Covenant Journal of Communication (CJOC) Vol. 8 No. 2, Dec.

2021
ISSN: p. 2354-354X e. 2354 – 3515

Open Access Journal, Available Online

Exploring the Factors Affecting the Ethical Values

of Public Relations Practice in Lagos State, Nigeria
Rasheed Olaoluwa
McPherson University, Ajebo, Nigeria

Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract
The environment of public relations practice in Nigeria features dynamics
that do not exist under the scholarship radar yet and need to be explored to
enhance the profession. This study investigated how the employer, client,
colleague, society, and professional association influenced the professional
values of public relations practice among practitioners in Lagos State,
Nigeria. Based on a survey design, it turned out that these factors
collectively influenced the values, thereby eliciting new responsibilities on
how the environment shapes public relations. It also indicated the need for
the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other relevant bodies to
escalate their training of both the members and staff to keep up with the
new responsibilities.
Keywords: Public relations practice, professional value, professionalism,
ethical public relations, and quality education

Introduction: Ethics in Public poor management and weak or

Relations non-enforcement of practice codes.
It appears this inefficiency is
Public relations professionals in undermining the country’s rating
Nigeria have some issues of internationally. Reasons for poor
concern. Prominent of these are management have been associated
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 CJoC, Vol. 8(2), Dec. 2022/Ethical Values of PR Practice in Nigeria

with environmental, political, and behavior could be from the

socio-economic problems ravaging individual, social or business-
the nations over the years. oriented (profession) and are
However, the focus is now more on concerned with human duties and
ethical issues. The belief is that if obligations (Guy, 1990, Amodu et
the profession rests on a solid al, 2019).
ethical foundation, most of the
problems and issues facing Ethics are vital in public relations,
practitioners currently will be as they assist practitioners in
resolved. making decisions when faced with
essential conflicts resolving
Ethics regulate the standards, thus situations. These conflicts exist in
enhancing professionalism. Ethics the relationships between the
and laws are vital instruments for practitioners, and numerous
controlling performances and publics, depending on the degree
behaviors among clients, of divergence of interests
colleagues, employers, and (Bateman & Snell 1999; Omojola,
professional bodies. Krohe (1997) 2008a; Omojola, 2008b)). Ethical
and Ferrell and Fraedrich (1997) values ensure that individual
aver that ethics have more practitioners’ interests or desires
acceptability as an instrument of vis-à-vis the practice and the public
control than law in striving for are not satisfied to the detriment of
professionalism in public relations the public. This understanding
practice. Thus, ethics form the core enhances the acceptance of the
of the current discourse (Kohlberg practice and the striving for
& Candee 1984) in Nigeria's public professionalism (Farnham 1993).
relations practice. Ethics regulate the pricing of
public relations services, quality of
Ethics revolve around standards of service, personnel input, and
acceptance and are concerned channel choices, among other
primarily with the ultimate rules or factors. It also ensures that the
notions of what constitutes satisfaction of the target public's
acceptable or unacceptable desires serves as a focus and guide.
behavior for our society. This
acceptable or unacceptable

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There is a gap between ethical Professional Values

decision-making among public Wong (2011) has said that
relations professionals and professional values play an integral
professionalism in Nigeria. The role in maintaining the viability of
honesty, openness, loyalty, fair- a profession. This assertion
mindedness, respect, integrity, and highlights the significance of
open communication (Haque & values to a profession.
Ahmad, 2017) fall short of the Subscription to values allows
standard. Ethics is the value system professionals to convey their
by which a person determines right societal contributions to the public
or wrong, fair or unfair, or just or and appropriately conceptualize
unjust. The law does not guarantee their work. Grunig (2000) stated
the ethical practice of any that professional values in public
profession (Yungwook, 2003). relations could be considered the
center of ethical decision-making.
Every profession has its values. In The ethics of public relations
many ways, members of the include the application of
general public evaluate the professional and personal values of
profession to know if the individuals besides the values of
practitioners adhere firmly to these the public and clients or
values. In the case of Nigeria, these organizations.
values exist in the Nigeria Institute
of Public Relations Code. This Nearly all national public relations
case brings up the issue of the organizations claim they subscribe
factors that make or do make the to their code of ethics. Most of
code works. This work explored these organizations emphasize
these values zeroing in on Lagos educating their members about
State, Nigeria, regarded as the hub professional standards. They have
of public relations practice. the right to blame or expel
Kruckeberg (1998) said that public practitioners who violate their
relations, as a profession or professional ethics or who have
occupation, have its own set of been convicted of a crime in a
professional values and other court of law (Wilcox & Cameron,
factors that shape it 2009). Schank and Weis (2001)
and Adeyeye et al. (2020) aver that

