Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
3Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
Webranking 2019-2020 at a glance
23°
2814°
896100475
international edition
companies ranked in Austria
Austrian edition
companies ranked globally
total points for the protocol that covers all aspects of corporate communication
responses to our Webranking surveys
State of the art for Austrian digital corporate transparencyWhat Austrian companies are the most transparent when it comes to providing its stakeholders access to core market information? This year’s Austrian Webranking results have revealed new challenges for companies to face to keep up with international best practices.
Key insights 1. Webranking is the leading survey of corporate websites based on stakeholder demands. The evaluation protocol consists of 50 criteria and more than 340 subcriteria.
2. The Webranking research 2019-2020 was conducted by Lundquist, in collaboration with Comprend.
3. The research includes the 28 largest Austrian companies, compared to last year’s 20 companies, that are included in the ATX. This is the 14th edition on Austrian listed companies, and the 23rd edition in Europe.
4. This report analyses how these companies are communicating with their stakeholders via their corporate website and digital channels, and what this means in terms of their transparency.
5. The research poses itself questions such as:
• How transparent are Austrian companies?
• Which company most effectively communicates on matters related to finance, corporate governance, and careers?
• Does the company provide a convincing strategy and vision for its future development?
• How effectively do companies communicate their sustainability commitment and progress?
• How do Austrian companies compare to their European and German counterparts?
Contents
Austrian performance.....................................................................
Three main takeaways.....................................................................
Webranking Austria 2019-2020..................................................
How Webranking works..................................................................
Who we are.........................................................................................
4
6
8
9
10
Web
rank
ing
2019
-20
20
4Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
Austrian performance in digital corporate transparencyI. Shuffle at the top after years of stagnation
The criteria in the protocol are based upon the needs and expectations of stakeholders – reached at through the use of annual surveys of investors, journalists and jobseekers.
Half of the maximum score (50 points out of 100) is considered the threshold at which companies respond adequately to user demand.
The Austrian pass rate has remained steady at around 43%. Only three companies (BAWAG, Schoeller Bleckmann, Marinomed Biotech) failed the stress test, scoring below 30 points.
II. Austrian companies improve their governance communications, but lag behind in other areas
Aust
rian
perf
orm
ance
Who passes the stress test?
The strongest communicators of last from year’s edition have reaffirmed their place on the podium again this year. The main change has been the way we conceptualize companies’ performance: from ranking to rating.
“There has been an interesting improvement in the area of Governance, which includes topics such as CEO visibility, remuneration and the presentation of information regarding the Annual General Meeting. This shift towards improved communication on these specific topic stands out particularly, given that all other areas have decreased in score.”
Caroline Becker Country Manager for Austria
In comparison to last year’s results, in which Austrian companies had a comparatively high average score, this year the average decreased by 4.8 points.
This is a trend that can be observed throughout Europe, due to altogether stricter evaluation criteria in response to increased stakeholder demands.
From ranking to ratingWebranking’s end goal is not to present a ranking of the best and worst companies, but to encourage and a culture of transparency that alters companies’ rapport with their stakeholders. This is precisely why this year we decided to present the results as a range of transparency rather a simple numeric ranking, by dividing the companies into classes of performance.
No company has been able to achieve the highest of reputations (5 stars) nor did they reach the second tier (4 stars), but 12 companies make it to the three stars category (between 50 and 70 points).
The top performing Austrian companies in the three star class include OMV Group, Erste Group, Wienerberger, Vienna Insurance Group, Telekom Austria and Voestalpine, all companies that have either often been on the podium or at least in the top Austrian 10.
• Erste Group narrowly conceded first place on the podium o OMV Group (65.2 and 65.9/100 points respectively). Wienerberger (68.1/100 points) goes from second to third place with 63.3 points this year.
• OMV Group’s new corporate website makes the company this year’s Best improver by gaining 8.5 points compared to last year
• New entries make it immediately to the top 10 (there are 12 new companies this year): Strabag, Agrana and Palfinger take advantage of the other companies losing ground
Passed
Held Back
Failed
43%
46%
11%
5Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
German companies ahead of the game A good comparative case for Austrian companies are their German counterparts, given cultural similarities.
