PRSA vs. CIPR vs. IABC in Codes of Ethics

The Chartered Institute of Public Relation’s (CIPR) code of ethics is much more spelled out then the codes of ethics for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). There are many paragraphs explaining how to prosecute one who is in violation of the code. I assume that there have been many cases in which the interpretations of the code have varied which have led to controversy. Writing a detailed code avoids a great deal of that kind of mess.

The IABC code of ethics has a much more business minded approach. IABC’s code uses lots of words like "legal" and "timely." I believe that this is due to the fact that this code was written by business professionals that ended up in communications, hence the BC in IABC.

PRSA’s code seems to have integrity closer to the heart than the other two. It is brief and has a feel of, "you know what you should do." I think this is why this code of ethics is held as the standard for public relations.

However, fundamentally these codes come from the same place. They all put great emphasis on honesty and accuracy.

Ethical or Unethical?

Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign involving University colors can be considered both ethical and unethical depending on the models you observe it through.

The Communitarianism model states that you must not think about individual rights as much as you think about social responsibility. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered unethical. By putting school colors on beer cans they are targeting college age students. Being that not all college age students are of drinking age they are, in a sense, dangling a forbidden fruit.

The Virtue Ethics model states that you must look at the actor rather than the deed. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered ethical. Anheuser-Busch stated that they are against underage drinking. Anheuser-Busch also stated that they have spent more than $750 million to prevent alcohol abuse.

The Egoism model states that the protecting its reputation and minimizing economic losses is the most ethical thing to do. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered ethical. This marketing campaign would boost sales and liquidize a lot of currency. This would be good for the economy.

The Consequentialism model states that the ends achieved determine ethicality. Under this model Anheuser-Busch’s marketing campaign is considered unethical. This campaign would generally cause everyone with money to buy more beer. Not everyone with money can legally buy beer. People who can legally buy beer would most likely purchase more, which would theoretically lead to more binge drinking.