I came across a book called Lobbying & Advocacy by Deanna R. Gelak at Exclusive Books in Hyde Park last week and immediately thought of those who specialise in Government Relations, lobbying & advocacy work.

Although this book has a lot of US examples it is FULL of useful techniques and practical tips that I think will help any Corporate Affairs department a lot. It is available for R740.

It contains a lot of information on how to manage a Government Public Affairs Outreach Department. All you have to do is to supplement the information in the book with how to engage with Parliament and various Government Departments in South Africa, and you should have the best of both worlds.

Here are the links:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10975815/Lobbying-and-Advocacy-sample-pages

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Lobbying-Advocacy-Strategies-Recommendations-Compliance/dp/1587331004

The book contains:

* Practical resources and methods for maintaining compliance and staying abreast of ethical and legal requirements.

* Practical tips, research based methods, and step-by-step guides for communicating with policymakers in every venue most

effectively, including telephone calls, emails, Congressional meetings, testifying before Congress, building coalitions, and working with the press.

* Extensive list of Lobbying and Advocacy Resources.

Hope this info is useful.