Research and PR issues
President's Panel
The CIPR Presidentís Panel has been formed to provide regular feedback on the state of the PR profession today and the Instituteís work, helping to drive its activities; and to give practitioner insight into topical issues. A total of 200 CIPR Members and Fellows all senior level communicators sit on the panel.
Latest panel results:
President Panel results for July 2007
The Business of Diversity
How performance can be improved by embracing diversity
The UK's increasing diversity poses new business opportunities and imperatives - and this is a field where PR has a crucial role to play. It makes clear business sense to engage with our changing society - and that means understanding, and being sensitive to, cultural beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, gender and so on.
This report will help PR practitioners to understand the business case for embracing social diversity.
The report includes:
- Findings from the recent CIPR/CEBR survey, benchmarking for the first
time just how diverse the UK PR profession actually is. The data contained
paints an encouraging picture, but shows that we still need to take action
in a number of areas.
- Information to demonstrate why taking a positive attitude towards
diversity is good for business, offering practical recommendations for how
practitioners can be more effective in this area.
- Case studies from BT, Tesco and Davies Associates and other resources to help organisations in their work on diversity.
The Business of Diversity is available for CIPR members to download in the of this website. Non members can purchase the report for £50 from CIPR Publications.
Professional purchasing in public relations
This Government-backed procurement guide for the PR industry is the most authoritative PR procurement toolkit published to date, and has been produced in partnership with the Central Office of Information (COI) and Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
According to the 2005 CIPR ëPR Todayí study, organisationsí annual spend on PR is £6.5 billion. It is of great concern for the industry that 35% of all PR spending (according to research by tendering specialists Gyroscope) is wasted as a result of poor procurement.
This guide, co-authored by Tom Wells, managing partner of Gyroscope, aims to make the procurement process more intelligible, and is designed to be used equally by PR providers and PR purchasers. In doing so, it will help to improve further the reputation of the PR professional, and to increase the value PR delivers to private and public sector clients.
The guide is available for CIPR members to download in the of this website. Non members can purchase the guide for £85+VAT.
PR industry employment guidelines
The Governmentís decision to extend TUPE to service industries has major ramifications for the PR profession. If enforced aggressively, the extension could have enormous implications for the profession. In essence, TUPE would mean that when businesses lost contracts, some of their staff could be deemed to have transferred employment to the company which had won the contract. We believe that would cause chaos in the profession, and runs contrary to the best interests of employee and employer alike.
This is an important issue and that is why we are delighted to unveil our TUPE Guide. Produced by leading employment lawyers Pinsent Masons, it is designed specifically for PR professionals.
The Guide provides a practical explanation to what the law actually is both from the employee and the employer perspective, along with advice on how to handle situations which may fall within the TUPE legislation. PR people at all levels should read this Guide and act upon its recommendations.
This guide is available here from 6 July 2007 for one month only. Download the PR industry employment guidelines (pdf).
CIPR members can also download the guide from the Member Area at all times.
The Economic Significance Of Public Relations
PR Today:
48,000 Professionals; £6.5 Billion Turnover
Research conducted by Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd
This report - launched at the CIPR National Conference on 9 November 2005 - is the next stage in the evolution of the PR profession. For the first time, it provides us with the hard data we need to prove the importance and contribution of PR.
The picture it paints is of a maturing, confident, growing profession that has become a vital part of so many organisations. It also turns a spotlight on those areas where our profession faces challenges. We need to close the gap between the private and public sectors in certain key areas, not least salary levels; communications budgets; and the acceptance of public relations professionals at Board level.
This report should make us proud of where we stand today, and confident of our future. The professionís prospects have never been rosier.
Read the summary document of the PR Today report (pdf)
The report is available in full to CIPR members ñ login to the to access.
Printed copies of the full ëPR Todayí report are available from the CIPR for £50 plus postage and VAT. For details email.
Measurement and Evaluation Resource: Moving the Debate Forward
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations understands the value of effective measurement and evaluation. We recognise that being able to evaluate our work is key to raising standards, accountability and professionalism within the PR community. That is why the CIPR has been closely involved in initiatives to establish measurement and evaluation models in the United Kingdom and internationally.
This resource sets out the CIPRís current thinking on measurement and evaluation in public relations practice, and offers guidance and practical support to practitioners in arguing the value of PR with clients, employers and others.
View the Measurement and Evaluation Resource (pdf)
Public relations ROI
In February 2004 the CIPR and The Communication Directors' Forum appointed Metrica Research Ltd to conduct research into the measurement and reporting of public relations ROI.
The research findings are available for CIPR members to download in the , together with conclusions from the CIPR on Maximising the Potential of PR.
EU Information & Consultation Directive
The full results of the CIPR-commissioned research into how Communication Directors perceived incoming EU legislation on employee communication was launched in June 2005 at ëInside Out ñ managing change from withiní, our one-day internal communication conference in London.
The new EU Information and Consultation Directive, which came into effect in March 2005, means that larger companies must communicate with their employees on the way they run their business.
The conference pack, which is available for non-CIPR members to purchase, includes:
- The research:
Professional Communicatorsí views of the EU Information & Consultation Directive - research conducted by Brand Energy Research
- The presentation on the research given at the conference:
The EU Information & Consultation Directive ñ Anticipating incoming legislation, speech given by Paul Massie MIPR, Head of Communications, Serco Business Services
CIPR Reputation and the Bottom Line: A Communications Guide to Reporting on Corporate Reputation (usual retail price £45 member / £85 non- member)
The conference pack is priced at £100 + VAT (£117.50 in total). Please contact for purchase details.
CIPR and DTI review of the PR industry
Results of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations' (CIPR) and the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) major review of the PR industry - the most significant study of its kind ever undertaken - were launched at the CIPR national conference in November 2003.