Public Relations Customers and Investors

Question: Discuss about the Public Relationsfor Customers and Investors. Answer: Introduction Proper relationship between the employees and employers is essential for success of an organization. How employees relate with each other is also crucial as well as the relationship between an organization and the public. Therefore, the concept of public relations comes forth in any business setup. Public relations (PR) is concerned with how a company or an organization communicates with the public as well as the media. Communication can be direct or indirect. In either case the aim of PR is to establish a strong relationship between the customers or the public and the organization. Communication can be in form of press releases, public appearances, online communication and newsletters. A good reputation can help a company thrive in this competitive world of businesses (Gandy, p. 131). Therefore, this paper discusses PR theories applied in businesses, Kristy Fraser-Kirk legal case against David Jones Ltd, PR errors made by this organization and how to handle issues arising from busin ess setup without damaging the companys image. PR Theories Public views on organization will determine its success or its failure. Proper strategies need to be put into place in ensuring the communication between the organization and the public is clear, unambiguous and honest. Making the public and other stakeholders understand why an organization operates as it does, saves the company from wrong critics. PR theories and models has brought more understanding and advancement in public relations field. It has enabled businesses to have good relationship with the public as well as operate in a more ethical manner. There are four public relations models developed by Grunig and Hunt. The press Agentry model that depends on behavior manipulation. The aim is to caption the attention of the public by influencing their opinions. It does not put into consideration accuracy and credibility. It does not seek the feedback of the customers. Its a one-way communication to persuade the public to buy the products and services of the company (Grunig, p. 83). Public information model which focusses on the accuracy of the information delivered to the public. Though it is a one-way communication, it indulges a little bit in doing research on the audience and it encourages ethical practices. Two Way Asymmetric Model focuses on the customers feedback. However, their intention is to influence audience altitude but not to improve operations of the organization. It creates unbalanced communication as their aim is to get into the public psychology so as to get an effective reaction. Two Way Symmetric Model- Its the most ethical model as it focuses on dialogue rather than monologue. The public feedback is used to change the operations of the organization (Kim et al., p. 208). They aim in achieving mutual understanding, mutual respect, negotiation and proper conflict resolution with the public. Kristy Fraser-Kirk Legal Case Against David Jones Ltd Cases of sexual harassment in workplace has always been there only that many people do not come out to report due to fear of intimidation. Fraser-Kirk was an employee of David Jones Ltd. She filed a legal case against her employer due to unwelcome sexual advances from Mark Mclnnes. She filed her claim under Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SD Act), stating sex-based discrimination and unlawful sexual harassment (Judd, p. 11). Fraser-Kirk was suing a number of people in this company; David Jones Limited (her employer), Mark Mclnnes (Chief Financial Officer), Paul Zahra (who replaced Mclnnes after resigning) and all board members. This was the hugest Australias sexual harassment case which saw David Jones Ltd part with $850, 000. When to File Sexual harassment Claim It is unlawful in many countries for an employer to sexually harass an employee or for an employee to harass another employee. In Australia such allegations are forbidden under SD Act, section 28B (6) and anyone found guilty in the court of law is filed a huge penalty and imprisonment for many years. The complaint of sexual harassment has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the penetrator has engaged in; unwelcome advances, conduct of sexual nature (Roberts and Mann, p. 5) and under the circumstances the act occurred it was humiliating, intimidating and offending to the complaint. PR Errors made by David Jones Limited The case filed by Kirsty Fraser-Kirk against David Jones Ltd, destroyed the reputation of this organization as well as causing them some financial losses. Since the top management knew about the behavior of Mark Mclnnes, they should have warned him when the first incident appeared. Given they were aware of sexual harassment conduct of Mclnnes previously, they could have prevented similar cases from happening if they had taken a disciplinary action against him. It should be clear that the employer is liable to such crimes given the perpetrator is connected with employer in terms of employment even if the acts happens away from workplace. David Jones also turned a blind eye on the matter and didnt realize the impact such cases would have on the reputation of the company. The company should have tried to handle the matter internally