The German average stands higher than the Austrian, at about 48.1 points vs. the Austrian 46.9 points.This gap reveals a different approach to transparency on their websites, especially regarding information
about corporate governance such as remuneration and investor related details like strategy, where German companies are more open than the Austrian.
However, Austrian companies fare better than their counterparts when it comes to the presentation of the business and the company.
Comparison between EU, CH, & DE average per section
Homepage
Investor Relations
About us
Press
Reporting
The ShareGovernance
Sustainability
Careers
Features and functionalities
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Germany
Europe 500
Austria
Aust
rian
perf
orm
ance
The European Ranking “Webranking Europe 500” includes the 500 largest listed European corporations based on market capitalisation and listed in the EuroStoxx600 index.
Of the 28 Austrian companies evaluated this year, only 4 were also included in our ranking of Europe’s top 500 companies: Erste Group, OMV Group, Voestalpine, Verbund. This is only because many Austrian companiesare not large enuogh to enter the list.
Of the four Austrian companies included in the Europe500 list, only two companies made it into the top 50. In fact, Austrian companies do not stand out particularly in the Europe 500 ranking, while Italian and Nordic companies dominate the list, taking prime positions in the top ten.
However, when comparing the Austrian average to the Europe500 average, the scores are quite similar, with Austrian companies slightly outperforming the European average.
III. The Austrian average in perspective: Austrian companies are slightly above the European curve, but struggle to keep up with German counterparts
46.9 45.1vsAVERAGE SCORE OF THE
AUSTRIAN AND EUROPEANCOHORT IN 2019
-4.8 -2.1vsAVERAGE SCORE DECREASE OF THE
AUSTRIAN AND EUROPEAN COHORT IN2019 - A 1.8-POINT GAP WITH EUROPE
6Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
As was the case last year, Austrian corporate communication on financial results continues to be the lowest scoring section for Austrian companies.
This is greatly due to the fact that most Austrian companies prefer engaging stakeholders with traditional investor communications, presenting this information in reports (which has one of the highest scoring sections, 53%) which cater primarily to an expert audience.
The lack of Austrian companies that present financial details is problematic because it indicates a lack of substantiating information. This is highlighted by the fact that many companies actually present their company strategies and investment stories.
Three main takeaways from the Austrian 2019-2020 Webranking resultsI. Financial communications remain the main challenge for Austrian companies
Company Innovation Spotlight: OMV Group
The launch of OMV Group’s brought about a remodeling of their “Our Business” section, which includes intere-sting detail on the company’s business.The information detailing the company’s approach to innovation is included in this section, and is especially well-connected to the company’s overall business con-text and forward-looking strategy.
Company Investor Relations Spotlight: Strabag Strabag’s website is technologically outdated but keeps a detailed and updated IR section that caters to the informational needs of its stakeholders. The well-structured and clearly presented strategy is completed by exhaustive macro-economic trends, financial targets and funding information.
II. Austrian companies fare well when it comes to new focus on R&DThis year’s survey results proved there was a distinct stakeholder interest in learning more about what companies are doing to innovate. In this regard, Austrian companies have been able to outperform their European counterparts, with many presenting both past and ongoing research and development efforts.
68% of Austrian companies provide comprehensive information on their past R&D programs vs 34% European companies. 25% of Austrian companies present their approach to digitizing their business vs 18%
Thre
e m
ain
take
away
s
This is forward-looking information that seems unsubstantiated without the addition of information about financial targets and achievements, investments & divestments, or the company’s debt profile.
While 61% present their strategy and 43% present their investment story, only about 27% communicate their financial results on their website.
Austrian companies continue to rely too heavily on highly technical reports, companies should point more towards engaging their audience through their websites.
Arianna EvansCountry Manager for Switzerland
7Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
Spotlight on financial information: FUNDING
Erste Group presents their funding strategy, debt structure and maturity profile all together and recently
updated in a clear and complete manner.
