Introduction For many years, investor relations and associated elements have remained to be some of the least researched on topics when it comes to corporate communications (Bassen, Basse &Ramaj 2010, p. 69). In the past, many companies, such as Williams, Tyco, and Global Crossings, have been faced with scandals, most of which relate to financial accounting practices. As a result, there has been a call for a re-evaluation of corporate investor relations and disclosure standards (Bragg 2010, p. 56). A number of shortcomings have been identified in relation to investor relations. The limitations are some of the factors behind the reported scandals. In addition, they have led to the collapse of the firms that are involved. One such company is Enron, an American giant in the energy sector. To this date, it remains to be one of the largest bankruptcies in American corporate history. The collapse of Enron and other major entities prompted shareholders to scrutinize the companies that they were investing in more closely. As a result, investor relations became the top agenda of most companies. The reason for this was to restore the confidence of these stakeholders in contemporary business organizations. Trust could no longer be assumed (Davidson, 2010, p. 44). Instead, the corporate world had to win back the trust of its investors. Soon, companies realized that the activity could result in a competitive advantage. Today, the importance of investor relations has become an over-emphasized issue (Bragg, 2010, p. 89). Practitioners in this field are charged with the responsibility of regaining the trust of the American public. In addition, they are also attempting to raise the valuation of their firm’s stock in the market. In this paper, the author will provide critical analysis of the performance of investor relations practitioners in the contemporary global market. To this end, the author will assess the role of these professionals and the interaction between their duties, share price, and value of a firm. The contributions made by these practitioners to the value of a stock will also be analyzed. Finally, the various factors that should be taken into consideration when judging the performance of these professionals will be evaluated. The Role of Investor Relations Practitioners The investor relations practitioners’ primary job is to build a communication relationship with investors. They are able to achieve this through analysts, financial media, and regulators. In recent times, credibility has become a key issue for investors in the American corporate world (Brennan & Tamarowski, 2000, p. 30). The persons who deliver the message must be credible for it to be considered as the truth. The American public has already lost trust in the management of corporations to furnish them with the correct financial information concerning their firms. As such, investor relations practitioners have been instrumental in aiding companies in communicating with the public. The track record of an investor relations practitioner, however, comes into play. Investors assess how truthful one has been in the past to determine whether or not they can be trusted at present. Although the growth in sales and profitability plays an important role in raising a firm’s share price, investors