Ethics?

Social responsibility and ethical issues has been a strong topic in my classes for the last few weeks. Public Relations professionals will deal with social responsibility issues on an everyday basies. But how does one define making an ethical decision? How does one know what is socially responsible? It all boils down to knowing the difference between right and wrong. For example, McDonalds is known as one of the most socially responsible corporations in the world. Everything from their community involvement to their commercials bring a positive light on this restaurant. For my advertising class we were asked to research top corporations and give our take on what we thought was socially responsible. McDonalds was one that I researched and I could not seem to find one flaw. Yeah of course McDonalds is probably not the best food for you in the world and it should not be eaten everyday, but there are HUNDREDS of things our there that should not be eaten everyday. There was a lawsuit that came out a few years ago involving a young child. Her family was suing McDonalds for her obesity. NO WHERE does McDonalds promote obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle. Their website is full of all the nutritional information and healthier lifestyle choices. The menu has also adopted many healthy food options such as salads and apples as a side instead of fries.

There is good and bad in every company, but it is important that the PR professionals promote the good and send out a positive message. The ethical decisions and social decisions made by big companies can make or break them.

But the questions boils back down to what is being socially respronsible? It is not a black and white answer. In fact, it contains alot of grey. But as a PR professional, it is our job to know the grey area like the back of our hand. It is our job to know the difference between right and wrong and to always send out a positive message.....even when the positive is hard to find.

Skills Skills Skills....

Todays Public Relations professional require many skills to be successful in this fast-pace world. Twitter, Blogs, and Facebook have taken over our world and are a key communication tool now commonly used.
I am learning more and more everyday, but I do believe I am strongest in my communication and writing skills. I feel very confident in my ability to write efficient and professional news releases. I am also seieng the importance of continuous communication and can see how useful communicaion tools, such as Twitter, can be.
Work ethic is also something I take very seriously. I put forth alot of effort and time when I know what I want. Failure is not an option for me, but I need to realize that I can't always do everything by myself.

As I am learning how useful Twitter can be, I still need to learn how to use it properly. Alot of important information can be put out through these communication tools, but I need to fmake sure it reaches the public.

Last but not least I need to trust myself. When it comes to event planning I get frustrated if I can't see the full picture all at once. I can get overwheled and not trust that it will all fall into place.

We're learning everyday.....I think alot of this will come with time, experience, and practice!