NEW APPROACH IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS REQUIRED FOR THE BRIC COUNTRIES

According to a recent survey carried out last February among 146 Public Affairs professionals across Europe including representatives of corporations, industry and trade associations, consultancies, NGOs, government bodies, academia, trade unions and think tanks and compiled by polling and research consultancy ComRes, there are a skills mismatch between the markets in which professionals are trained to practice Public Affairs or have experience of (the United States, Russia, Australia, UAE) and the markets that already fall within their responsibilities or are suspected to be within their remit in the near future (China, India, Brazil). The concept of skills mismatch means that Public Affairs skills do not match the level of expertise required to perform Public Affairs tasks. Employee self-assessments or independent assessments are required to determine the level of skills needed. For Public Affairs practitioners around the world, the increasing BRIC interconnectivity demands a new approach. Our Public Affairs and risk management platforms must now become more aligned and intuitive and global in nature. But at the same time we have to be guided by business goals and ready to commit the time and resources to localize for success. Such key questions such as " How to navigate the business lanscape in the BRIC countries"," How to set up a Public Affairs function", "How to hire a successful teams", "How to craft messages that will resonate with key stakeholders", "Do we have the right skills as professional Public Affairs practitioners to navigate the complexities of the BRIC countries and provide sound, compliant advice to clients" need to be carefully addressed.