Lecture / Chapter 6

Question 1

ethics

Answer 1

values in action

Question 2

types of codes

Answer 2

International (related to business), societal (ie religious), professional, organizational, personal

Question 3

dilemmas

Answer 3

ethical challenges where important values clash, all potential solutions cause pain

Question 4

golden mean

Answer 4

Aristotle - that ethical conduct exists at point of balance bw extremes of excess/deficiency ie its unethical to never OR alway lie - moderation. moral absolutes are troublesome

Question 5

doctrine of the mean

Answer 5

Confucius - the superior man… stands erect in the middle without inclining to either side

Question 6

civil disobedience

Answer 6

peaceful, unlawful actions designed to help change governmental policies - where ethics/legality conflict

Question 7

cultural relativism

Answer 7

belief that no set of ethics is superior to another - can lead to real world problems

Question 8

ethical imperialism

Answer 8

that your system of ethics has no flexibility/room for improvement and overrules other systems

Question 9

donaldson

Answer 9

companies should have 3 principles for ethical behaviour - respect for core human values, respect for local traditions, that context matters when deciding what is right/wrong

Question 10

virtual organizations

Answer 10

temp orgs - threat to ethical behaviour due to lack of written values/ethics codes

Question 11

ethical payoffs

Answer 11

satisfaction of doing right thing, bonuses/promotions, $$ successs for orgs, better employees

Question 12

categorical imperative

Answer 12

Kant - what would be the universal maxim aka which principle designed to apply to everyone in the world would be the outcome, what would the impact be? Would it be functional? would you want to live there? if not, its unethical action

Question 13

trust

Answer 13

logical outcome of ethical behavior

Question 14

corporate social responsibility

Answer 14

that organization should be good citizen of society in which it operates - ethics/transparency, workplace practices/employee relations, community engagement/development, environmental health/safety, human rights, integration of corporate social responsibility into supply chains

Question 15

cause marketing/branding

Answer 15

identifying with worth cause

Question 16

fully functioning society theory

Answer 16

that, through PR, orgs should help address social needs by using two-way comms to build consensus/discover shared goals

Question 17

audit

Answer 17

process of examination, evaluation, recommendations

Question 18

ethics audit

Answer 18

answer six basic questions - what is org ethics code, what do key publics know about it, how do we communicate code to ourselves/others, what successes in ethics have we had recently and why, what setbacks and why, how can we bolster strengths/reduce ethics weaknesses

Question 19

four step PR process

Answer 19

research, planning, communication, evaluation

Question 20

research phase (pr process)

Answer 20

awareness of written values when researching an issue, look for clashes between values and those of involved publics

Question 21

planning phase (pr process)

Answer 21

test every proposed action against values of org/proposed publics

Question 22

communication phase (pr process)

Answer 22

implement each action with clear understanding of how it reflects org/involved publics values

Question 23

evaluation phase (pr process)

Answer 23

study if complete actions were consistent with values and what the impact was on involved publics - see if lapses/clashes stemmed from your actions/values

Question 24

Potter Box

Answer 24

helps people analyze individual ethical crises - definition, values, principles, loyalties, select an action, evaluate

Question 25

definition box (potter)

Answer 25

define situation as objectively as possible - what don’t you know, would anyone define it differently, who and why?

Question 26

values box (potter)

Answer 26

state different values involved in situation - compare merits of differing values - which values suggest particular courses of action?

Question 27

principles box (potter)

Answer 27

consider traditional ethics principles/approaches from relevant codes/philosophers (Aristotle, Kant, Mills, Rawls) - how will they help you act on values, do they suggest new values you should consider

Question 28

loyalties box (potter)

Answer 28

identify all stakeholders, what are your obligations to them, who deserves loyalty - do they suggest new principles/values you haven’t considered? what courses of action do they suggest?

Question 29

Utilitarianism

Answer 29

Bentham/Rawls – all our actions should be directed at producing the greatest good for the greatest number of people – including actions that don’t benefit us

Question 30

social justice

Answer 30

Rawls - recognizing/considering values of all affected publics, not just those who have power to influence decisions. use veil of ignorance, give most disadvantaged publics the most consideration

Question 31

veil of ignorance

Answer 31

Rawls. decision makers should pass through a veil that strips away rank/power/status - look at situation from all POVs

Question 32

Ethics are:

Answer 32

values in action / beliefs about right/wrong that guide the way we think/act - not something we have, something we do - more important as increase in public mistrust from recent ethics scandals

Question 33

Objective communicators

Answer 33

speak truth, ignore consequences, some info is confidential

Question 34

advocacy

Answer 34

speak selective truth, withhold damaging info

Question 35

ethical solution

Answer 35

relationship managers, build ethical relationships, act for good of relationships that sustain orgs

Question 36

objectivity v advocacy

Answer 36

always on spectrum - need to move b/w two options

Question 37

dubious case for selective truth

Answer 37

total objectivity not always practical

Question 38

relationship-management solution

Answer 38

advocate fair policies with w clear conscience in managerial role - building relationships requires both objectivity/advocacy and more

Question 39

overwork

Answer 39

challenge to ethical behaviour

Question 40

legal ethical confusion

Answer 40

legal not always ethical and vice versa

Question 41

short term thinking

Answer 41

provides solutions at high cost - plugging leaking dam w dynamite

Question 42

creating ethical culture:

Answer 42

ethics audit - examination, evaluation, recommendation - integrating ethics into pr by solving ethical problems via four-step pr process

Question 43

pr coalition recommends:

Answer 43

articulation of set of values, creation of transparency/disclosure processes, focusing on trust/ethics from top down