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Transparency in Public Relations: Evidence from Associations' Ethics Codes

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  • Matilda Kolic Stanic

    (University of Zagreb - University Department of Croatian Studies, Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

The issue of transparency in public relations, or as it is more often referred, the conflict of interest, belongs to the group of the crucial ethical issues. Nevertheless, among scholars, there exist the question of how strict the imperative of transparency should be, not just concerning the cultural differences or the areas in the world where public relations professionals come from. Given the reputation of the public relations profession, which is still partially marked with negative labels, the issue of transparency in self-regulation of professionals in PR is of utmost importance. Aiming to explore the importance of transparency for PR professionals, and how this issue is regulated, the research was conducted through a method of qualitative content analysis based on 13 ethical codes, delivered by 18 major associations of public relations professionals at national and international levels, which belong to the Western Circle: United States, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Croatia. Although the value of transparency is articulated in all ethical codes, there exist some differences, especially if a distinction is made between conflicts of interest and financial interests. In this respect, few differences emerged with regard to the character of membership in associations (individual/corporative/mixed membership), or their type (national or international) and much less within the geographical milieu of the association. The core finding is actually "the struggle" between the principle level and the operational level of transparency in PR-field: is it possible to be "ethically correct" just if PR-professionals announce that they are in conflict of interests and the client has nothing against?

Suggested Citation

  • Matilda Kolic Stanic, 2019. "Transparency in Public Relations: Evidence from Associations' Ethics Codes," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 17(2-B), pages 417-429.
    • Handle: RePEc:zna:indecs:v:17:y:2019:i:2-b:p:417-429
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maureen Taylor & Aimei Yang, 2015. "Have Global Ethical Values Emerged in the Public Relations Industry? Evidence from National and International Professional Public Relations Associations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 543-555, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transparency; conflict of interests; public relations; ethics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • M3 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising

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