Even when it comes to sustainability, reporting is the main pillar for Austrian companies’ communication of their results, data, and targets.
In fact, the results for sustainability reporting this year improved slightly, from an already high score, and have reached 86% of the maximum score for this criterium.
However, more data needs to make its way out of the report and onto the website.
The fact that an impressive 93% present of Austrian companies present their commitment or approach to sustainability is made suspicious by the fact that only 29% of these companies having chosen to publish the outcomes of their materiality analyses on their websites.
Given that materiality analyses are integral to the development of a believable and concrete CSR strategy, their absence casts doubt on the viability of the commitments presented.
III. Sustainability communications: more substance needed
IV. Further inspiration
Company Sustainability Spotlight: Telekom Austria
Telekom Austria is convincing with their presentation of a detailed and data-rich sustainability section.The company’s sustainability approach is communicated effectively, and the goals show the company’s commitment to sustainability with the outline of strategic action plan.
Spotlight on Careers information: COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
With its exhaustive information on their compensation policy and company benefits for employees, Wienerberger goes the extra mile to inform
candidates of what to expect when working for them.Th
ree
mai
n ta
keaw
ays
8Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
How we evaluated the companies Our sample is made up of 28 companies, listed on the ATX as of June 2019.
Company websites were evaluated twice by different rankers throughout July and August, while companies in the Europe 500 top 10 were ranked three times by three different rankers.
Webranking Austria 2019-2020The most trasparent companies in Austria
Rank Company Difference Point
1 OMV Group S 65.9
2 Erste Group 65.2
3 Wienerberger 63.3
4 Strabag NEW 60.4
5 Agrana NEW 58.2
6 Vienna Insurance Group
57.7
6 Telekom Austria 57.7
7 Palfinger NEW 56.8
8 Voestalpine 56.3
9 Lenzing 51.9
10 Verbund 51.3
11 Raiffeisen Bank International
50.6
3 stars
Rank Company Difference Point
12 Porr Group NEW 49.8
13 Uniqa Group 47.6
14 Andritz 47.4
15 Kapsch Trafficcom NEW 44.9
16 Mayr-Melnhof NEW 42.9
17 Zumtobel Group 42.5
18 FACC NEW 40.9
19 Frequentis NEW 40.4
20 Österreichische Post 40.3
2 stars
5 stars
No company has achieved the required score between 80 and 100 points.
4 stars
No company has achieved the required score between 70 and 80 points.
1 star
Rank Company Difference Point
21 Rhi Magnesita 38.2
22 Valneva NEW 35.8
23 Semperit NEW 33.1
24 Amag NEW 32.2
No star
Rank Company Difference Point
25 Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment
27.5
26 BAWAG 27.527 Marinomed Biotech NEW 26.1
Notes
*Companies included in the Webranking byComprend Europe 500 study.
The maximum number of points is 100.
Web
rank
ing
Aust
ria 2
019
-20
20
9Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
How Webranking worksA glimpse behind the curtains
Capital Market Survey
10 sections
100 total score
247 individual criteria
Every year, the protocol is updated based on the stakeholder survey responses. 23
45
690
PROTOCOL2
EVALUATIONS
3To guarantee the quality of evaluations, every website is evaluated twice by two analysts. The best 10 websites are evaluated 3 times each.
~ 900 companies globally
500 of the largest listed companies in Europe
28 Austrian company
31 countries under the lens
How to find out about the results: Country and sector results are published in
all of Europe, and in national and specialized newspapers.
Webranking for companiesRequest highlights with a summary of your
company’s results. It is possible to request an analysis with tailored suggestions as well.
In our whitepapers we analyze data and identify trends. We publish results based on country and sector.
RESULTS
4
1,800+ responses in the last six years
210+ respondents in 2018 of which
90% are analysts and investors (the remaining
10% is made up of fund managers, business journalists, and other)
Career Survey1,300+ responses in the last six years
240+ responses in 2019
45% millennial
Web Management Survey60+ responses in all of Europe
64% web managers from blue-chip
Surveys are the basis of our research, because they help us understand what stakeholders want.
