Public affairs strategy Chartered Institute of Public Relations – Public Affairs
The CIPR public affairs strategy
The overriding aim of the CIPR’s public affairs strategy is to enhance the reputation of the PR industry, and ensure that professional standards are driven ever higher. We seek to prove that self-regulation is effective and beneficial, and to make apparent the enormous contribution that public relations makes to the country.
CIPR public affairs work
Our public affairs work has three broad strands. We lobby central Government and the European Commission to ensure that the rules and regulations governing business are fair and equitable for the PR industry. We ensure that the highest ethical and professional standards are maintained through the effective enforcement of our Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures . And we provide a wide range of operational advice to members and those employing the services of PR professionals – by way of example, we have published the third edition of an evaluation toolkit, and a joint DTI/CIPR report www.cipr.co.uk/unlockpr on the challenges facing the PR industry.
Our aims
Our programme aims to:
- Demonstrate the effectiveness of good public relations. We will produce best practice guidelines covering a wide range of evidence-based evaluation methods (including, but not limited to, Return On Investment)
- Improve the reporting of reputational issues. We will continue to support early legislation for a non-financial company reporting framework and we will promote and improve our own ‘Operating and Financial Review’ (OFR) guidelines
- Demonstrate the true economic strength, power and value of PR and its contribution to the UK economy. We will collate and publish new, compelling material on this
- Support the continued recognition of the value of corporate responsibility, risk management and sustainability programmes as fully integrated parts of public relations activity
- Work to remove barriers to the operation of a free market in information. We are keeping under close scrutiny the activities of the collection agencies such as the Newspaper Licensing Agency and the Copyright Licensing Agency and the barriers they have created - without proper public regulation - to the retention of information, especially that stored electronically
- Improve how central Government communicates. We will work closely with the new Permanent Secretary, Communications to achieve the implementation of the Phillis Inquiry Report into Government Communications
- Make the procurement process more transparent and effective. We are working with the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply (CIPS) and the Central Office of Information (COI) to produce a guide on procurement in the public and private sectors, setting out best practice for all involved, and increasing access to contracts
In all these activities, our aim will be to provide benchmarks of excellence against which the best of the profession should be judged. As the CIPR continues to grow, it will be imperative to maintain standards. That is why we place such an emphasis upon our Code of Conduct and our disciplinary procedures.
