International Association of Business Communicators

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. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=OS_nI4qbpQoC&pg=PA533&ots=SX4fbxHrHW&dq=International+Association+of+Business+Communicators&sig=UBrOq2Dyd6PIovO-uxjI7brRVQc Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management] , by James E. Grunig, 1992, ISBN 0805802274]

Accreditation

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

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". [ [http://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm IABC Code of Ethics] ]

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. [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.]

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. [ [http://www.iabc.com/rf/ IABC Research Foundation web page] ]

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. [ [http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq/2007gqwinners.htm Gold Quill Award Winners] ]

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. Fact|date=September 2007

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.

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. Fact|date=September 2007

IABC's supplements sessions at the conference and is open to communicators, regardless of membership. [ [http://blogs.iabc.com/ic/ IABC official conference blog] ]

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." [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=QKMFAAAAIAAJ&dq=International+Association+of+Business+Communicators&q=%22International+Association+of+Business+Communicators%22&pgis=1 Occupational Handbook 1996-97] , by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.]

References

External links

* [http://www.iabc.com/ IABC.com] - Official siteIABC Chapters
* [http://www.dallasiabc.com/ DallasIABC.com] - Dallas chapter web site
* [http://iabcfortworth.com/ IABCFortWorth.com] - Fort Worth chapter web site
* [http://www.iabchouston.com/* IABHouston.com] - Houston chapter web site
* [http://www.indyiabc.com/ IndyIABC.com] - Indianapolis chapter Web site
* [http://www.nyiabc.com/ NYIABC.com] - New York chapter web site
* [http://www.iabcdc.org/ IABCDC.org] - Washington, D.C. chapter web site
* [http://www.njiabc.com njiabc.com] - New Jersey chapter web siteRelated organizations
* [http://www.cib.uk.com/ British Association of Communicators in Business] - British web site