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the development of professional Ubwa (2014) suggest five

values occurs through a series of professional values which are
connected practices, beginning trustworthiness and altruism,
during the years of practice and accountability, impartiality, and
experience of professional credibility: They all claim that
education. This development is these values require that
considered an essential part of practitioners should take into
practitioners’ socialization in the account and maintain impartiality
workplace. In Nigeria, public at work. Organizations should
relations practitioners have good ensure the impartiality and
skills, education or fundamental credibility of their practitioners
knowledge, and experience in the before and during their
public relations field (Ahmad, employment (Yartey et al., 2021).
2010).
Having these in place, societal
Specifically, Parsons (2008) define harmony, based on personal
values in terms of five pillars of inequalities, is pursued, and
ethics as follows: beneficence - or individual interests can be
to do well, confidentiality - or to sacrificed for the benefit of society.
respect privacy, non-maleficence It is also essential that public
or to do no harm, fairness- to be interest be the utmost part of the
fair and socially responsible, and public relations program at all
veracity - or to tell the truth. The costs. This situation should be
standpoint of Allen and Davis maintained to forestall peaceful
(1993) is slightly different. Theirs coexistence among all the
are professional development, stakeholders in public relations.
freedom of client choice,
professional autonomy, upbeat Practitioners would require
nature of change, scientific inquiry, restructuring to manage the
adaptability or flexibility, and challenges facing them effectively.
creativity or innovation. One way in this regard is to let
those who study the relevant
The point of view of Amujo and courses (mass communication,
Melewar (2011), Nnolim, public relations, among a few
Nwaizugbo and Oko (2014), Kang others) be the ones to practice the
(2010), Ki and Kim (2010), and profession.
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self-interest rather than doing what

In contrast to popular opinion, their profession requires of them.
there are indications that not all
practitioners have the requisite Unimpressively, however, research
training. Also, Parkinson (2021) on the influence that such factors
has submitted that public relations as the employer, client, colleague,
codes in different climes lack a society, and professional body
sufficient professional basis – a exert on the ethical value of public
view supported by Eyun-Junk and relations practice has low visibility
Soo-Yeon (2010). This study in scholarship in Nigeria. The
explored the factors that came to need, therefore, existed to conduct
play, resulting in low visibility of a study on ethics in public relations
ethically sound professional relative to these factors in the
practice in Nigeria. This thesis country. The Nigerian
expatiates below. environment's effectiveness and
enforcement of the code of ethics
The Problem Statement are insufficient, notwithstanding
Nigeria's public relations practice the Nigerian Institute of Public
has been contending with internal Relations (NIPR) role (Udomisor
and external environmental forces & Osademe, 2013). What is not
to professionalize. In the view of known yet is how these factors
Oko (2002), the vital aspect is the have influenced the situation.
environmental forces. Inquiry in
this direction wants to know how The activities of quacks are also
many Nigerians, including public damaging as they epitomize
relations practitioners, whose neglect of the rules as driven by the
natural consciences are living. The NIPR. This damage has elicited the
deadness of conscience accounts call for intervention to assist the
for the high level of unethical practitioners in Nigeria. This
practices among public relations assistance is why this study
practitioners in Nigeria. The focused on the combined
practice is rife with unethical moderating effects of those factors
practices in the profession. The on public relations ethics in the
practitioners are more concerned Lagos State of Nigeria.
with fulfilling the desires of their
employers, their clients, and their
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 CJoC, Vol. 8(2), Dec. 2022/Ethical Values of PR Practice in Nigeria

Study Objective their various publics. More

This investigation was undertaken importantly, Nigeria’s NIPR
to determine the combined ethical code, when penciled in for a
moderating effects of determining review, will need some citations
factors - employer, client, and from this work.
colleague, society, and professional
body on ethical values of public Literature and Empirical Review
relations practice in the Lagos Amujo and Melewar (2011)
State of Nigeria examined the contemporary
challenges impacting the practice
Hypothesis of public relations in Nigeria
There is a significant combined (1990-2011). The analysis was
effect of determinant factors - based on an archival review of
employer, client, colleague, academic and professional
society, and professional body of literature and supported with data
ethical public relations practice on collected from the experts. The
professional values among public study also explored conceptual
relations practitioners in Lagos models underpinning the practice
State, Nigeria. of public relations in Nigeria. The
paper contended that, despite
Significance of the Study changes including conferment of
This study is essential to the chartered status on the Nigeria
researcher. It sets out a trajectory Institute of Public Relations by the
for studying the profession's federal government, the institute's
environmental factors, especially enactment of a code of conduct and
in Nigeria. This attempt will establishment of professional
obviate the dearth of literature public relations still faced some
visible in this area by providing critical challenges in Nigeria. This
reference materials. Moreover, the situation emerged because quacks
findings will help organizations find themselves practicing the
maintain the highest level of profession, consequently
professionalism with their misrepresenting it. The study
employers, colleagues, recommended that compliance
professionals, and society and with a code of conduct and
apply ethical considerations to knowledge of public relations law

