Public relation campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Public relation campaign - Essay Example However, its business is also contributed towards the non-pharmaceutical sources, specifically the crop protection industry accounting for 60% of non pharmaceutical business. Huntingdon Life Sciences uses animals in the biomedical research conducted by it for its customers. In UK around 60,000 animals are annually used. This number is further broken down by species like fish, bird, mouse, rat and other mammals. In the field of non clinical CRO, HLS is the third largest in the world but it is better known to general public as the target of animal rights campaign of high profile. Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), the animal rights group, has mainly orchestrated the campaign. Issues involved with Huntingdon Life Sciences Huntingdon Life Sciences has been criticised by the group of animal welfare and animal rights for using animals in research for abusing animals and for testing wide range of substances, particularly non-medical products on animals. It has been claimed by SHAC that around 500 animals died everyday at HLS. A film was recorded secretly inside HLS in UK which was subsequently broadcasted on television channel as â€Å"It’s a Dog’s Life† showing serious breaches of animal protection laws. It has also shown the taunting of animals and a puppy held up by scruff of neck and was repeatedly punched in face. The laboratory technicians responsible for this activity were suspended from HLS after this broadcast. The campaign of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is based in US and UK which aimed to close the company Huntingdon Life Sciences. The methods of campaign are the direct action which are non-violent and demonstrations and lobbying. It not only targets HLS but any institution, company or person doing business allegedly with laboratory, whether as suppliers, clients, cleaning and disposal services and employees of those companies. So, HLS was forced to set up its own security, laundry service, catering and delivery as the outside su ppliers doing business with it declined. The campaign against HLS led to crash of its share price. The Royal Bank of Scotland closes its bank account and the British government arranged for the state owned Bank of England to give them an account. The share price of company fell down and was dropped from New York Stock Exchange as its market capitalisation fall below NYSE limits. The British Government then took decision to tackle the problem of extremism of animal rights. There was an enactment of a police campaign called Operation Achilles against SHAC, involving police officers in Amsterdam, England and Belgium. 32 people linked to the group were arrested and seven leading members of SHAC were found guilty of blackmail. As a consequence of the operation, most violent activists were jailed. Public relation campaign Following the major issues involved with Huntingdon Life Sciences, a suitable public relation campaign can be proposed to improve the public perception of company and to counteract the negative effects of animal rights lobby. Public relations refer to the forms of planned communication, both inward and outward, which occurs between an organisation and public in order to achieve specific objectives with effect