Public affairs and issues managemen

Public affairs and issues management

A. Public Affairs
Public Affairs is a term used to describe an organization’s relationship with stakeholders. These are individuals or groups with an interest in the organization's affairs, such as politicians, civil servants, customers and local communities, clients, shareholders, trade associations, think tanks, business groups, charities, unions and the media.
Public affairs practitioners engage stakeholders in order to explain organizational policies and views on public policy issues, assisting policy makers and legislators in amending or laying down better policy and legislation. They provide statistical and factual information and lobby on issues which could impact upon the organization's ability to operate successfully.
Public affairs work combines government relations, media communications, issue management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination and strategic communications advice. Practitioners aim to influence public policy, build and maintain a strong reputation and find common ground with stakeholders.
There may often also be some aspects of public affairs and policy work associated with working in public relations, press and media relations and crisis communications.

B. Issue Management
Issues management is a long-term strategic management practice. Significant changes or issues which may affect the organization are identified, and long-term strategic decisions are taken which may involve changes in policy and practice.
Example: One example issues management consultant Simon Bryceson uses to illustrate an issues management approach concerns Unilever, which through its subsidiary companies such as Birds Eye Walls, Gorton’s and Findus is the largest buyer of fish in the world. In early 1996, Unilever was warned of a proposed campaign by Greenpeace which would highlight decreasing global fish stocks. Greenpeace was planning to target the company and criticize its fish buying practices, which Greenpeace felt were contributing to the problem. In order to avert this attack, Unilever established a partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature, the largest environmental campaigning group in the UK. The two organizations formed the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to determine the sustainability of every fishery in the world and issue certification of those that were judged to meet strict criteria. Unilever then committed itself from the year 2000 onwards to source all its fish from MSC certificated fisheries only. Instead of a negative attack, the strategy resulted in a headline in the Financial Times, ‘Unilever in fight to save global fisheries’. By taking the initiative, the company became associated with the solution rather than the problem, building its authority on global fisheries policy as well as protecting its brand and future business (see www.bryceson.com).


C. Risk management
The identification, analysis, assessment, control, and avoidance, minimization, or elimination of unacceptable risks. An organization may use risk assumption, risk avoidance, risk retention, risk transfer, or any other strategy (or combination of strategies) in proper management of future events. Wharton quotes Rescher’s three cardinal rules of risk management:
• Maximize expected values
• Avoid catastrophe
• Ignore remote possibilities.

D. The Rise of Pressure Groups
The rise of pressure groups is a result of disaffection with mainstream politics and this has changed the nature of participation in the political process. Modern day pressure groups have become a major political force in their own right’, says Peter Hamilton, Managing Director of The Communication Group (TCG). 118 The Public Relations Handbook Surveying more than 250 of the largest companies in Europe, TCG found that businesses were fearful of the power of pressure groups but complacent about how to handle them. Groups frequently outflanked businesses, and used global communications much more widely and swiftly than most companies. They also fired up public opinion and influenced legislation, being seen as generally more effective at PR. Few companies had corporate strategies in place to deal with the problem, and tended to rely on media publicity to get their message across rather than taking a strategic approach to the issues raised by pressure groups (Hamilton 1997).

E. Defining lobbying
One of the techniques most commonly used in carrying out issues management campaigns is lobbying. Lobbying involves ‘direct attempts to influence legislative and regulatory decisions in government’ and public affairs is the ‘specialized public relations effort designed to build and maintain community and governmental relations’ (Cutlip et al. 1985: 14). Organizations have increasingly used lobbying techniques to present their case to government and groups of stakeholders. People who work in public affairs are also sometimes known as lobbyists. Three most important attributes for effective lobbying are:
1. The ability to effectively communicate a message
2. Problem solving abilities
3. Networking ability
Miller (Roche 1998: 23) names four common lobbying mistakes:
1. Contacts are no use unless you have a sound case.
2. No amount of entertaining can substitute for a well-researched case.
3. Think Government, not Parliament. It is also important to talk to MPs’ advisers. Think system, and take account of the network of institutions.
4. Do not act unless you know how Government will react to your case.