Published in our newsletter of 25 March 2013 - On Friday 5 April Legadex - a provider of legal information management, corporate legal services and transaction services -, organises a lunch meeting in Amsterdam. During this lunch meeting the subject ‘The value of corporate reputation management’ will be discussed, following an interview with Uneke Dekkers published earlier this year in the Legadex magazine. In the interview Uneke discussed the development of the ‘corporate communication’ field in the past 20 years: From pure capital market communication which did not go beyond sending a press release every now and then to the integral approach of communication issues right now, where a clear story, the right timing and mutual consent can make or break a reputation. At the lunch, Uneke will discuss the subject of reputation management with a group of some 20 to 25 general counsels, other legal experts and corporate communications managers. A limited number of seats are still available for the lunch. If you would like to attend this meeting, please apply here.

Published in our newsletter of 25 March 2013 - Based on a study into the quality of financial reporting, Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad recently reported that Dutch companies have become more active on social media. An increasing number of companies are active via their own corporate accounts. But how do companies handle the use of social media by their individual employees? In the past, many companies prohibited their employees from social media activity, but now we are seeing companies giving their staff much more freedom in this respect. But what does this new reality mean? And how can a company give its employees the tools to understand the impact of their social media activity on both their own reputation and the corporate reputation of the company they work for? The Citigate First Financial social media team has developed three one-day training courses that give anyone involved in social media the tools and know-how they need to get to work right away.

1. In a theory session, we use recent examples to demonstrate why and how social media can be relevant to both employees and to the company as a whole. What is the impact of social media on internet search results? What are the hidden strengths of social media and what are best and worst practices? This training session provides the know-how needed to use social media effectively and anchor this use in the communications mix.

2. Citigate First Financial developed the online environmental scan specifically for corporate communications departments. In a strategic training session, we assess the current online activity and reputation of the company and compare it to those of its peers. The training provides lots of food for thought on the strategic profile of the company or brand. And at the end of the session, the participants can get to work with the quick wins and the (continued) development of the communications strategy.

3. Citigate developed the practical training course ‘Effectively and commercially active in social media’ specifically for client-facing employees, as they act as the company’s calling card or ambassadors in the real world, too. We use a range of practical examples to help make employee aware of the fact that social media activity is subject to the same values and standards as other communications with (potential) business contacts and clients. You only get once chance at a first impression. We focus primarily on LinkedIn in this training course. Employees learn how to build a sharp and relevant profile, how to find potential clients and contacts and then the best ways to contact them.

Published in our newsletter of 25 March 2013 - As in previous years, Citigate First Financial has once again taken a close look at how companies listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange have dealt with the publication of their annual results. The study covered 72 companies included in the AEX, AMX and AScX indexes. This year, we also included a more extensive study of the role of social media in the publication of annual results. And once again we looked at the publication of companies’ annual reports. Which languages are used and are companies still publishing printed versions of their annual reports.

You can read the full report of the study in the next issue of ‘Insight’, but here are a few of our initial findings:

• In comparison with 2011 a greater number of large caps published the annual results not only in English, but also in Dutch. A decreasing number of small cap companies published it in both languages and tend to publishing it in English only.
• Wednesday is still the most popular day of the week to publish annual results for large caps, while midcap and small cap companies prefer to publish at the beginning of the week.
• For all companies listed at NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, February is the most popular month to publish annual results. Up until last year most small caps published their annual results in March.