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Research
Briefs .....
Online disclosure for major companies in 11 central and
eastern European (CEE) countries has remained at or reached its highest level
since Partners for Financial Sustainability
(PFS) carried out its first semi-annual online investor relations study in
August 2001. PFS surveyed the 10 largest listed companies in each CEE country,
and discovered that all of the 110 companies have a local language website, and
a large majority (94%) have an English language website. However, though basic
information on management and boards is now generally available online – with
82% providing an online list of board members - in many cases more detailed data
remains unavailable in many markets. For instance, while many companies provide
a list of board members, only 40% provide additional information on them.
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors,
a research company specialising in environmental and social analysis of
companies for investors, and
GovernanceMetrics International (GMI), a corporate governance research and
ratings firm, have formed a cooperative partnership to allow clients to access
each other's research. Howard Sherman, chief executive of GMI, said that his
firm saw the convergence of corporate governance and environmental risk analysis
as a natural evolution as investors sought more innovative ways to assess the
risk and potential value of their shareholdings.
An innovative centre to improve corporate governance in Canada has been
launched by the Queen’s School of Business
and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
Ontario. The centre will be the unique in Canada in having governance
research as its primary undertaking, and its first funded research will examine
internal controls at Canadian companies.
April, 2007 |