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be pursued as prerequisites for political zone of Nigeria. It

gaining public respect and highlighted its current activities,
professionalization. structure, and effectiveness in
Likewise, Ki, Lee, and Choi (2012) creating a conducive academic
examined factors affecting the environment in the institutions and
ethical practice of public relations between the institutions and their
professionals within public publics. The findings show that
relations firms. Organizational public relations practice in the
ethics factors such as an ethics study area has succeeded in
code, top management support for harmonizing various publics to
ethical practice, ethical climate, create mutual relations between
and perception of the association them and their respective
between career success and ethical educational institutions.
practice were examined. The
survey method and questionnaire The result demonstrated further
as an instrument of data collection that the public perceptions of the
was adopted with public relations public relations practice in the
professionals in public relations study area were favorable, contrary
firms in Korea as respondents. to other studies in this area. The
Findings revealed that the presence results further revealed that
of an ethical code along with top practitioners in these institutions
management support and a non- were not trained and ethically
egoistic ethical climate within deficient. The study concludes that
public relations firms significantly public relations maintain a
influenced public relations proactive measure, which can be
professionals' ethical practices. employed when a situation seems
problematic and cumbersome and
Igbekele’s (2012) work was on the serenity in an organization.
Evaluation of Public Relations
Practice in Public Tertiary Idid and Arandas (2016)
Institutions in South-Western investigated public relations
Nigeria. The study appraised the practitioners' professional values,
public perceptions towards public ethics, and professionalism. The
relations practice in public tertiary study explored the influence of
institutions in the South-West geo- education, length of service,
professionalism, and ethics on the
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professional values of public than unaccredited practitioners.

relations practitioners in Malaysia. The study recommended that
The study found that public relations practitioners
professionalism and ethics on should provide ethics counsel and
professional values influenced debated the degree to which
public relations practitioners. The practitioners accept the role of an
study further examined whether ethical conscience.
education and experience influence
professional values through Haque and Ahmad (2017)
professionalism and code of ethics. addressed ethics in public relations
The results fully supported the within the advocacy theory. They
hypotheses indicating that opined that the proper application
professionalism and ethics of the responsible advocacy theory
influenced the professional values could help practitioners establish
of public relations practitioners. the universal principles and moral
The results also showed that values needed in public relations.
education influenced The study submitted that priority
professionalism and ethics, and should be given to human dignity
length of service influenced over all other materialistic gains
professionalism and ethical and benefits. Proper treatment of
practice. every individual involved in this
process is necessary for successful
Further, Neill (2016) examined public relations. Finally, justice
accredited vs. non-accredited, with should be maintained so that
particular focus on how everyone benefits from public
accreditation impacts perceptions relations.
and readiness to provide ethics
counsel. The study proved that Jackson and Moloney’s work
most practitioners and educators (2019), Uneasy lies the head that
believe this is the responsibility of wears a crown: A qualitative study
public relations. The results also of ethical PR practice in the United
showed that accredited public Kingdom, showed how the public
relations practitioners were more relations profession partly drives
likely to say they feel prepared to the dynamics of ethical actions.
do so and to offer ethics counsel The study revealed a relationship
between ethical practice, social
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obligations, truth-telling, and produce, whether good or bad. The

