I called my mother in Ghana over the weekend. I was pondering over my previous post. If you remember, my number one question for your ethical barometer is to ask if your mother will be happy with your decision.
I am grateful to my mother for the great values she has instilled in me.
Can laid down rules or guidelines make your organization ethical?
Some people will agree with me with regards to putting your organization at the bottom of your principles but others will not. As I was browsing as I usually do for fun, I came upon an article by Sacramento Business Journal which I thought was very interesting. One particular point the writer made was that having principles done on paper is not sufficient to guarantee that ethical decisions-making is part of a company’s corporate culture.
How true is that?
Edelman Public relations firm was caught with its pants down with the Wal-mart flog. From what I read, there’ve been two other flogs that have been revealed that the firm is involved in. But the firm has A Code of Conduct which is the same as an Ethics Guidelines. So what went wrong? That such a huge PR firm will get into such a mess. People in the blogosphere could not hide their resentment. Shel Holtz, one of my favorite bloggers questioned Edelman for not giving their side of the story. Check out the entire post here.
Back to your roots
The point of my referring to Edelman is this; ethics is not something you can teach a person or learn when you’re already a matured person. It takes years.
You may be wondering if I think Ethics Guidelines are unnecessary. Not quite. I just believe that ethics like charity begins at home. If upcoming graduates are anticipating working in ethical organizations, the type that Christina my classmate will like to work at, let’s start with our children.
There is no doubt about the Biblical quotation that says: teach a child the way he should go and when he grows up, he’ll not depart from it.
Who is to blame?
The huge scandals American has experienced in the past ten years are red flags. The greed with Enron and several other corporations are examples that easily come to mind. These are as a result of a society which is ignoring an important value system as the family.
Laura Jimenez’s a student blogger in London said PR professionals are helping build a company’s reputation but not necessarily following any code of ethics. Do you agree with her?
I think that the companies who have good ethical practices are simply lead by people who were properly brought up. What I mean by properly brought up is a person who will answer yes to all five questions I posed in my previous post.
Photos courtesy of: Modern Image Arts and Daves Travel Corner
MyPRethics 
I was among those to write critically about the Edelman flogs in 2006, but it’s also worth noting that this firm — a pioneer in the use of social media in PR — has not stumbled since then. Edelman now has strict policies and procedures in place to ensure transparency. A lesson learned.
I’m not an apologist for Edelman by a long shot. But when you’re the trailblazer, you’re going to make a few mistakes as you create the path. Edelman took its lumps over “Walmarting Across America,” but have admitted the problem and fixed it.
Love the blog and your focus. It’s my favorite PR topic!
By: Bill Sledzik on October 31, 2008
at 6:27 pm
There is no doubt about the fact that Edelman remains one of the largest PR firms in the world. It’s good to know that they learnt from their mistakes. In fact it will be an honor to do my internship with them.
By: ladyjoe on October 31, 2008
at 8:44 pm
I personally feel that how you were brought up as a child will effect how your actions later in life. Parents only want what is best for their children, and most of the time that is what happens. If parents were not to do that, then who knows what future generations would do to their own personal lives, and society as a whole.
Those that were brought up properly can make ethical decisions for their companies because they too want what is best for it. If their company fails ethically, it could shut down, leaving them without a job.
I really liked reading your blog, it made me think about some things!
By: Jaclyn Roman on November 25, 2008
at 4:14 am
I completely agree that ethics are not formed overnight. They are something that are a part of you for years and form as you grow up. Since ethics are something that you have to form yourself, so a “code of ethics” can only guide people, it won’t automatically give them a sense of right and wrong. Companies should work on hiring people with ethical standards that match their own, because people don’t always take the time to reread a list of ethics in a PR emergency.
By: Kaylee Zenovic on November 25, 2008
at 5:07 pm
Jacyln,
Thanks for your comment. Ethics is supposed to make us think critically about issues. I’m glad my post provoked your thoughts.
By: Josephine Zagbuor on January 2, 2009
at 8:03 am
Yes indeed Kaylee I believe strongly that companies should hire people with ethical standards that match their own. Individuals should also work at sharpening their own sense of morality for their jobs.
By: Josephine Zagbuor on January 2, 2009
at 8:07 am