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Abstract
Public relations scholars have demonstrated contradictory views regarding the application of universal versus culture-specific approaches for understanding global public relations ethics. However, few comparative studies have empirically explored public relations ethics on a global scale. To that end, this study represents an exploratory attempt to provide a descriptive picture of public relations professional associations and their codes of ethics across 107 countries. In conclusion, we argue that honesty, safeguarding of confidences of clients, and prohibition of conflicts of interest of competing clients should be accepted as the universal values, while other issues, such as free flow of information and fees and gifts, could be understood as the relativistic values specific to a nation's situation and needs.
NOTES
Notes
1. The globalized cluster includes “countries with at least eight offices belonging to different top 10 global public relations multinationals” (p. 356); the globalizing cluster includes “countries with between 4 and 7 public relations offices belonging to different top 10 global public relations multinationals” (p. 356); the emerging cluster includes countries “having from one to three public relations offices” (p. 356); and the excluded level includes “countries without a single public relations office” (p. 356).
7. Monica Walle's affiliation is Bond University in Australia, and the PRSA Member Code of Ethics 2000 is from the PRSA in the United States.
8. Countries having multiple associations were coded multiple times. Percentages were calculated based on the total number of combined numbers for further analysis.
9. Of the 55 associations, 10 possessed ethics codes whose contents could not be evaluated because either the websites did not provide the necessary content or they could not be adequately translated (e.g., ethics code provided in PDF format from the Professional Council of Public Relations of Argentina).