Chapter 2: Isses Mngt. Defined:

-How issues are handled can mean the difference between a crisis out of control and a proactive solution - btw. profot and loss.

What is Issue Management:

-has been around for almost 30 years;
--Issues Mngt was an attempt to define the strategies that campanies needed to use to counter the efforts of activist groups which were putting pressure on legilators for stricter controls of business activity.
-So a new area of corporate communications emerged-Issues mngt. was first implemented as a way in whih companies could deal wiht their critics.
-late 70s "advocacy advertising" from information base to advocacy base.
-Since then the ralationship btw. business and society has become an important strategic factor in reputational and finacial performance terms.

-Chase and Jones, defined Issue Mngt. as a tool ,which companies could use to identify, analyse and manage emering  issues and respond to them before they become public knowledge. Most companies resct after and were forced to accept what new regulations and guideliness were given to them.

-Some experts describe the formation of public policy in terms if the interplay of government, media and the public.

-What about the Sceptics?

-Critics of the term "issue mgnt" feel that it implies manipulation.
-Others argue that no organizational management can allow its environment to stand still, nor it can decide the direction in which the environment will change.
-Some specialist question the degree to which a discpiplned acceptance of and approach to issues mngt is actually applied inside the org.

-Effective use of Issues Mngt. techniques can:

• increase market share;
• enhance corp, reputation;
• save money;
• build important relationships;
• protect business continuity;
• mitigate risk and associated regulatory impacts;

-Falure to do so can lead to:

• maker share erosion;
• impact reputation
• incur significat expences
• put mngt in negative spotlight
• reduce corp. independence through increased regulation

-Issue Mngt. is not crisis mngt. and the 2 terms should not be use interchangeably.
-Issues Mngt. is less action oriented and more anticipatory in nature than crisis mngt.
-Issues mgnt. is proactive in that it tries to identify the petential for for change and influence decisions relating in that change before it has a negative effect on a corporation.
-Crisi mgnt. tends to be more reactive discipline, dealing with a situation after it becomes public knowledge and sffects the company.
-With issues mngt., organizations should be aiming to eliminate any possibility of outrage, often by trying to anticipate trends, changes,  and events that may have a bearing on the ability of the corp to continue to operate of acheve competitive ebenfit.

-Issues mngt. involves looking into the future to identify petential trends and events that may influence the way and organization is able to operate but which currently may have little real focus, probably no sense of urgency and an unclear reference in time.

-Tucker &Broom (1993):

Issue mgnt. is the management process whose goal is to help preserve markets, reduce risk, create opportunities and manage image (corp. reputation) as an organizational asset for the benefit of both an org. and its primary stakeholders.

What is an Issue?

-Hainsworth & Meng (1988)
an issue araise as a consequence of some action taken , or proposed to be taken by 1 or more parties which may result in private negotiation and adjustment, civil or criminal litigation, or it can become a matter of public policy throught legislative or regulatory action.

-Chase &Jones - an issue is an unsettled matter which is ready for decision;

-an issue can be defined as a point of conflict btw. and org and 1 or more of its audiances .
-an issue represent a gap btw corporate practice and stakeholder expectations.
-An emerging issue is a condition or event, either internal or external to the org, that if it continues will have a significant effect on the functioning or performance of the org, or its future intersts.

-managing issue frequently invilves dealing with change.
-The ultimate goal acc to H &M is to shape public policy to the benefit of the organization throught:

• early identification on the petential impact of the change;
• organized activity based on sound mngt, and allowing time for analysis and creative thinking to inflience the veolution and ultimately the outcome of that change.

-Managing issues should not be considered a defensive activity.

Who should pracitice Issue Mngt.?

-issue mngt, derives strenght form PR and from its various-public affairs, communications and government relations.
-PR practitioners
-acc to the authors, PR practitioners are well placed to help manage the issues effectively, but often lask the neccessary access to strategic planning functions or an appropriate networking environment which envourages informal/formal contact and reporting.

What are the functions fo Issue Mngt.?

-Fucntions requred of Issue Mngt. are :

• indentifying issues and trends,
• evaluating their impact and setting priorities
• establishing a company position;
• designing company action and response to help acheve the position
• implementing the plans.

-These functions must occur constantly and be intergrated and focused on the central task of helping the org. -through its management.
-The key task of this activity are :Planning, Monitoring; Analysing; Communicating.

Summary: the importance of anticipation- forward thinking skills inside the org- and outside-in thinking skills in relation to the role of new and diverse stakeholders, should not be underestimated.