Cayce Myers, Ph.D., LL.M., J.D., Virginia Tech

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) changed the nature of raising money by allowing startups to use crowdfunding to solicit investors on the Internet. This new phenomenon requires PR practitioners to utilize transparency, relationship management and image management to meet the new parameters of this online endeavor.
 
Communication managers need to be clear and transparent in all the promotional materials seeking investors. PR leaders must impress upon their organization that its promises to potential backers must be honored, even at the risk of legal penalties. Read more. 
Sarab Kochhar, Ph.D., Institute for Public Relations

Businesses of all sizes struggle to clearly communicate with their employees about their mission. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) will hold a live webinar on Sept. 3 featuring IPR's Director of Research Sarab Kochhar, Ph.D., discussing its signature study that proves clarity is the key to organizational success.

Dr. Kochhar will share IPR's proposed model for organizational clarity through specific communication strategies. The model proves that businesses flourish when employees understand their company's strategy. Register here.
IPR's 2015 Don Bartholomew Award for Excellence in PR Research fellow, Zifei "Fay" Chen, found that the Barcelona Principles are vital to the daily functions of a PR researcher. As a winner of this award, Chen accepted an internship at Ketchum Global Research and Analytics (KGRA), where she learned how to focus her measurement expertise into standardizing daily reports for the company.
 
The Principles set the standards and practices to guide measurement and evaluation of public relations. During the internship, Chen measured the outcomes of a client's internal communication efforts by a series of surveys analyzing awareness, attitude and behavioral intentions of internal stakeholders. Read more.
Julie O'Neil, Ph.D., Texas Christian University
Marianne Eisenmann, inVentiv Health Public Relations Group

This year's Research Symposium will feature Dr. Julie O'Neil and Marianne Eisenmann's research project examining how the changing structure of online media effects consumer trust. This recent study showed how the design of a news story, advertisement, branded content, independent blogger and native advertisement impacts consumer behavior.

At the Symposium, guests will have the opportunity to discuss the latest research findings with the authors of the research, as well as with fellow public relations practitioners and educators. The Symposium is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Register here.