(FastCompany, 3 May 2012) In Brief: Social media is the “key to the survival of business in general,” this writer says, yet most companies have not tapped the full potential of social channels like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. IR teams in particular, she advises, should learn StockTwits, a platform enabling companies to send compliant messages [...]
Read more(The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, 8 May 2012) In Brief: Of the 180 companies to report say-on-pay results so far, 65% were successful with 90% or more support, 25% passed with 70.1 to 90% support, 8% passed with between 50 and 70% support, and 2% got less than 50% [...]
Read more(Inside Investor Relations: Editor’s Blog, 18 April 2012) In Brief: Despite holding record levels of cash, many companies are still hesitant to hire or invest. Apparently, this mindset also applies to investments in IR. 42% of respondents to a new survey claimed that their IR budgets decreased over the past two years, and 46% claimed [...]
Read more(B2C, 17 April 2012) In Brief: Investors and analysts are increasingly demanding company information from division heads to determine if their positions on operations, strategy, and tactics are in sync with executives.’ IR teams must provide investors with the access they want while ensuring that the company delivers consistent messages and complies with disclosure requirements. [...]
Read more(CNNMoney, 2 April 2012) In Brief: As activist hedge funds become increasingly prominent in the business world, corporate leaders should be prepared if they don’t want to cede power. Activist shareholders receive board positions in about 44% of hedge fund targets, according to a study by a professor from the NYU Stern School of Business, [...]
Read more(Investor Relations Musings, 28 March 2012) In Brief: IR teams that adhere to “conventional wisdom” and disclose only the information required by regulators in company reports are taking a risk with their company’s value, this blogger says. Too little information, or information that is presented in a format that is difficult to understand, can lead [...]
Read more(IR Café, 26 March 2012) In Brief: Investor relations teams should craft their messages around several “key metrics” – those most likely to drive long-term shareholder value – and explain how management is working to improve the company’s performance in each of them. While these “metrics of interest” will vary depending on the company, several [...]
Read more(Q4 Web Systems, 15 March 2012) In Brief: Investor Relations teams should make corporate websites and social media a key part of their strategy, experts stated during a recent panel discussion. Some key takeaways: websites should contain relevant information and be easy to navigate, and social media channels should link to one another and cater [...]
Read more(CNNMoney, 21 March 2012) In Brief: A month after hedge fund investor John Paulson pushed a financial services company to leave the annuities and life insurance businesses, the enterprise said it will do just that to focus on property and casualty insurance. Analysts and shareholders anticipate an increase in investor activism as proxy season begins. [...]
Read more(Bloomberg, 19 March 2012) In Brief: Apple announced plans to pay its first quarterly dividend in 17 years, $2.65 a share beginning on 1 July, and to buy back $10 billion of its stock starting 30 September. Our View: Many companies err on the side of either ad hoc or rigid long-term cash allocation policies. [...]
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