| Course | MKT 438 Public Relations (MKT/438) |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Public relations and ethics analysis |
| Length | about 1,005 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 438 Week 1
More Than Press Releases: Public Relations and Ethics at a Family-Owned Milwaukee Grocery Chain
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/438: Public Relations
Week 1 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Northgate Markets and all details are composites written for a model paper.
Northgate Markets is a composite family-owned grocery chain founded in 1962, with 14 stores in Milwaukee and its suburbs, about 1,900 employees and annual sales near $640 million. For decades, founder Walter Kowalski was the company's public face, and his grandson Daniel now runs the business. Public relations has meant a few press releases about store openings and holiday donations, handled by the marketing manager. A recent local news story questioned the company's decision to close a store in a lower-income neighborhood, and the company's slow, vague response drew criticism. A company that only speaks when it has good news will not be believed when it needs to explain bad news. This paper explains public relations and its ethical foundations and applies them to Northgate.
Defining Public Relations
Public relations is the management function that builds and maintains relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success depends. It includes media relations, community relations, employee communication, government relations, crisis communication and corporate social responsibility communication.
Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising
Marketing focuses on customers, products and sales. Advertising is paid communication through media. Public relations addresses a wider set of publics and relies mainly on earned and owned communication, such as news coverage, events and direct dialogue. The three overlap, but their goals differ: marketing seeks sales, while public relations seeks understanding and trust.
A Strategic Management Function
Grunig (2006) summarized research showing that public relations contributes most when it is part of strategic management, helping organizations identify publics affected by decisions, listen to them and build relationships through two-way communication. In excellent organizations, the senior communicator has access to the leadership team and participates before decisions are made, not only after.
Relationships as the Goal
Ledingham (2003) proposed relationship management as a general theory of public relations, arguing that the field's purpose is to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and publics, and that relationships depend on trust, commitment, openness and investment over time. Under this view, the success of public relations is judged not by press clippings but by the quality of relationships. For Northgate, the store closure damaged relationships with neighbors and employees that the company had built over decades, and a better process could have protected them even if the closure still happened.
Northgate's Publics
Shoppers want fair prices, fresh food and convenient stores. Employees want job security, fair treatment and information. Suppliers, including many Wisconsin farms, want reliable orders and payment. Neighbors care about traffic, parking and store closures. Local media seek timely, accurate information. City officials care about jobs, food access and taxes. Food banks depend on donations.
Interests and Tensions
Publics sometimes want conflicting things. The store closure saved money but reduced food access in a neighborhood with few grocery options, affecting shoppers, officials and community groups.
Ethics in Public Relations
Bowen (2004) proposed applying Kantian ethics to public relations, arguing that practitioners should test decisions by asking whether they could be universal rules, whether they treat people with dignity and respect and whether they are made with good intention. This approach moves ethics from personal judgment to a structured analysis that can be done before decisions are announced.
Professional Codes
Professional codes for public relations practitioners emphasize honesty, accuracy, advocacy that serves the public interest, disclosure of sponsors and conflicts and protection of confidential information.
Why Ethics Matters to a Grocer
Grocery stores sell everyday necessities, operate in neighborhoods and employ many local people, so they depend on community trust more than many businesses. Shoppers return weekly and talk with each other. When a grocer is seen as honest, customers forgive occasional problems such as a price error or an out-of-stock item. When it is seen as evasive, small problems become stories. Ethical communication is therefore a practical business asset for Northgate, not only a moral obligation.
Auditing Current Practice
Northgate's current practice has strengths: sincere community giving and a good reputation built over decades. Gaps include no designated spokesperson, no process for answering media questions quickly, little communication with employees before public announcements and limited explanation of decisions such as the store closure.
The Store Closure
Northgate announced the closure through a two-line statement. Employees learned from the news. Applying Bowen's tests, the company failed to treat employees and neighbors with respect by giving them timely information and an explanation.
Sponsored Content
Northgate recently paid a local food blogger for posts without clear disclosure. This violates professional codes and advertising rules and should be corrected.
What a Better Closure Announcement Would Have Looked Like
A better process would have started with employees, who would have heard the news in person from Daniel Kowalski, along with transfer offers to nearby stores. Neighborhood leaders and city officials would have been briefed next, with the reasons explained and options discussed, such as a partnership with a nonprofit grocer or a weekly mobile market. Only then would a public statement have been released, explaining the decision honestly and describing steps to reduce the effect on food access.
