APPROACH TO REPORTING CONTINUED Social networking This year we have also seen a significant jump in companies linking to social networking sites. Facebook and Twitter are proving most popular with 23% and 29% respectively of the FTSE 100 linking to these sites. It is interesting to note this jump comes in the aftermath of a year of various corporate reputation challenges: are companies beginning to realise the importance of quick, easy and accessible two-way communication with stakeholders as a means of building and maintaining their corporate reputation? It will be interesting to see how companies continue to manage their social media strategy as we come out of the financial crisis. Figure 9.7 CR reporting environment We have discussed CR reporting in depth in this research, looking at the importance of communicating the material issues with a potential impact on the company, and how these issues are increasingly embedded into the underlying character and strategic approach of the business. Moving away from the content and looking at presentation, we found that over half of companies are providing CR information in the Annual Report as well as providing a full and dedicated CR report. This year, 38% of the FTSE 100 companies produced a dedicated CR HTML report, suggesting that the awareness and importance placed by companies on effectively communicating their policies and performance in this area is increasing. The online environment is beneficial for CR reporting in particular, as content can be regularly reviewed and updates given. There is also the opportunity to engage with stakeholders through this more informal channel by using elements such as case studies and other, more detailed information, which is not available through the Annual Report. Figure 9.8 How are companies delivering CR information online? 2009 2010 38% 30% Figure 9.9 Companies linking to social networks from the corporate site: 37% 56% Facebook 32% 23% YouTube 12% 8% 8% 1% 7% ’09 29% Twitter What is the approach taken to reporting on CR in print? There is a CR PDF report only There is a CR HTML report • • • • ’10 No CR information (in print) CR information in Annual Report and in separate, printed full report 5% Only CR information in Annual Report 29% 51% CR information in Annual Report and in separate, printed summary report 15% 34 © Black Sun Plc 2011 www.blacksunplc.com
