I was in a public relations class yesterday, and a scenario came up:
The public relations professional was approached by a lawyer and his client. The client was an athlete who had reportedly taken drugs and raped a contestant of the Miss World Competition. In confidentiality, the lawyer told the pr professional that his client was guilty, even though he (the client) would be pleading not guilty in court. They wanted the pr professional to do "pr" work.
The question to discuss was: Should the pr professional take the job?Some students said they would and others said they would not. One young man stated that it was his job as the pr professional, so his personal feelings and or moral standings should not have any judgment on the situation.
It then brought me back to org comm class. We spoke about technology, and its capability but more so the moral aspect of responsibility that is attached with it, but we never discussed how IMPORTANT morality and or ethics is, to one's reputation and reputation management.
Reputation is derived from assumptions, perceptions and beliefs about what an organisation is, how it is run and what it stands for. The same definition can be substituted and refer to an individual. Who is the person, how do they operate in the professional arena, and what do they stand for (beliefs).
One's reputation is defined by one's actions, short term and long term, and the ethical procedures that were taken to get there. In the scenario, two reputations would be at stake. The athlete's and the pr professional. How would people view a public relations professional who was willing to protect the image of an alleged rapist and drug user? Would the professional's competence be at risk, long term, if he lost the case?
Ethics guide our daily lives, in all our responsibilities.
Each person defines their reputation, and its that simple!!
- My Opinion. My Inner Voice. My Thoughts. On a mission to My Purpose.