Recommendations: Structure
Northgate will appoint a director of communications reporting to Daniel Kowalski and include that person in leadership meetings.
Recommendations: Code of Ethics
The company will adopt a communication code based on honesty, disclosure and respect, including rules for sponsored content.
Recommendations: Ethics Review
Major decisions affecting publics, such as closures, will include a communication and ethics review before announcement.
Recommendations: Employee First
Employees will hear major news before the public.
Recommendations: Listening
Northgate will hold twice-yearly meetings with neighborhood groups near each store and review social media comments weekly.
Recommendations: Training
Store managers will receive media and ethics training.
Conclusion
Public relations at Northgate has been limited to occasional publicity. Research on public relations as a strategic function and on duty-based ethics shows how a fuller approach would manage relationships with many publics and guide decisions such as store closures. A communications director, a code, an ethics review and training will build trust.
References
Bowen, S. A. (2004). Expansion of ethics as the tenth generic principle of public relations excellence: A Kantian theory and model for managing ethical issues. Journal of Public Relations Research, 16(1), 65-92. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532754xjprr1601_3
Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the edifice: Ongoing research on public relations as a strategic management function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(2), 151-176. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532754xjprr1802_5
Ledingham, J. A. (2003). Explicating relationship management as a general theory of public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 15(2), 181-198. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532754XJPRR1502_4
What the MKT 438 Week 1 instructions ask
The first MKT 438 assignment usually asks students to explain public relations and its ethical foundations, often for a chosen organization. Common requirements include defining public relations, distinguishing it from marketing and advertising, describing its functions such as media relations, community relations and internal communication, identifying the organization's publics and discussing ethical principles and codes. Some prompts ask students to analyze an ethical dilemma or a professional code. Use research and professional sources, apply concepts to the organization and cite them in APA format. Include an honest audit of current practice. Treat ethics as part of daily practice rather than a separate topic, since trust is the asset public relations exists to protect.
How this MKT 438 Week 1 example is built
A family-owned grocery chain has relied on its founder's reputation and occasional press releases, and the paper shows what a full public relations function would add. It defines public relations as managing relationships between an organization and its publics. It contrasts this with marketing's focus on customers and sales. Research describes public relations as a strategic management function with two-way communication and frames ethics as a duty-based analysis of decisions. Publics include shoppers, employees, suppliers, neighbors, local media, officials and food banks. An audit finds gaps in employee communication and disclosure. Recommendations include a code, an ethics review step, an employees-first rule and training for store managers.
MKT 438 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong public relations and ethics papers define the field accurately and then put it to work for one organization. Faculty reward a precise definition, accurate distinctions from marketing and advertising, a thorough list of publics with their interests, research on public relations as a strategic function and ethics grounded in principles and professional codes. Papers that apply ethics to specific practices, such as disclosure or sponsored content, show maturity. Reviewers look for scholarly sources, an honest audit of current practice and practical recommendations. Connecting ethics to trust and long-term reputation adds depth. Organized headings and accurate APA citations help readers follow the analysis and see how each point connects to the organization.
MKT 438 Week 1 help: mistakes to avoid
Students often describe public relations as publicity alone. Explain its broader role in managing relationships. Another frequent gap is listing publics without describing what each expects. Identify interests and concerns. Students also treat ethics abstractly. Apply principles to real situations, such as how the company handles a product problem or a sponsored post. Distinguish public relations from marketing clearly, with an example of each. Use research on two-way communication. Review a professional code and apply one of its principles. Audit the organization's current practices honestly. Recommend specific steps, such as a code, training or review process. Finally, explain how ethical public relations builds trust that supports the business over time.
Related MKT 438 sample papers
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- MKT 438 Week 4: Crisis Communication
- MKT 438 Week 5: Public Relations Campaign Plan
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MKT 438 Week 1 questions, answered
What does MKT 438 Week 1 usually cover?
It usually covers public relations and ethics: defining public relations, distinguishing it from marketing and advertising, its functions, an organization's publics and ethical principles and codes.
Where can I find a free MKT 438 Week 1 sample paper?
The full public relations and ethics analysis of a family grocery chain is shown in full above; a version for your own company is available on request.
What is public relations?
The management function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success depends.
How is public relations different from marketing?
Marketing focuses on customers and sales of products and services, while public relations manages relationships with many publics, including employees, media, communities, investors and government.
Why are ethics important in public relations?
Because public relations depends on trust; misleading statements, hidden sponsorship or concealed problems damage credibility with media and publics, often permanently.
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