International Association of Business Communicators

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The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a leading association for public relations professionals. IABC has about 14,000 members in more than 100 chapters in 70 countries.

Its headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, United States.

The IABC was founded in 1970 from a merger of the American Association of Industrial Editors and the International Council of Industrial Editors. Its initial focus was on internal communication. However, the IABC expanded its mission after research showed that members would leave after being promoted into positions with wider public relations responsibilities.[1]

Contents

[edit] Accreditation

IABC members can seek accreditation as Accredited Business Communicators (post-nominal ABC).

[edit] Code of ethics

The organization has a code of ethics for those professionals in public relations. The themes of its values are that business communications must be "legal ... ethical, and ... in good taste".[2]

Members are required to follow the IABC Code of Ethics. However, it has been observed that there is not an enforcement program in place that can realistically punish breaches of its code. [3]

[edit] Research Foundation

In 1982, IABC established the IABC Research Foundation to fund and publish research to advance the profession and demonstrate the value of communication in organizational effectiveness. [4]

[edit] Awards program

Every year, IABC sponsors three levels of communication awards programs for members and nonmembers: Bronze Quill awards, Silver Quill awards, and Gold Quill awards. [5]

Business communicators can choose to enter their best professional work produced the year prior in these Quill communications contests. The specific divisions and categories for each contest can vary, but typical divisions include writing and editing.

Bronze Quill (BQ) awards programs are hosted by local IABC chapters. Each chapter's board of directors plans and executes a BQ communications contest open to business communicators working with a specific city and/or a small region of a state/province.

Global Leadership Awards include the Fellows Award and the Chairman's Award.[citation needed]

[edit] Publications

IABC publishes The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication (ISBN 0787980803), a 546-page guide to effective corporate communication. The 2006 edition is the fourth-edition and was once known as Inside Organizational Communication.

IABC also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Communication World (ISSN 0744-7612), for its members.

[edit] Annual conference and networking opportunities

IABC holds an international conference each year. In 2006, the host city was Vancouver, Canada. In 2007, the host city was New Orleans, Louisiana and IABC partnered with Wells Fargo to volunteer and provide financial support to build homes through Habitat for Humanity for the city's hurricane-damaged Ninth Ward.[citation needed]

IABC's supplements sessions at the conference and is open to communicators, regardless of membership. [6]

As a professional association, IABC offers networking opportunities for students and other people entering the industry. As the United States Department of Labor notes, IABC "provides an opportunity for students to exchange views with public relations specialists and to make professional contacts that may help them find a full-time job in the field."[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, by James E. Grunig, 1992, ISBN 0805802274
  2. ^ IABC Code of Ethics
  3. ^ Rise of Public Relations Ethics (chapter), Mini-Me History: Public Relations from the Dawn of Civilization, By Don Bates APR Fellow PRSA, for the Institute of Public Relations, 2002, Updated 2006, Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  4. ^ IABC Research Foundation web page
  5. ^ Gold Quill Award Winners
  6. ^ IABC official conference blog
  7. ^ Occupational Handbook 1996-97, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.

[edit] External links

IABC Chapters

Related organizations