PRIA Code of Ethics and Public Relations Practices

This paper delves into the critical role of ethics in public relations, focusing on the PRIA Code of Ethics. It emphasizes the importance of ethical practices for building trust, maintaining transparency, and fostering positive relationships between organizations and the public. The paper explores the application of virtue ethics in PR, highlighting intellectual and moral virtues. It examines how adherence to ethical guidelines, such as those outlined by PRIA, can protect employee rights, resolve conflicts, and prevent legal challenges. The paper also discusses the value of ethical education and the impact of ethical considerations on organizational operations. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of ethical principles and their practical application in the field of public relations, supported by academic research and real-world examples.

Running Head: CODE OF ETHICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Code of Ethics in Public Relations
Name of the Student:
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Author Note:

1CODE OF ETHICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Ethics have a major role in enhancing public relations, it is understandable that public
relationship are considered to be more instrumental on all terms such as organizational
colleagues, strangers and politicians and others that are outside the slight circle of intimacy.
Public relation is considered to be a management function that indicates the idea of monitoring
and evaluating the public attitudes and ensuring better relation and understanding among the
particular organization and the public (Duffy, 2017). The major objective of public relation is to
ensure proper channel of communication and create a dual flow of communication and
understanding. As compared to the operations that are undertaken in a particular organization the
advantage can be to provide proper and systematic guidelines to the members and the major
factor can be to educate management on public relations values and standards and to separate
professionals of public relations from the available individuals. According to the standards
PRIA( Public Relation Institute of Australia) it determines and states that the employees in a
particular organization are responsible to follow certain norms and conditions that are as per the
guidelines mentioned in code of ethics as per PRIA system.
Code of ethics is considered to be a major part in maintaining public relations(Annas,
2015). The importance of ethics in a particular organization are based on the functioning of
gaining trust in the public, retraining employees in a particular organization which can generally
lead to the factor of systematic innovation and advancements in the industry. The development
of code of ethics in a particular organization are based on the purpose of ensuring proper system
of advocacy, honesty, loyalty, fairness and independence that are developed according to the
principles and statements of the ethical terms and conditions that has to be developed and
followed. For a particular organization the factor of having own ethics and principles becomes
beneficial not only for the kind of business that are undertaken in a particular company but also

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creates a positive impact on the operations in the upcoming future (Han, 2015). This helps the
company to maintain integrity and transparency in further functioning. PRIA factors are
considered to be more effective and beneficial factor for the organization where it clearly
explains that the employees in a organization must not get involved in any kind false or
ambiguous information that can create a negative impact on the organizational goals and
objectives.
As compared to the operations of any organizations the system of integrity and
transparency plays a major role to determine the actual value of functioning in the future. Under
this context the integrity is based upon the quality of remaining honest and maintaining strong
moral values in case of any consequences, as compared to the ethical terms that are developed
and followed by the organizations it is stated that it is mandatory for them to follow and develop
a systematic route that are based upon the system of code of ethics that are conducted and
designed for the company’s prospective. The ethical terms and conditions define and describe the
system of dignity and value in the organizations code of conduct. According to the function and
role of transparency in a company gives more importance under the area of trust and values that
has to be developed by the organization to ensure and gain the factor of faith and belief in the
mind of public. The principles mentioned and designed in the code of ethics that are based on the
PRIA system may not only increase ethical practice in the public relations but also helps in
increasing the system of tolerance from the general public which may lead to the factor of
expectation in the company. According to the theories that are designed and developed under this
context states that the role of having effective and systematic trust shows the difference between

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what rights have to be followed and what is the best way to implement it to gather knowledge
and ideas for the organizational operations.
As per the current state of ethics with related to the system of public relations are on the
basis of ethical norms and conditions that are developed by the professional association. This
function manages and ensures a system which states every member in a particular organization
have to be a part of this association such that they can abide by the code of ethics that are written
and developed for the entire group which has to be systematically followed and implemented in
an effective manner. In some organizations the that are depended upon the factor of
professionalism and values the code of conduct are represented in such a way that, this may
demonstrate certain terms that forbid a list of certain activities that has to followed as per the
organizational undertakings which are designed accordingly based on the actual functioning of
the particular company. On the other hand code of ethics are developed on the basis of certain
principles and values that has to be strictly followed by them at every stage of operations and
functions that are undertaken in the organization irrespective of considering these designed
principles and values to be positive and negative. It is understandable that most of the
organization which are into public relation must follow a code of ethics which can create a huge
impact in the future.

