“Investor relations is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to a company’s securities achieving fair valuation.”
Let’s clarify a few terms in this statement:
strategic big picture thinking, usually important to the long-term success of the company, as opposed to tactical, like the intricate details of a production process.
management the senior leaders of the company; also the activities they pursue to make sure things get done and done correctly to please customers, attract and retain employees, and create value for shareholders.
finance counting and reporting the company’s results of operations, financing the company by borrowing money and selling shares to investors, managing the company’s financial structure, and ensuring that the company makes strategic decisions that are likely to increase value for shareholders.
communication the discussion, formal and informal, between the company and those individuals and institutions that are interested in the company’s success; communication can include activities like news releases, speeches, the annual report, media interviews and sound bites by senior leaders, telephone and email discussions, and so on.
marketing research and analysis of customer needs, media methods for reaching desired customers and audiences important to the company, advertising, development of sales materials, and often the sales function in the company.
effective two-way communication the conduit for providing timely and complete information to shareholders, and actively soliciting opinions and feedback from shareholders that is shared with management and the board.
financial and other constituents individuals and institutions (like banks and mutual funds) that have invested in the company, as well as other folks who are interested in the company’s success and often depend on the company.
securities law compliance adhering to the rules and regulations that govern how public companies must communicate with shareholders and other interested parties.
fair valuation the value of the company as measured by the price of its stock and/or debt securities, taking into consideration its expected future financial performance and adjusting for known risks; this is often measured in relation to similar companies and/or the market in general.
So to simplify, investor relations blends attributes of senior leadership, finance, communication, and marketing to achieve a fair relative value for the company’s common stock in the stock market.
Or to be really short, investor relations is focused on the creation of value for shareholders.
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