Public relations education in Singapore: Educating the next generation of practitioners on ethics

• Main Authors: WOON, Eugene Yong Sheng, PANG, Augustine
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: ethics; Singapore; PR curriculum; international education; ethics education; Asian Studies; Business and Corporate Communications; Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6665; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/7672/viewcontent/WOON_and_PANG_Public_relations_in_Singapore_Educating_the_next_generation_of_practitioners_on_ethics_JPRE_6.3.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This study examines if PR education adequately prepares students for the workplace, particularly in the practice of ethics in the context of Singapore, which has been described as one of “Asia’s economic tigers” (BBC, 2018). This study, thus, aims to first, elucidate the state of PR education specifically in relation to how PR ethics is taught in Singapore. Second, it examines how ethics education prepares students for the workplace in Singapore. Data comes from examining the syllabi of 14 universities in Singapore, both local and international, and interviews with 20 academics and practitioners. Findings suggest there are varying degrees in which ethics is offered by these universities, with clear variation between local and international universities. Findings also suggest that industry practitioners find the teaching of ethics useful for the marketplace while recognizing that ethics cannot be imposed or instituted on the individuals.