Page 1 Understanding and Defining Issues  Any problem or potential problem facing an organization  Any controversial matter or disputed question affecting the organization  A contentious choice or decision to be made

Page 2 Issues Management The process by which a corporation can identify and evaluate those governmental societal issues that may impact significantly on it. Those issues can then be assigned for appropriate corporate response

Page 3 Open And Closed Systems  Some organizations actively monitor their environment and make adjustments based on what is learned  Organizational adjustment and adaptation to new conditions depend in part on how open they are to their environments  Closed systems have impregnable boundaries so they cannot exchange information, with their environments

Page 4 Open And Closed Systems  Open systems exchange inputs and outputs through permeable boundaries  Closed systems do not adapt to external change and eventually disintegrate  Open systems are responsive to environmental changes  Open systems exhibit more flexibility in adjusting to the environment

Page 5 Goals Of Issues Management  Identify as early as possible, those issues that may have an effect on the organization  Influence the issues to prevent them from causing a major consequence to the organization

Page 6 The Publics Which May Be Affected  The general public  Media  Activists groups  Government officials  Regulatory agencies  Local and national law makers

Page 7 The PR Practitioner’s Role  Develop formal and informal research skills necessary to survey their organization’s internal and external environments.  Determine what issues their organizations must confront and how these issues can be successfully dealt with  Interpreting publics, anticipating future issues in order to recommend positions, actions, policy changes

Page 8 Key Issues Affecting Organizations  Environmentalism  Consumerism  Unionism  Feminism  Energy  Health & Safety  Human Resources

Page 9 Public Policy And How It Affects Organizations  Public issue is a problem, question or choice being faced by society or some segment of society that involves actual or potential government action.  When public issues impact on an organization’s investment, operations or ability to act, that organization needs to become actively involved with those issues

Page 10 Public Policy And How It Affects Organizations  Public affairs is a specialized part of public relations that builds and maintains governmental and local community relations in order to influence public policy  When issues management operates in areas of public policy, it is part of public affairs which in turn is part of the larger public relations function.

Page 11 The Issues Management Process  Identification  Analysis  Strategy  Action  Evaluation

Page 12 Identification  Organizations use various methods to scan the environment for potential areas of threat or opportunity  Issues should be identified in the earliest stages of its life cycle  Methods of identification include – media scanning, polling of the public and use of consultants

Page 13 Analysis  Set priorities based on an issues potential and publics  Note that not all identified issues can be managed at the same time  There is a need to narrow the list to the most important  Importance of an issue is based on its timing and impact

Page 14 Establishing priorities by asking:  How quick will this issue unfold  How will it impact our products and operations  How likely is it that this issue will come to fruition  How would our stakeholder expect us to act in relations to this issue  What is our ability to have an impact on this issue  What are the costs of not dealing with this issue

Page 15 Ultimately, the organization seeks to determine whether a given issue potentially impacts its success or survival. Those issues with the greatest bottom line impact should receive the most attention

Page 16 Strategy  This step is usually accomplished by a committee made up of management and those affected by the issue  Based on inputs from those affected and those who would be involved in implementing the organization’s response, position papers and plans are developed by staff subject to approval by top management

Page 17 Action  An orchestrated, integrated response to the issue of concern.  A campaign is developed and implemented which co-ordinates the efforts of lobbyists, media relations, employee communications etc.  Some efforts are of short duration while others involve greater use of resources, energy and time.

Page 18 Evaluation  The organization seeks to determine the effectiveness and impact of the program  Evaluation may help establish how long the programme should continue to be made

Page 19 Common weakness in Issue Management:  No systematic collection of planning information  No systematic dissemination of planning information  Failure to identify and establish an accident common structure  No, or minimal coordination with effected entities  Lack of, or poorly defined organizational responsibilities  Once developed the program is not or is, at best, poorly maintained  The material developed is not user-friendly  You did not disseminate the plan to the proper authorities