With controversy surrounding the Royal Bank of Scotland for lobbying US politicians with British taxpayer’s money; Lionel Zetter, CIPR board member and former President has stated, the lobbying industry will embrace measures that enhance its professional standards and highlight good ethical practice.

Speaking at the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee hearing, Mr Zetter gave his thoughts to the Committee stating: “Both the consultation document and the questioning from the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee show that there is broad support for a statutory register. There is not, however, any appetite for bureaucratic and expensive regulation.”

A report entitled, Made in Heaven or Marriage from Hell, reveals the key factors behind the financial sector’s lack of engagement with social media.

The report by Cicero highlights a fear of brand damage; compliance issues; and lack of expertise, time and resources as serious concerns for the financial industry with social media.

Lucas van Praag, the global head of corporate communications for banking firm Goldman Sachs, is set to leave his employer of 12 years, with rumours circulating around the Wall Street press pack that his departure was not of his own choosing.

LinkedIn is regarded by many professionals as a vital networking tool, however now AXA has used it to its own advantage - by creating a game to engage a wider audience.

The seemingly simple game of “Snakes and Ladders” educates the player about the different types of insurance, helping small business owners build awareness of the problems they may face.

The PRCA releases its first in-house economic barometer spanning the final quarter of 2011 today.

The winners of the IVCA LiveCom Awards 2011 were announced on Friday 27 January. The awards programme highlights the use of live event and experiential communications not just in marketing, but also in internal communications, conferences and campaigns.

The relationship between a business organisation and its employees is fundamental to growth and success. According to new research by Temkin Group, the Employee Engagement Benchmark study, there is a direct link between employee engagement and the commitment of employees.  

Based on 2,435 American employees, the report revealed that 31% of employees are highly engaged while 23% are completely disengaged in the workplace. Highly engaged employees are considered 30% less likely to take a sick day and are 5.8 times as committed to helping their companies succeed. On the other side of the spectrum, 26% of disengaged employees are likely to look for a new job within six months.

The German football club Bayern Munich’s latest PR stunt backfired significantly today – but has still resulted in a huge amount of coverage.

The club announced on its Facebook page that they would be unveiling a “new offensive player” at 2pm CET, but when excited fans logged on they were greeted by a marketing app that showed users a picture of their own profiles and a mocked-up No.8 shirt with their surname on the back.

The PRCA Access Commission has written a report for consideration by the body’s Best Practice Committee, making recommendations on how to broaden access to the PR industry.

Stakeholder communications group King Worldwide has announced the launch of Keyhaven, a new company dealing exclusively with crisis management and global reputation. 

The nominees for the 2011 LiveCom Awards have been announced. In association with Wise Productions, the awards programme celebrates creativity and effectiveness in live events and experiential marketing.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has written a new report called ‘Blazing a trail – the UK communications sector in a global economy,’ encouraging the government to be ambitious about what one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors can achieve. The report describes the key part that the telecoms and the digital content sectors should play in rebalancing the economy.

To support the industry in this role, the CBI says that the government must ensure that regulation is suitable for a dynamic industry, encourage competition in the communications sector, maximise export opportunities, and ensure the UK has the infrastructure it needs to compete on a global stage.