FIRST EXAM STUDY GUIDE:

Codes of Ethics

• Spence: Ch. 2
  • At worst, the pressure on advertising agencies to succeed can lead to what kind of advertising campaigns?
     
    
  • Spence adopts the general proposition that professional self-regulation should reflect what?
     
    
  • READ The CASE STUDIES
     
    
  • Case Study 2A highlights what problem for a system of voluntary self-regulation with weak sanctions and a lack of a statutory role in the process? How did the unethical advertiser gain a competitive edge?
     
    
  • In Case Study 2B, how have the sanctions and related publicity likely helped French Connection UK? What inherent weakness in a self-regulatory system is exposed in this case study? How was the advertiser able to gain a competitive edge? What would be required of a self-regulatory system for such practices to be averted? What is the alternative?
     
    
  • A self-regulated environment provides industry with what?
     
    
  • Effective self-regulation can help bypass what and allow industry to do what?
     
    
  • Who is the key to effective self-regulation?
     
    
  • What are the three forms of regulation? In each one, what power to regulate is given to whom?
     
    
  • What is meant by "private government"? (What are the apparent criteria?)
     
    
  • Which regulatory approach is used for advertising in the United States? Who are the regulators and what are their roles? The NAD/NARD structure was established to do what?
     
    
  • Why are the media a key stockholder in advertising self-regulation? What role do media play in the self-regulation of advertising? (Think of recent examples in the United States.)
     
    
  • Understand why communication with consumers is a key factor and how it is achieved.
     
    
  • Why is an effective dispute resolution process important to an effective system of self-regulation?
     
    
  • In their most basic form, codes of ethics are what?
     
    
  • What purposes does a code of ethics serve as the regulators' mission statement?
     
    
  • What is meant by the aspirational and consequential components of a code of ethics?
     
    
  • Know the five principles that emerge from the advertising codes of ethics.
  
   
  
• Gower: pp. 13 - 19
  • What two purposes are served by codes of ethics?
     
    
  • What are the criticisms of codes of conduct? How does the 2000 PRSA code attempt to address them?
     
    
  • What is the criticism of creating a universal code of ethics in public relations?
     
    
  • What steps and approaches are suggested for resolving ethical dilemmas?
     
    
  • What is the goal in resolving an ethical dilemma?
     
    
  • What single question might help you resolve ethical dilemmas?
     
    
  • What steps and options are suggested if making the ethically correct decision means going against your boss?
  
   
  
• Dilemmas and Moral Questions
  • Be familiar with the moral questions that can be used to assess ethical behavior.
  
   
  
• A short guide to the process of ethical decision making
  • KNOW AND BE ABLE TO APPLY THE SIX STEPS suggested by PRSA for addressing an ethical situation.

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