Have Global Ethical Values Emerged in the Public Relations Industry? Evidence from National and International Professional Public Relations Associations

Abstract

Globalization has the potential to create a network society where “there is a common cultural code of values that forms the glue of the network” (Castells, The rise of the network society: The information age: economy, society, and culture, 2000). This article explores if common cultural codes of values are emerging in the public relations industry by examining the codes of ethics of 41 professional public relations associations across the world. The method for the analysis was Centering Resonance Analysis, a textual analysis methodology, that uses linguistics theory to assess main concepts, their influence, and their interrelationships (Canary and Jennings, J Bus Ethics 80: 263–278, 2008; Corman et al., Hum Commun Res 28: 157–206, 2002). The research team found that six dominant themes emerged from the codes of ethics of professional communication associations: (1) professionalism, (2) advocacy, (3) moral standards, (4) clients’ interests, (5) expertise, and (6) relationships. The findings suggest that global values that will influence organizational relationships with publics are emerging in professional communication practice.