before letting them go public. They should have listened to Fraser-Kirk and dealt with McInnes. Turning a blind eye and ear to the junior employees creates a loop hole of destroying image of a company. Despite the fact that Mark McInnes was a superior man in the organization and had a considerable power over the junior employees, that did not give him mandate or opportunity to sexually harass them. The company had been known of the existence of the culture of sexual harassment. Therefore, if the company had put into consideration the feedback from the public, it could have prevented itself from this devastating issue. Fraser-Kirk claims she had reported the matter to public relations general manager of the company, Anne-Maree Kelly but she just dismissed her. She told her next time he (McInness) tries that she just has to say no and he would back off (Judd and Easteal, p. 1). It means the public relations manager did not perform her work effectively. If she did she wouldnt have taken the matter lightly. During the period Mclness was in David Jones Ltd, he was known by the female employees of his bad conduct due to his sexual harassment behavior and abusive language. The bullying took another approach in the company as it was adopted by other senior managers making the junior staff to be reluctant and afraid in raising concerns. The top management especially the PR team did not correct the senior employees and this affected the companys image. Ways the Company could have handled the Case. The fact that Fraser-Kirk had reported the matter to the public relations general manager, she should have called Mclnnes and warned him of the consequences that would befall him if he does not change. Turning a blind eye to issues that affects junior employees in an organization is not healthy to the growth of a company. The company should also have adopted the Two Way Symmetric Model of the PR theories. This model enables a company to build and improve on its image from the feedback it gathers from the public. The fact that Mclnnes behavior was known and he had sexually harassed several ladies before, they should have known eventually he would tarnish the whole image of the company. The company should also have aimed in improving the relationship between the junior and senior employees and teach the seniors to respect the juniors. Need for Business to Protect itself from Sexual harassment Claims Once an employee harasses another employee, she can sue both the employer and the perpetrator. To avoid such cases therefore, an organization should protect itself from getting caught up in such scenarios. Proper policies and strategies should be in place to protect themselves from any potential risks that may arise from sexual harassment claims. Sexual harassment is increasing in workplace now days due to increased moral decay in the society. An organization should therefore have rules and regulations governing the employees behavior and conduct in the workplace. Proper policies that should be adhered strictly by the employees can guard from such unethical behavior. An organization should define sexual harassment and give examples of sexual harassment to its employees. It should indicate how to prevent occurrence of sexual harassment and the procedure of making a complaint in case it happens (McDonald et al., p. 53). An organization should also indicate the role of management in preventing such cases from happening. These rules should be clearly indicated and available to every employee. If an organization incorporates these policies in terms of employment, then it would be safe since every employee will be required to put a signature as a confirmation he/she read and understood them. If David Jones Ltd had such policies, it would not suffer from Mclnnes bad behavior. Conclusion Public relations aim to protect and boost the image of a company. Having qualified and proper PR management will ensure success of an organization. Employees and managers should be trained on suitable workplace behavior and how to relate with each other. Appropriate policies to deal with sexual harassment complaints should be adopted by every organization so as to prevent such issues from reaching the public hence destroying the organizations image. References Gandy Jr, O.H., 2013. Public relations and public policy: The structuration of dominance in the information age. Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations II, p. 131. Grunig, L.A., 2013. Toward the philosophy of public relations. Rhetorical and critical approaches to public relations, pp.65-91. Judd, K. and Easteal, P., 2013. Media Reportage of Sexual Harassment: The (In) credible Complainant. Denning LJ, 25, p.1. Judd, K., 2016. Sexual harassment law in Australia. Legaldate, 28(3), p.11. Kim, J.N., Hung-Baesecke, C.J.F., Yang, S.U. and Grunig, J.E., 2013. A strategic management approach to reputation, relationships, and publics: The research heritage of the excellence theory. The handbook of communication and corporate reputation, pp.197-212. McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S. and Graham, T., 2015. Developing a framework of effective prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), pp.41-58. Roberts, B.S. and Mann, R.A., 2015. Sexual harassment in the workplace: A primer. Akron Law Review, 29(2), p.5.