A Description of Lobbying as Advocacy Public Relations

This study defines lobbying as advocacy public relations. Data were collected from self-administered surveys of 222 registered lobbyists in Oregon. This study provides insight into a specialized group of public relations practitioners

Finding Connections Between Lobbying, Public Relations and Advocacy

This study begins to connect our understanding of lobbying and public relations as communication activities. A survey of 222 registered lobbyists in Oregon reveals the range of communication activities in which they are engaged, as well as the range of organizations on whose behalf they lobby, and their description of their occupational role. Findings suggest that many lobbyists, like many public relations professionals, do think about their role as a form of advocacy. I then conclude by noting some of the contradictions and limitations of using the term advocacy as a way of describing the communication activities

The Ethics of Lobbying: Testing an Ethical Framework for Advocacy in Public Relations

This study evaluates the ethical criteria lobbyists consider in their professional activities using Ruth Edgett’s model for ethically-desirable public relations advocacy. Data were collected from self-administered surveys of 222 registered lobbyists in Oregon. A factor analysis reduced 18 ethical criteria to seven underlying factors describing lobbyists’ ethical approaches to their work. Results indicate that lobbyists consider the following factors in their day-to-day professional activities: situation, strategy, argument, procedure, nature of lobbying, priority, and accuracy. This framework, derived from Edgett’s 10 criteria, illustrates the importance of context while incorporating ideas from recognized ethical theories

In Search of a Corporate Moral Compass

Photograph of J. Chadwick's Autrodrome building up, taken at Aston Serpentine site, 23 September 1958 lifting cars onto arms. AU