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Public Relationship
Teacher- Student
Politician- Citizen
Co-worker- Colleagues
Doctor- patients
Bureaucrats- Citizen

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As compared to several organizational operations there are management systems that
ensure the factor systematic code of ethics in the operations such as Global Alliance for public
relations and Communication management, the international public relations association code of
Athens, the European public relations confederation also follows and maintains the code of
Athens along with the operations that are associated with the code of Lisbon, the public relation
institute of Australia including many other organizations that systematically follow the function
of code of ethics that are associated with the particular nation. The above mentioned example
connected to code of ethics generally does not vary significantly by country but the operations
and functioning are based upon the professional organizations they are related with. These are
designed and developed for the major motive to maintain the system of dignity, respect and
ensure the value of human rights in organizations. According to several identification and
recommendations that are made and created by the group of experts regarding the system of
maintaining and designing effective and systematic public relation strategies states that there is
the requirement of having an effective ethics under the area of public relation professional
education and on the other hand it is stated that if a particular curriculum is unable to offer a
dedicated ethics course, conducting a limited time mini-seminars can be more beneficial for the
undergraduates in case of institutions.

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According to the operations that are associated with Australian nation, under the
organizational concept it is understandable that for the purpose of enhancing effective public
relation in the society the system of having a valuable code of ethics play a major role on all
aspects. This function helps in protecting employee’s rights and values that are basically
associated with several factors such as pay disputes, employee’s discrimination in the
organization, and helps in resolving the conflicts that are pertaining in the organization
(Swanton, 2015). As the organization under all terms generally have to follow the path of
systematic ethics that are designed for the company’s future operations this helps in making the
complicated and difficult choices easier. Under any circumstances in case of any discrepancies
the organization has to follow the factor of effective and systematic ethics that are developed and
designed, this function helps the organization to prevent law suits and overcome legal
challenges.
Based on the Virtue theory of Ethics, it examines and gives more emphasize on the
virtue of mind, character and sense of honesty. Virtue theories are based and are completely
related to the consequences of action. As compared to the organizational context the theory is on
the actual factors that are related to the behavior and performance of the organization and the
members who are associated with it. According to the theory, this has been classified under two
heads that are considered to be more beneficial and valuable for the overall organizational and
ensuring better organizational values within the organization under all terms (Parsons, 2016).
The first factor that is based on the theory is based on intellectual virtue that is based on the
virtues related to mind. This defines persons the terms that are associated with logical terms, this
generally means the ability and capability to understand the actual reason and make sound on the
judgment created. This function helps the organization to understand the actual problems that are

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associated within, along with the function of enhancing effective employee satisfaction. This can
lead to better growth and productivity of the company in the future. The other factor related to
the virtue is Moral virtues which states that any problems or issues that are associated with the
organization can be solved only through repetition and practice. This function can be considered
to be more beneficial for the organization to resolve the issues and find adequate solutions for the
same. Moreover as per the theories the function of intellectual virtues is related to the activities
which can be considered as the norms that has to be followed by the organization whereas moral
virtue are considered to be the basic principles terms and conditions that are required for the
organizations future prospective. The systematic functioning of an organizational operation can
help to build the factor of trust and value to ensure public relation under all terms. This signifies
that the terms, conditions and initiatives that are made by the system of PRIA code of ethics
plays a major role in generating effective public relation among the organization under all terms

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