New research on Swiss companies and Wikipedia

For your information a new research has been published on the quality of Swiss companies’ Wikipedia pages. The research finds that Swiss companies are lagging in an international perspective and should do more to engage with users to improve the quality of the pages.
Credit Suisse, Syngenta, Nestlé have top Wikipedia page among Swiss companies.

The research found Credit Suisse’s Wikipedia page the most complete and easily consultable among Switzerland’s 48 largest listed companies. Syngenta, Nestlé and Zurich Financial follow close behind. The Lundquist study also found that Swiss companies underperform compared with the world’s biggest corporations. To improve their online presence they must engage with Wikipedia, not back away as is often assumed.

Credit Suisse has the most complete and easily consultable Wikipedia page among companies in the SMI Expanded Index, according to research released today by Italian consultancy Lundquist. The survey considered information that ran the gamut from number of employees and location of headquarters to corporate governance, branding and financial data.
Top 10 Swiss Wikipedia Pages
(maximum = 25 points)
1. Credit Suisse ————- 14 pts
2. Syngenta —————— 13.75
3. Nestlé ———————- 13.5
3. Zurich Financial  ———13.5
5. Logitech ——————-13.25
6. UBS ————————-13
6. Lindt ————————13
6. ABB ————————-13
9. Novartis ——————–12
9. Swiss Re——————-12
Top Wikipedia Pages – Fortune Global 500
(maximum = 25 points)
1. Apple (USA) —————- 22 pts
2. BT (UK) ———————- 21.5
3. Nokia (FIN) —————–  21
3. Royal Dutch Shell (NTL)– 21
5. Ford Motor (USA) ———-20.5
5. Toyota Motor (JAP) ——- 20.5
140. Credit Suisse (SWI) —-14

For further infomraiton, you can check the Lundquist Srl website.


By | April 19th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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Five trends in Internal Communication

Ahead of their Internal Communication Congress in Berlin later this month, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences has shared what it believes to be the top five trends in internal communication; a list that reflects the present office environment which is dominated by change and new technology:

  1. Social Intranets
  2. Crowdsourcing
  3. Post Merger Integration
  4. Knowledge Management
  5. Integrated Internal Communication

More about these trends and the congress >

Melitta

By | April 8th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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What are your proofreading tips?

That was the question asked recently on the Melcrum Communicators Network. Here are some of the suggestions offered:

  • Print the document out – it’s easier to spot errors in hard copy
  • Email the text to yourself to help you see it with fresh eyes
  • Check for one thing at a time: punctuation, capitalisation, tenses, numbers etc.
  • Put the text away for a while and then come back to it – ideally a day or more
  • Ask a third party to read it through
  • List your common errors and check for these first
  • Read content outloud
  • Check the ‘Readability statistics’ in the spell checker
  • Read the document backwards, it’s easier to see individual words that way

What are your top tips?

Melitta

By | April 2nd, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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UK government campaign for better business communication

Following the publication of the The MacLeod Review, which stated that British firms needed to improve engagement levels to improve business performance, the British Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has launched a new campaign called: ‘People InterAction’.

The aim of the new campaign is to inspire action in employee engagement amongst employers of all types and sizes, clearly highlighting the link between effective internal communications and business success.

More about the MacLeod Review >

More about the People InterAction campaign >

Melitta

By | December 23rd, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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It only takes one tweet – PR lessons from Trafigura

A real-life lesson that ‘honesty is the best policy’. Traditionally, when things went wrong for Corporations, there were two options facing their PR team: come clean or to try and bury the story. But as the recent Trafigura fiasco has proven, in today’s world it only takes one tweet to cause Corproations a very big and expensive headache.

Read an interesting article in the Guardian about this topic >

Melitta

By | November 4th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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Guide to Green Communications

With companies becoming increasingly keen to create and promote their green credentials, changing people’s towards sustainability and CSR is an important challenge for corporate communicators. Not sure where to start? Then help is at hand in the form of a free guide explaining ways to approach green communications, which includes a great employee engagement case study for Jaguar Land Rover.