SURVEYS
1
The Webranking process
How
Web
rank
ing
wor
ks
10Webranking by Comprend Austrian edition conducted by
Who we areLogotypen med den större symbolen används endast i storlekar upp till 35 mm bredd.
Since 1997, the Webranking research helps companies understand how to improve their communication to better meet the needs of stakeholders, by comparing themselves to their international peers.
It is the only research which, by annually investigating the needs of different stakeholders, gives a voice to website users. The Austrian edition of Webranking is conducted by Lundquist in collaboration with Comprend.
Webranking’s roleWebranking provides the basis for further strategic work, by providing a framework for content that meets basic disclosure needs. The challenge now is to work to develop a convincing and effective corporate narrative, that goes beyond the hard facts and reporting, and provides a forward-looking outlook.
Our objective is to help companies in this next endeavour, moving away from basic disclosure to defining an effective corporate narrative.For this reason, we have launched a new research series which not only evaluates transparency (substance) but also the ability of companies to engage in effective communications (distinctiveness and user experience).
Thanks to our knowledge of stakeholder expectations and the strong corporate experience gained over the years, we support companies in defining communication strategies, guiding them toward effective stakeholder-communications.
Comprend, Lundquist’s partner, is an international consultancy specialised in online corporate communications. Comprend can rely on an international presence thanks to offices in Stockholm and London.
For further information, check the website: comprend.com
Greta CastelliProject Manager, Webranking Italy
Arianna EvansProject Manager, Webranking Switzerland
Caroline BeckerProject Manager, Webranking Austria
To order your tailored Webranking by Comprend 2019-2020 Interactive Report or to have your website evaluated you can contact the Lundquist team:
Lundquist bridges the gap between companies and their audiences: that’s because we get to know both intimately.Specialists in corporate communications and sustainability, we are independent, international and trusted to guide companies towards greater transparency and stakeholder requirements.
Our approach to corporate communications is defined by the international research we carry out. Measuring the effectiveness of sites and other corporate channels allows us to identify communication trends and industry priorities.
For more information, please visit: lundquist.itThe research behind our approach
.trustThe .trust research series evaluates
companies’ ability to narrate their business in a way that
communicates their leadership and instils trust amongst their
stakeholders. Our goal is to take advantage of the potential
corporate communications holds in increasing competitivity and
inspiring trust.
.futureThe .future research series represents the evolution
of our CSR Online Awards launched in 2008. Like .trust, the study evaluates corporate
websites and social media channels, concentrating on two fundamental aspects in creating trust in companies’ sustainability
leadership: “Substance” and “Distinctiveness”.
WikipediaSince 2008, we have been
monitoring the completeness of Wikipedia articles for the
largest Italian, Swiss, Austrian, and International companies. The study has allowed us to
define guidelines to help companies constructively interact with the Wikipedia
community.
Blurring BoundariesThe new research series was
launched in 2018, and is intended to guide companies in the new
sustainability reporting landscape. The research, which examines
50 companies in Italy and across Europe, is focussed on
the integration of sustainability themes within the entire reporting
ecosystem.
Who
we
are
Joakim LundquistLundquist CEO
t (+39) 339 [email protected]
Sara RusconiContent strategist
and Lundquist Partnert (+39) 347 2457669
James OsborneHead of Sustainabilityand Lundquist Partnert (+39) 349 7937853
For more information on what we do and how we can help, please contact:
Other LundquistWebranking editions 2019-2020
Webranking Switzerland - 16th editionSwiss companies fall behind the European curve this year.
Corporate Switzerland is lagging greatly behind when it comes to sustainability communications, presenting little substantiating information for their commitments, instilling greater trust should also be in their sights.
Webranking Italy - 18th editionItalian companies top the European list this year, with 5 companies reaching the top 10.
Now that many companies have reached a good level of transparency, it is clear that corporate Italy needs to begin to face a new challenge of being more engaging and inspiring greater trust in their stakeholders.