professional bodies in public theory posits that those who follow
relations. Findings also show a duty-based ethics should do the
wide variety of ethical standards right thing, even if the outcome
within public relations platforms. produces more harm than doing the
Many public relations practitioners wrong thing. This theory is
aspire to be "PR Ethics" concerned with what people do,
consultants, but they cannot solve not with the consequences of their
problems. actions. The theory is absolutist in
orientation. There are no
It is essential to state that most of exceptions to the rules due to their
the journals found for review complete emphasis on rules and
purposes were mainly foreign, commitment to duty. To Kant, the
which necessitated the need to idea of duty or obligation is
domesticate PR practice. fundamental. Therefore, people
Publishing articles locally is a vital have to do the right thing, even if it
attempt of this domestication. This produces terrible results.
work epitomizes this attempt. Moreover, this theory against
approves of using foul means to
achieve positive results.
Theoretical Framework
In essence, specific actions can be
Deontological Theory right without undermining good
This study’s anchor is the consequences. The rightness of
deontological theory, associated such actions consists of their
with the German philosopher instantiating certain norms (here,
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). This of permission and not of
theory holds that judging an action obligation). Such actions are
right or wrong should be based on permitted, not just in the weak
the intention behind the action sense that there is no obligation not
rather than the consequences of to do them, but also in the strong
said action. An action is justified if sense that one is permitted to do
the person's intention who them even though they are
performed it is good, regardless of productive of more minor good
the consequences such action may consequences than their

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alternatives (Moore 2008). Such

strongly permitted actions include Methodology
actions one is obligated to do, but The study adopted a cross-
(notably) also included are actions sectional survey in its research
one is not obligated to do. design for this study. The study
was carried out through a
In a nutshell, this deontological structured close-ended
theory leaves space for agents to questionnaire as the instrument for
give particular concern to their data collection as part of the
families, friends, and projects. research design. The population
Deontological morality, therefore, comprised the registered members
avoids the overly demanding and of NIPR in Lagos state, Southwest
alienating aspects of Nigeria. The total is 547 across
consequentialism and accords more both private and non-private
to the conventional notions of our organizations in Lagos State. This
moral duties. Similarly, figure is the entire population of all
deontological moralities leave registered public relations
space for the supererogatory. practitioners in the Lagos State
Deontological theory possesses the branch of NIPR. Lagos is one of
substantial advantage of Nigeria’s political subdivisions and
accounting for strong, widely the country's economic nerve
shared moral intuitions about our center, with a population estimated
duties. at nearly 20 million people.
Several companies – local and
The deontological system makes foreign – are found there, and most
the public relations practitioners of these companies each have a
duty-bound. It means that the department designated as public
public relations practitioner is relations. The technique involved a
duty-bound to the profession, sample random sampling
colleagues, clients, professional procedure. A total of 240
body and thus should do all they responded and returned completed
can to ethically and actively pursue copies of the questionnaire. All
the requisite standards in the ethical research issues were
profession addressed, including seeking
permission before the

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questionnaire was distributed. The alternate form was rejected.

items listed in the questionnaire However, the hypothesis was
were based on the study's accepted when the P-value was less
objective. than or equal to 0.05 (P ≤0.05).
Analysis Research hypothesis: There is a
The pre-set level of significance significant combined moderating
for this study is 0.05. The influence/effect of employer,
hypotheses presume a significant client, colleague, society, and
relationship between the variables professional body of ethical public
under consideration. If the p-value relations practice on professional
indicates the significance or the values among public relations
probability value exceeded the pre- practitioners in Lagos State,
set level of significance (P >0.05), Nigeria.
the hypothesis stated in the

Table:1 combined moderating effects/influence of determinants factors

of ethical public relations practice on the professional value
Model Summary
R R2 MSE F df1 df2 p
0.6108 0.3730 23.9853 202.6872 3.0000 1022.0000 .0000

Model
Coeff . SE T P Pi LLCI ULCI
Constant 4.8218 2.4401 2.4315 1.1428 10.7210
Ethical PR 0.2204 0.05473 3.6748 0.0002 0.1059 0.3348
Practice
Professional 0.5120 0.2302 2.2240 0.0243 0.0603 0.9637
Values
Int_1 0.0052 0.0051 0.0139 -0.0048 0.0152
R2-Chng
F df1 df2 p Beta
X*W (Int_1 0.0006 1.0279 1.0000 1022.0000 0.3109
Source: Field Survey 2021
NOTE: Int_1 = Interaction 1; Int_1 = Ethical PR * Professional Value (X*W) Key: SE=
standard error; T= t-Test: LLCI=lower level of the 95% confidence interval; ULCI=
upper level of the 95% confidence interval F=. df1 = degree of freedom 1; df2= degree of
freedom 2; p= p-value Beta= Standardised path coefficient; Pi= Percentile .

