News Digest for November 16, 2006

Here it is… Dissecting Issues at the IR Think Tank | Comp Consultants Seek Shield From Executive Pay Suits | New 10-K Deadline Pressures Firms | Hitachi Refines XBRL Products | Half of Europeans Use Web Regularly | Dunn Pleads Not Guilty in HP Case

Dissecting issues at the New York Think Tank
Executive comp nightmare, blogs as disclosure, XBRL, hedge funds and targeting come up at IR Magazine’s invitation-only group think: ” ‘It’s going to be a bloodbath when this information comes out,’ said one IRO at a large-cap company. ‘Dick Grasso II.’

Pay Consultants Seek Shield From Suits Spawned by New U.S. Rule
“When the stuff hits the fan, our names are going to be all over the place,” said Steven Hall, whose New York firm, Steven Hall & Partners, asks to be shielded from lawsuits as part of its standard retainer. “You’re just completely hanging out there.”

New 10-K Deadline Pressures Firms
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Form 10-K deadline for “large accelerated filers” with a fiscal year end on or after December 15, 2006, will be reduced to 60 days. Currently, the filing deadline is 75 days.

Hitachi America, Ltd. XBRL Business Unit Refines Product Family
“Most XBRL offerings are highly technical and difficult for end-users to understand. Our refinement is designed to offer products in a way that anyone in the company — not just financial executives — can understand and appreciate their value,” said Dr. Wilson So, Director of Hitachi America, Ltd. XBRL Business Unit.

Half of European Union Population Uses the Web Regularly
Within EU25 member states, 52 percent of households had access to the Internet in Q1 2006, compared to 48 percent in Q1 2005. In that period, 32 percent had a broadband connection, up from 23 percent the previous year.

Dunn Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud
Former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairman Patricia Dunn will plead not guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges stemming from an internal leak probe at the world’s largest seller of personal computers, her lawyer said.

Please Support Our Work
Email your friends about us. Subscribe to our paid publication Online IR Trends Quarterly. Get us to recommend improvements to your IR website (we're really good at it).