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A white paper (or "whitepaper") is an authoritative report or guide that is often oriented toward
a particular issue or problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make
decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In
commercial use, the term has also come to refer to documents used by businesses as a marketing
or sales tool. Policy makers frequently request white papers from universities or academic
personnel to inform policy developments with expert opinions or relevant research.
Contents
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1 Government white papers
2 Commercial white papers
3 Resources
4 See also
5 References
[edit] Government white papers
In the Commonwealth of Nations, "white paper" is an informal name for a parliamentary paper
enunciating government policy; in the United Kingdom these are mostly issued as "Command
papers". White papers are issued by the government and lay out policy, or proposed action, on a
topic of current concern. Although a white paper may on occasion be a consultation as to the
details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass
new law. By contrast, green papers, which are issued much more frequently, are more open
ended. These green papers, also known as consultation documents, may merely propose a
strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation or they may set out proposals on
which the government wishes to obtain public views and opinion.
White papers published by the European Commission are documents containing proposals for
European Union action in a specific area. They sometimes follow a green paper released to
launch a public consultation process.
For examples see the following:
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Russia No 1. A Collection of Reports on Bolshevism in Russia, April 1919, often referred
to as "The White Paper" a collection of telegraphic messages by British officers in
Russia, concerning the Bolshevik revolution.
Churchill White Paper, 1922, planning a national home in Palestine for Jews.
White Paper of 1939, calling for the creation of a unified Palestinian state and a limited
Jewish immigration and ability to purchase land.
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White Paper on Full Employment, 1945, Commonwealth of Australia to recognize state's
obligation to give jobs to people.
1957 Defence White Paper, a reassessment of UK defence needs.
White Paper on Defence, 1964, led to the unification/creation of the modern Canadian
Forces.
1966 Defence White Paper, cancelled the CVA-01 class aircraft carriers for the Royal
Navy
In Place of Strife, 1969 (later abandoned), to reduce trade union power.
1969 White Paper, 1969 (later abandoned), to abolish the Indian Act in Canada and
recognize First Nations as the same as other minorities in Canada, rather than distinct
groups.
The White Paper, 1966, United States National Research Council document that led to
the development of emergency medical services in the United States
[edit] Commercial white papers
Since the early 1990s, the term white paper has also come to refer to documents used by
businesses and so-called think tanks as marketing or sales tools. White papers of this sort argue
that the benefits of a particular technology, product or policy are superior for solving a specific
problem.
These types of white papers are almost always marketing communications documents designed
to promote a specific company's or group's solutions or products. As a marketing tool, these
papers will highlight information favorable to the company authorizing or sponsoring the paper.
Such white papers are often used to generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a
business case, or to educate customers or voters.
There are four main types of commercial white papers:
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Business benefits: Makes a business case for a certain technology or methodology.
Technical: Describes how a certain technology works.
Hybrid: Combines business benefits with technical details in a single document.
Policy: Makes a case for a certain political solution to a societal or economic challenge.
[edit] Resources
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Stelzner, Michael (2007). Writing White Papers: How to capture readers and keep them
engaged. Poway, California: WhitePaperSource Publishing. pp. 214.
ISBN 9780977716937.
Bly, Robert W. (2006). The White Paper Marketing Handbook. Florence, Kentucky:
South-Western Educational Publishing. pp. 256. ISBN 9780324300826.
Kantor, Jonathan (2009). Crafting White Paper 2.0: Designing Information for Today's
Time and Attention Challenged Business Reader. Denver,Colorado: Lulu Publishing.
pp. 167. ISBN 9780557163243.
[edit] See also
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Green paper
Persuasive writing
Guidance document
[edit] References
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White paper EU glossary
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources
remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more
precise citations where appropriate. (November 2009)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper"
Categories: Technical communication | Marketing
Hidden categories: Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2009 | All articles lacking
in-text citations
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This page was last modified on 14 February 2011 at 16:15.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
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