A Financial Times report says that US companies have risen to the top of a global comparison of corporate governance standards, overtaking the UK and Canada for the first time. A study of more than 2,500 international companies found the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and other reforms implemented following recent scandals such as Enron and WorldCom […]
Category: Investor Relations
Their perception is your reality
If the single most important thing to any business is its reputation, then Oracle Corporation is in deep trouble. From a report published this week by market research firm Techtel: In 2Q04, opinion of Oracle by US IT professionals reached the lowest level in twelve years. This declining opinion, even against a background of declining […]
New knowledge portal for communicators launched
Communitelligence.com launched this week as the first global knowledge-sharing portal aimed at improving organizational and human communication. The site is being built and supported by global communication leaders, associations, schools and businesses linked to the common goals of elevating the profession and sharing best practices that can make all forms of communication more effective. The […]
Flexible corporate ethics and diminished trust
In an article on 5 October, eWeek analyzes whether PeopleSoft would consider a takeover by Oracle at the right price and raises questions about PeopleSoft ex-CEO Craig Conway’s integrity. Consider this comment from the article: The [PeopleSoft] board decided to fire CEO Craig Conway because it was dismayed by his display of “situational ethics” when […]
PRSA and IABC: Exercise leadership
Earlier this week, I posted commentary about the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) ignoring blogging. My post referenced commentary from the Business Blog Consulting blog which said that, in the forthcoming PRSA conference that takes place later this month, blogging doesn’t get a mention anywhere. What’s been happening since I posted my commentary is […]
IABC leader blog to launch
Following my post on Friday re PRSA and IABC, I discovered late on Saturday that a blog by 2004-2005 IABC Chairman, David Kistle, ABC, is imminent as this screenshot indicates. That answers the prime call: To start with, I’d like to see the leaders of the PRSA and IABC with a blog. I want to […]
IABC Chairman blog live
The brand new blog by IABC Chairman David Kistle, ABC, is now live. In an introductory post, Kistle says: I want to be sure to talk about things you want to talk about… so now it’s your turn. Give me some feedback – good and bad – about how we’re doing and what’s important to […]
Two-way blogs and moderated conversations
When Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman PR agency, launched his blog in late September, he was welcomed enthusiastically by the PR blogging community. Two weeks on and after Edelman’s second post – he’s committed to posting once a week – some bloggers are a bit twitchy about how he’s blogging and how commenting is […]
Conversation is a two-way street
More on two-way blogs and moderated conversations, from Tom Murphy at PR Opinions: Conversation is a two way street.You don’t see companies promoting customer service phone numbers and then not employing anyone to answer the phone (those annoying automated customer service systems at least answer the call). If you’re establishing a blog, you are doing […]
SCO legal website won’t be a blog
Enterprise software vendor SCO Group plans to launch a website to chronicle its legal battles relating to Unix and Linux, as part of an effort to counterbalance Groklaw.net which was set up to poke holes in the company’s legal claims, a CNET News report says. The site, to be called Prosco.net and launching on 1 […]
Blogger pressure forces change at PRSA
In a remarkable about-turn, blogging will now be included as a workshop at the forthcoming conference of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in New York, which starts on 23 October. B.L. Ochman’s continuing pressure, supported by other bloggers including me, has convinced the PRSA to change its stance and agree to include a […]
New investor relations blog
Last week, PR Opinions’ Tom Murphy asked if there were any investor relations-specific blogs out there. There didn’t appear to be, anywhere. Google and Yahoo searches turned up none at all. But, Tom reports there now is at least one IR blog – The Buttonwood Tree, written by Rick Charles, which started up on 13 […]
SEC in high gear on technology push
The Wall Street Journal reports on how the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is rapidly implementing plans to deploy new technologies as part of its quest to modernize and make more effective the filing and information services it offers as well as fulfill its regulatory mandate. Post-Enron and WorldCom and armed with new technology, […]
The Google factor for investors
Tomorrow, Google reports its first quarterly financial results as a public company. In a report today, the Wall Street Journal says there’s little agreement on what those results will be. Financial analysts’ estimates for Google’s third-quarter earnings, excluding several expenses, range from 22 cents to 61 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call, the […]
Don’t forget the reality checks
Like most communicators who blog, I’m a strong advocate for encouraging, persuading, prodding and cajoling my fellow communicators into introducing blogs in their organizations as part of their communication planning. This isn’t a blind, because-it’s-there thing – although, depending on the organization, elements of that approach can be a very good idea in applying a […]
Corporate blogging: Setting the ground rules
Yesterday, I posted a contribution to the Kitchen: How to Cook a Weblog collaborative blog on the subject of establishing clear policies regarding corporate blogging. It’s a mini-essay that discusses why companies and organizations need to pay attention now to how they enable blogging as a communication channel, and avoid messy and potentially damaging outcomes […]
Podcast your voice brand
Music and sound can be an integral part of a business’s brand, say Fast Company and Strategize. Many leaders listen to music to inspire creativity and innovation. And it’s been found that corporate voicemail welcome messages can make an impact on your business and bottom line. The Top 100 Voice Brands project collects recordings of […]
SOX compliance today – and it’s not cheap
Today is the day that Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act comes into effect. Section 404 says that publicly-listed companies in the US must have in place an adequate internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting, and holds corporate management accountable for inadequate controls. To ensure compliance with Section 404, enterprises must have data […]
PR fudging
Imagine this. A company has a financial hole that’s $92.9 million big. As a publicly-listed company, they have to report it and issue a public statement, which they do. So this is how one newspaper, The Washington Post, reported the news yesterday: McLean technology consulting company BearingPoint Inc. said yesterday that its chief financial officer, […]
Communication challenges for Oracle and PeopleSoft after acquisition
CNET News: PeopleSoft’s board of directors has approved a takeover deal with Oracle worth around $10.3 billion, ending a long-running and bitter battle and creating a major software maker. CNET News | Oracle buys PeopleSoft for $10 billion So while the acquisition endgame is in sight for investors and shareholders, a great deal of work […]