Public Affairs

26. August 2008 | From Tino Kressner | Category: Communications

Definition

Translation: Public Affairs
A special form of communication, relationship of the economy to politics and society
Strategic management decision-making processes of politics, economy and society
Organizes external relations of an organization with governments, parliaments, government agencies, municipalities, associations, institutions and society itself
Representation and mediation of business, staff and members' interests in the political context, directly through lobbying of decision makers, opinion leaders and indirectly through media
Divided into the following divisions of: communication, planning, Board

"Political and economic interests often run parallel. A positive and sustainable industrial development can only be in stable political framework conditions. "(Köppl)

Objectives

Active and sustained involvement of enterprises and organizations in social and political processes
Creation of awareness and acceptance of certain business interests in politics and public
Represented interests of a company or organization to an international, national or regional government, a local political administration, public authorities, politicians or civil servants
Exposure to the creation of an appropriate legislation for corporate activities
Creating and maintaining relationships with relevant dialogue groups of an enterprise
Livelihoods (pol environment defined conditions for the existence and success of a company)
License to operate
Access
Positive public image produced
Creation & maintenance of room for maneuver
Frühaufklärung by scanning and monitoring, early identification of risk or conflict issues in the internal and external communications, use of preventive measures "wind from the sails take"
Beam Effective Selling of "good deeds" of a company

Instruments

Political Monitoring (prepare for possible crises, themes)
Analysis of the environment (Arena analysis), analysis of the risk of stakeholders, the Issues, the time course
Issues & Stakeholder management (control, mobilization, balancing divergent expectations)
Traditional Public Relations (media relations, press relations, issue management, ...)
Government Relations
Enforcement Personnel
Direct communication with decision makers, opinion makers, Attorney (lawyer)
Direct communication with political representatives, lobbying
Corporate Social Responsibility
Reputation Management
Party funding, benefits

Tags Topics

Analysis, research, information management
Demand of targeted scientific services
Evaluation and transfer in strategic and tactical recommendations

Arena analysis environment analysis Decision Analysis Case Evaluation Focus Group Frühaufklärung competition analysis opponents observation Media Monitoring resonance analysis Monitoring Political Policy Cycle Polifikfeldanalyse audit opinion Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Research Targeting expression Wissensmanagement

Policy Management
Management of political processes in the state institutions

Group Management Governance Parliamentary party funding party management Governance Public-Private Partnership Government Administrative Procedures Policy

Political Communication
Interdisciplinary work; basic assumption:
Political reality is media reality / but not every media reality of political reality

Agenda-Setting e-participation event marketing staging investigative journalism Investigative Research Campaign Issues Management / Crisis Management Campaigning Kommunikationsberatung mobilization Negative Campaign Public Opinion Online Personalization Relations / personification Political Psychology Political Political Advertising Marketing Public Relations Speech Writing and Speaking Ghostwriting Government Communications Reputation risk communication scandal spin Symbolic Politics of Corporate Communications Communications Association

Interest Presentation
Organizational, communication and content management tasks in the mediation and representation spec. Political interests and interest groups

Hearing EU-Angelegenheiten/European Affairs Fundraising Grassroots lobbying of interest groups lobbying lobbyist NGO Network Management Party Donations Public Interest Group Lobbying Laws and Regulatory Management / Regulatory Affairs Strategic alliances Environmental Affairs / Environmental Affairs representation Consumers Association Management Association of Political Affairs / Consumer Affairs

Strategy, leadership, ethics
Leadership articulated values and goals of a group
Strategy is to achieve value-bound targets safely
Ethics are the values, norms and rules of conduct

Corporate Citizenship Corporate Governance Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics Ethics and Economic Policy corporatism corruption Planspiel Political leadership professionalization Public Affairs Public Policy Stakeholder Management Strategic Policy Consulting think tank Strategic games conduct Scientific Policy Advice

Rule of thumb for finding the target in Lobbying & Public Affairs

S: the goal must be a significant change to the actual state of
M: this change must be measurable,
A: by concrete actions its herbeiführbar (action-oriented).
R: the target must be realistic and
T: within a defined time frame to reach its (time-based).

Measurability of the successes of Public Affairs & Lobbying

Bottom-line Impact: Cost savings, revenue increases
SecondaryImpact: support / understanding of stakeholders reached
Goodwill Impact: positive thoughts / trust, customer loyalty, etc.