Download Green Communications guide >

Melitta

By | October 24th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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Key Data for Communicators in Global Survey

The latest global survey from Melcrum, Key Benchmark Data for Communicators 2009, has revealed that in the light of the recession, every area of internal communications is being re-examined. Here are some of the survey’s headlines and what they mean for IC professionals:

Budget cuts – almost half of respondents (46%) said they will be spending less on consultants in the next 12 months. External advisors will therefore need to “re-evaluate what they offer and become more focused”. For those working in-house, budget cuts will mean less opportunities to move position and engage employees on a grand scale – but will be a chance for savvy communicators to gain respect by getting creative working closely with leaders and to make a difference.

Strategy change – 47% of respondents stated that cutbacks have led to fundamental change in their communication strategy. The main focus for internal communicators today appears to be on rebuilding trust and giving employees the answers they need. This is good news as it puts IC in the limelight, but it is demanding work that often needs to be done with fewer resources. Now more than ever, IC professionals need to prove their worth to gain the resources they need.

Change in Channels – 45% of respondents predicted a reduction in print communications in the coming year, with many seeing the Internet as a more cost effective and engaging alternative, due to its ability to spread messages to the right audiences with simplicity, immediacy and transparency.

Priority skills – Most respondents indicated that over the next 12 months, the most important skills will be: ‘managing change communication’ (43.2%), ‘supporting senior leadership communication’ (37.9%), and ‘measuring the effectiveness of internal communication’ (27.6%). In terms of leadership communications, ‘coaching managers to communicate’ came out as the top priority (52.5%), closely followed by ‘strategic planning’ (51%) and ‘how to assess communication effectiveness’ (49.3%).

More about the survey and its findings >

Melitta

By | October 2nd, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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Change communications and ownable truths

The key to effective internal communications that will support and drive positive change is a thorough understanding of your brand and your people. This demands that you uncover the ownable truths about your organisation – the genuine, inspiring and truly representative truths that define and unite your people and brand.

In a recently launched white paper, design, branding and communications consultancy Small Back Room, provide communication practitioners with the tools to do just this.

In this paper, Small Back Room explain how to uncover these ownable truths and used them to build or enhance a brand from the inside out, helping you to generate a platform for clear, direct and effective communications that will drive positive change.

The paper also looks at the relationships between brands, strategy, internal communications and change – and their impact on internal communications and includes a ‘change scenario assessment tool’ so that you can evaluate exactly where your organisation is in the change cycle and then plan your management of change from there.

Small Back Room has made the paper available for download by GCN members >

Melitta

By | September 26th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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Social Media for Internal Communicators – a practical guide

Internal communication agency, theblueballroom, has a released a social media white paper giving internal communicators a practical guide to social media tools. Called Collaboration in Action, the white paper is free to download, but you must register first.

Download the white paper >

Melitta

By | September 4th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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Employee engagement, the key to Britain’s future

A new British Government review has highlighted the importance of effective engagement to successful business performance, showing that high levels of employee engagement are inextricably linked to the successful achievement of commercial and other organisational objectives. 

The MacLeod Review, commissioned by the British Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also states that British firms need to improve engagement levels. It cites a number of impeding factors ranging from leaders not really understanding what employee engagement is or recognising its importance, to not knowing where to go for assistance, and the poor people skills of many line managers.

David MacLeod, who lead the review with Nita Clarke, said: “This is about unleashing the potential of people at work and enabling them to be the best they can be. Whether we are in a downturn or in better economic times, engagement is a key to innovation and competitiveness.”

Nita Clarke said:  “By respecting the contribution employees can make and ensuring they are fully involved in developing their organisation’s future, employers can help unlock their full potential. When done well, employee engagement is a win for the organisation, a win for the individual and therefore a win for the country as a whole.” 

Read more about the review’s findings >

Melitta

By | August 30th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments
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