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Expansion of Ethics as the Tenth Generic Principle of Public Relations Excellence: A Kantian Theory and Model for Managing Ethical Issues

The central purpose of this article is to provide a theory and model for ethical issues management based on the principles of excellence in public relations. Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management (J. E. Grunig, 1992b) assumed an ethical approach but omitted ethics as one of the generic principles of excellence in the public relations function. In 1996, the researchers added ethics as the 10th generic principle of excellence, but the concept deserves further exploration. This research expands on ethics as the 10th generic principle by using the deontological philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Issues management, as the highest decision-making function of public relations, is discussed in relation to ethical decision making. Based on this conceptual theory, a normative model of ethical decision making is proposed. That model allows for rational, symmetrical, and consistent analysis of ethical dilemmas. This theoretical model is based on Kantian autonomy, the categorical imperative, and the symmetrical model (J. E. Grunig & Hunt, 1984) of public relations.