management
 A structured and systematic process to aid organizations in identifying,
monitoring, and selecting public issues that warrant organizational action.
 Environmental intelligence
 The acquisition of information gained from analyzing the multiple
environments affecting organizations.
 Customer
 Competitor
 Economic
 Technological
 Social
 Political
 Legal
 Geophysical

18. Eight strategic radar screens

19. The issue management process

20. Crisis management
 Corporate crisis
 A significant business disruption that stimulates extensive news media
coverage.
 Crisis management
 The process organizations use to respond to short-term and immediate
corporate crises.

21. An effect crisis management plan
involves:
 Preparing for action by creating an internal communication system that
can be activated the moment the crisis occurs.
 Communicating quickly, but accurately.
 Using the Internet to convey the public affairs message.
 Doing the right thing by not minimizing the seriousness of a problem nor
exaggerating minor incidents.
 Following up and, where appropriate, making amends to those affected.