Robert I. Wakefield provides perhaps one of the best definitions of public relations when he states, "All public relations should exist to maintain a consistent reputation and build relationships" (this is PR 1). This is a very broad and generic scope that does not necessarily imply any kind of ethical behavior nor does it imply any sense of right or wrong with what is generally referred to as "spin". The goal of any business is to make a profit. Why else would they be in business? The book This is PR, written by Newsome, Turk and Kruckeberg, states that the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as a management function that involves consulting at the highest level and involvement in strategic strategies. planning for the organization (2). a rather ambiguous statement that could mean a number of different things. Public relations can be summed up in two words: public relations there is no need to add another market or company. The book states that "the public relations professional serves as an intermediary between the organization he or she represents and all of that organization's audiences. Accordingly, the PR professional has responsibilities both to the institution and to its various publics. He or she distributes information that allows the institution's public to understand its policies. to the one who signs the paycheck. There seems to be many differing views on what exactly public relations is. Any company in business practices public relations both through... middle of paper... that every company is managed and run by that company, not by the public. Anyone who has worked in public relations knows that to keep a job you have to be dedicated to the company. Ethics is a nice word, but ethics won't pay the bills. Most businesses are Machiavellian in nature, meaning they are in business to make money, regardless of who or what gets in the way. We can try to romanticize public relations with words like public service, ethics and conscientiousness, but it is certainly not very ethical to hide behind these niceties and mask the true nature of what they really are. Spin doctoring. Works Cited University of Phoenix, ed. This is PR. 8th edition. University of Phoenix custom edition electronic text. Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004. MKT/438--This is PR. Resource. University of Phoenix. December 6 2004>