Public Affairs Manager

Intern:

Companies (specialist of the company)
Associations
NGO's
Unions

Ext:

PR Agencies
Lobbyingfirmen
Consultant Agencies

Requirement for PA-Manager

Practical experience in the political environment, communications, press relations
Criterion: channels of communication to decision makers
Required: bringing in the political community, self-PR
Business and industry knowledge, political ruling power, sense and process knowledge, analytical, problem solving, conceptual and communication skills, sensitivity for all media issues, negotiating skills, and willingness controversial at the same eye level against top politicians and senior officials
Knowledge and interest in politics and economics
Knowledge about dealing with media (selection and transformation logic), the Media Experience
The best: former MP, minister, but no party membership more
Formally: University degree (with Auslandsaufenthalt); Example: American studies, psychology, economics, history (but academically structured way of working, no more "practical")
Short-term projects, night work, time pressure

The ideal manager of Public Affairs:
Socrates: constantly ask questions and listen
Max Weber: Preparing and analyzing patient, correct answers
Niccolò Machiavelli: skillful representation of the interests

Facts & Figures (from PAM, April-June 2007, 102 large firms)

Number

Average number of PA employees in enterprises (2007): 4.8 (1999: 3.1)
PA employees for Europe: 3.2, 15% of companies have more employees for PA Europe as DTL.
50% of the company is up to 10 associations

Budget

43% of the company: 0.5 million / 39%: 0.5 - 2.5 million / 19%> 2.5 million
See America: 300 million U.S. dollars
35% plan to PA budget increase, 58% are planning same budget expenditure, 8% budget cuts for 2010

Activities (ranking)

Informal interviews with political actors and staff
Writing letters to political actors
Cooperation with other companies

Destinations

Target: 93% policy level, 70% state level, 63% European level, 37% local, 21% international level

Strategy types

86% of PA strategies are forward-looking, 22% Crisis Management
65% are successful, 35% no interest after matching goal PA use

Demography

44% had prior operational activities within the company
35% were related to Press & Media
27% in area politics
91% have a university degree, 28% have a doctorate
24% studied political science, 17% of Law and Public Studies
50% worked up to 6 years in this business; Average Duration: 4.75 years
81% Men

History

Founded 1954 Public Affairs Council (PAC) by President Eisenhower as a counterpart organization to the unions; target activation and intensification of political activities of firms
First, lawyers who are not official contact with political actors tended
U.S.: 1 Boom phase: 1965 to 1985 (By: link Radical Empowerment, Community Organizing);
second boom with Clinton-era (health care, reform of the welfare state)
10 years ago in Brussels, London
Today 500 influential U.S. companies as members of the PAC
Previously: Press makes press chief, the right lawyer, political associations, where a member firm was
Term character, as the'68 generation's political leadership over
Development: Employee, soz expanding market economy, the environment, increasing influence of politics on the market
Media Development: Infotainment, investigative journalism
Companies can political and public demands no longer ignore
Reasons: globalization, Europaisierung, political and generational change in government, media competition
Demand for social and environmental responsibility of business -> CSR
Defensive position in a (media) democracy means losing
Closer to the people -> People usable for purposes of pol

Public Affairs in America

In Germany everything is prohibited, what is not expressly permitted. (Conservative, pragmatic attitude) in the U.S., everything is allowed, what is not expressly prohibited.

Ex: Official approval is needed in Germany -> then "safe"
In America, no authorization is required, where conditions can change pol project come in firing line

Engagement with politics in Germany: legal
In the Americas: Political coverage, for example, investment decision
Public Affairs in the Americas very militaristic: the term for "United States Department of Defense" in the area media and the public
Public Affairs Office: Planning, budgeting, execution and evaluation for PA programs, PA gives advice and support for the military

Future developments

Interests are currently in Germany on associations
Influence goes back to the associations (companies do not want to learn more about lowest common denominator is represented see)
"Debureaucratization" and "strengthening the self-responsibility"
Entry for foreign companies in the German market, service providers need Public Affairs
Professionalization, establishment as a discipline in quality management, benchmarking, quantifying, professional training and education, internationalization, development of own Berufskodizes
Establishment of university courses

Sources and further information
Marco Althaus, Geffken, Rawe: Hand Encyclopaedia of Public Affairs. Münster 2005
Peter Köppl: Public Affairs Management. Strategies and tactics of successful corporate communication. Vienna: Linde 2000, p. 25
de.wikipedia.org / wiki / Public_Affairs
www.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/institute/marketing/dateianhang/AP_3_Siedentopp.pdf
www.unipr.ac.at / docs / presentations / koeppl.pdf
www.poli-c.de/poli-c/karriere/articles-details.jsp
Public Affairs blogs:
publicaffairs.twoday.net
http://info.publicaffairs.cc/news