Business Ethics: Where Do You Draw the Line?

As an independent contractor, my company, PRMR Inc., has the opportunity to work in a variety of industries with diverse groups of clients, including for-profit, not-for-profit, entrepreneurial, regional and international businesses.

In carrying out our business, we are often faced with ethical decisions that may clash with the demands of clients or affect the services that we are expected to deliver. For example, we may be building a website for a client who expects us to use images that have been taken from another site without that site’s permission. After telling the client that we are not willing to do so and explaining why, we are told that other companies that they have worked with had no problem with it. The client implies that in acting ethically, we are inept and unresourceful.  Read More

Of Publics, Perception and Reality Cont'd

Discussion 3.

Having dealt with the perception of Sir Roy based on his controversial May Day 2012 comments and historical vantage points in my last blog I now continue this topic with the toughie, which is the public’s perception of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.  I have found Prime Minister Stuart to be one Barbados’ most honest and thoughtful Prime Ministers.  The public however perceives his biggest strengths as his biggest weaknesses.  For instance persons were horrified (including me) when he called Leroy Parris his friend (the former Chairman of Clico Holdings Barbados and certainly the most unpopular person on the island because of the CLICO collapse and the many policies and pensions left in jeopardy including one belonging to yours truly). READ MORE

PR for Public Relations

In Barbados, in secondary school we are required to select subjects early; know and stick to a particular career path, all at the tender age of 13 or 14 despite having no world experience and certainly as the old people would say ‘never even seen a star pitch.’ For students like I was, who were unsure what they wanted to do but felt uncompelled to follow a traditional career as a lawyer, doctor or accountant; this decision probably did not come until late.  Read More

Press Release or Advertising? When Did we Cross the Line?

There was a time when a press release was a press release, and advertising was advertising.  The difference was clear.

In media school we were taught that an ad was ‘paid for’ content which comes in the exact form you created or dictated, while a press release was published at the discretion of an editor, who had license to do whatever he or she willed with it. This is all well and good.  However, how do you explain to the upcoming students the differences in our craft when seasoned professionals pay scant respect to the discipline? READ MORE