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The table shows that both ethical This is confirmed with the
public relations practice of confidence interval value ranging
employer, client, colleague, from -0.0048 to 0.0152 and the R-
society and professional body (B= square change (0.0006),
attributable to the interaction
0.22, t(1023) =3.78, p<0.001) and below 1 percent. This implies that
public relations practice (B= 0.51, ethical public relations practice
t(1023) =2.22, p<0.001) each could influence Professional value
significantly influenced without the interaction of
professional value. However, the employer, client, colleague,
interaction effect of ethical public society, and professional body.
Therefore, public relations practice
relations practice of employer,
does not moderate the
client, colleague, society and effect/influence determinant
professional body and public factors of ethical public relations
relations practice on professional practices and professional value.
value were not significant (B= Hence, the hypothesis is rejected.
0.005, t(1023) =1.01,R2 change =
0.0006, p>0.05).
Table 2: Combined moderating effects/influence of determinants factors
of ethical public relations practice on the professional value

Model Unstandardized Standardized T Sig.

Coefficients Coefficients
B Std. Beta
Error
(Constant) 5.533 0.975 5.677 0.000
Employer 0.615 0.102 0.177 6.052 0.000
Client 0.557 0.105 0.155 5.306 0.000
Colleagues 0.199 0.091 0.059 2.191 0.029
Society 0.357 0.109 0.099 3.286 0.001
Professional 0.550 0.110 0.150 5.010 0.000
body
a. Dependent Variable: Professional values
Source: Field Survey 2021

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Tables 1 and 2 show the ANOVA public relations practice on the

and model summary computation professional value.
and multiple regression analysis.
This is about the significance of Findings
the combined moderating The data obtained for the study
effects/influence of determinants adequately provided an answer to
factors of ethical public relations the research hypothesis. The
practice on professional value. study's objective was to determine
Results indicated that combined the combined moderating
moderating effects/influence of influence/effect of employer,
determinants factors of ethical client, colleague, society
public relations practice on professional body of ethical public
professional value F(8, 1017) = relations practice on professional
56.132, p< 0.05) towards the values among public relations
professional value. practitioners in the Lagos State of
Nigeria. The accompanying is the
From the relative perspective, hypothesis: There is a significant
employer (B= 0.615, t= 6.052, combined moderating
p<0.05), client (B= 0.557, t= 5.306, influence/effect of employer, client,
p<0.05), Colleagues (B= 0.199, t= colleague, society, and
2.191, p<0.05), perceived Society professional body of ethical public
(B= 0.357, t= 3.286, p<0.05), relations practice on professional
Professional body (B= 0.550, t= values among public relations
5.010, p<0.05) significantly practitioners in the Lagos State of
influence professional value. This Nigeria.
is because the model explains
3.01% of variance combined Therefore, findings showed that all
moderating effects/influence of the determinant factors of ethical
determinants factors of ethical public relations practice and
public relations practice on professional body significantly
professional value (R2 =0.301). influenced the professional value.
This analysis implies that effective However, all the interaction effects
management of combined of all the determinant factors of
moderating effects/influence of ethical public relations practice
determinants factors of ethical were not significant on

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professional value. This is practice were examined. Data

confirmed with the confidence collected and analyzed revealed
interval value, which could be that the presence of an ethical code
attributed to the interaction below along with top management
1 percent. This implies that ethical support and a non-egoistic ethical
public relations practice could climate within public relations
influence Professional value with firms significantly influenced
the interaction of employer, client, public relations professionals'
colleague, society, and professional ethical practices.
body. Therefore, the combined
determinant factors of ethical Idid and Arandas (2016)
public relations practice investigated the professional
moderately influenced the values, ethics, and professionalism
professional values. of public relations practitioners.
The study explored the influence of
Discussion of Findings education, length of service,
The findings of this study about professionalism, and ethics on the
Nigeria align with previous professional values of public
outcomes of the combined relations practitioners in Malaysia.
moderating influence/effect of It found out that professionalism
employer, client, colleague, and ethics on professional values
society, and professional body of influenced public relations
ethical public relations practice on practitioners. The study also
professional values among public examined whether education and
relations practitioners. Ki, Lee, and experience influenced professional
Choi (2012) had examined factors values through professionalism and
affecting the ethical practice of code of ethics. Results from this
public relations professionals study corroborate this.
within public relations firms in
South Korea. Organizational ethics Conclusion
factors such as the code of ethics, and Recommendations
top management support for ethical The results of this study about
practice, a prevailing ethical Nigeria are in tandem with findings
climate, and the association of from the external contexts on the
career success with the ethical combined moderating effect of the

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employer, client, colleague, 4. NIPR should consider

society, and professional body of imposing sanctions on
ethical public relations practice on ethical defaulters.
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relations practitioners in the
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