This Week in PR (26 July)

About the author

Richard Bailey Hon FCIPR is editor of PR Academy's PR Place Insights. He has taught and assessed undergraduate, postgraduate and professional students.

Profession and ethics

Business and finance

Purpose, climate and ESG

SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA

  • Siobhan Holt with John Harrington and Evie Barrett: Havas B Corp ruling – where is PR’s ethical line? [podcast, after 11 mins] (24 July)
    ‘I’d be surprised if any agency or holding company working with fossil fuel companies would be able to become a B Corp. I suspect they simply won’t apply. The heat is on.’
  • Saad Alrubaian: PR agencies: To B or not to B? (no date)
    Sustainability isn’t a badge; it’s a way of doing business. By maintaining our green commitments and continuously improving, we can all contribute to a better world.’

Consulting, skills and careers

  • Sabrina Erabi: An Insight Into Internships at Babel (24 July)
    Come September, you’ll be looking at a new member of the Amazon Degree Apprenticeship scheme, specialising in Project Management! I could not be more excited to finally begin what I planned, practised, and now am finally performing.’

Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing

Politics, public affairs and public sphere

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIPLOMA

Crisis, risk and reputation

CRISIS COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA

  • Holly Rouse: The art of the apology (23 July)
    Lawyers may often caution against apologising to protect their clients from potential lawsuits, but organisations need to weigh this up against the potential reputational harm. A well-crafted apology can help win back trust and minimise damage. So, what actually makes for a good apology?’

Internal communication 

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA

  • Advita Patel: How to build inclusive cultures (24 July)
    A thriving workplace culture relies on effective communication at its heart, making inclusion crucial for communications professionals. After all, when colleagues feel included and valued in the workplace, they are more likely to contribute fully and thrive.’

Media, digital and technology

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA

  • Giles Fraser with Rory Cellan-Jones and Dave Moore: Taking on the world one semiconductor at a time [podcast] (23 July)
    ‘In Durham we manufacture chips that are thin, flexible and with low energy consumption.’
    ‘The demand for chips is insatiable, fuelled by AI. But the carbon footprint of the industry is not where we’d like it to be. There needs to be a new approach.’
  • Neville Hobson: Lessons From the CrowdStrike Crisis That Paralysed Our Digital World (21 July)
    None of this was the outcome of a cyberattack or an act of terrorism. While it was faulty code that created the meltdown, it appears that this was down to human error at CrowdStrike, a terrifying reminder of the fragility of the centralised systems that knit together our connected world and the people who maintain those systems.’