Course syllabus for the CIR qualification - 2025 XXII Version
1. Introduction to Investor Relations
1.1 Overview
1.2 Key responsibilities and Internal stakeholders
1.3 External audiences for IR
1.4 External IR advisers
1.5 Best practice
2. Financial Markets
2.1 Global financial markets
2.2 How capital markets work
2.3 Primary and secondary markets
2.4 Equity market investors
2.5 Debt Investors
2.6 The growing importance of ESG investing
2.7 Other market participants
3. Corporate Entities and Governance
3.1 Legal definition of a company
3.2 Forming a company
3.3 Share capital
3.4 Company meetings
3.5 Directors & company secretary
3.6 Auditors
3.7 Corporate Governance Codes
3.8 Investor industry bodies and regulatory reviews
Appendix : UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 principles
4. Market Conduct
4.1 Overview of regulatory landscape
4.2 UK market regulation
4.3 Market misconduct
4.4 Regulatory announcements
4.5 Publication of announcements
4.6 Sponsors, Prospectus and Listing rules
4.7 Transactions
4.8 Takeover panel
4.9 The AIM rules
5. Reporting
5.1 Overview: Reporting
5.2 Periodic reports – what they contain
5.3 Annual Report (mandatory)
5.4 Sustainability / ESG disclosure and non-financial information
Appendix A : UK, EU and leading global sustainability/ESG standards, regimes, principles and frameworks
Appendix B : Sustainability / ESG materiality and data gathering
Appendix C : Additional information on non-financial and sustainability regulatory disclosures
6. Accounting, Valuation and Investment Principles
6.1 Accounts
6.2 Key financial ratios
6.3 Financial modelling and consensus
6.4 Investment appraisal and valuation
6.5 Valuing a company
6.6 Relative valuation methodologies
6.7 Absolute valuation methodologies
6.8 Portfolio theory
GLOSSARY OF ACCOUNTING TERMS
GLOSSARY OF CORPORATE FINANCE TERMS USED
7. Effective IR in Practice
7.1 Managing the IR programme and annual cycle
7.2 Shareholder profiling and targeting
7.3 IR engagement - principles in practice
7.4 Investor communications: tools and techniques
7.5 Conclusion