May 16, 2006
IR Web Report, the world's
leading investor relations website evaluation
service, today announced the World's Best IR
Websites™ in the global Materials Sector.
Out of the 62 companies evaluated over the
past six months, six companies achieved a score
worthy of the World's Best IR Websites™
designation. In order of their ranking, they
are:
1. BASF AG
2. Stora Enso Oyj
3. ThyssenKrupp AG
4. Bayer AG
5. Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
6. Yara International ASA
Companies recognized as having World's Best
IR Websites™ have achieved a high ranking
after a detailed evaluation in IR Web Report's
survey of online investor relations communication
practices. Achieving the standard is a strong
indicator of a company's commitment to effective
online communication with investors.
World's Best IR Websites™ companies
provide broad and deep financial, corporate
governance, shareholder services and securities
trading information on their investor relations
websites. Their sites are designed around the
needs of investors, uphold good privacy practices
and are actively managed and up to date.
Survey constituents
The following 62 companies were included
in the survey (in alphabetical order): Abitibi-Consolidated
Inc.; Agrium Inc.; Air Products & Chemicals,
Inc.; Akzo Nobel N.V.; Albemarle Corporation;
Alcan Inc.; Alcoa Inc.; Alumina Limited; Anglo
American plc; AngloGold Ashanti Limited; Arcelor
S.A.; Ashland Inc.; Barrick Gold Corporation;
BASF AG; Bayer AG; BHP Billiton Limited; Cameco
Corporation; CEMEX, S.A. de C.V.; Ciba Specialty
Chemicals; Clariant AG; Companhia Siderurgica
Nacional; Companhia Vale do Rio Doce; Domtar
Inc.; The Dow Chemical Company; DRDGOLD Ltd.;
DSM N.V.; E.I. DuPont de Nemours; Eastman Chemical
Company; Falconbridge Ltd.; Goldcorp Inc.; Hanson
PLC; James Hardie Industries N.V.; Hercules
Incorporated; Holcim AG; Imperial Chemical Industries
PLC; Inco Limited; International Paper Company;
Kinross Gold Corporation; Lafarge S.A.; Air
Liquide; Mittal Steel Company N.V.; Monsanto
Company; Newmont Mining Corporation; NOVA Chemicals
Corporation; Nucor Corporation; Phelps Dodge
Corporation; POSCO; Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Inc.; Praxair, Inc.; Rio Tinto plc; Rohm and
Haas Company; Sappi Limited; Stora Enso Oyj;
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA; Syngenta
AG; Teck Cominco Limited; The BOC Group plc;
ThyssenKrupp AG; United States Steel Corporation;
UPM-Kymmene Oyj; Weyerhaeuser Corporation; Yara
International ASA.
How we choose the
sites
IR Web Report inspects more than 500
investor relations websites every six months.
Companies in the survey are mostly international
large-cap companies in North America, Europe
and Asia.
Each company's investor relations website is
inspected against 134 criteria informed by surveys
with institutional and retail investors. The
criteria cover financial and corporate governance
information, shareholder services, securities
trading, news and events, and the ease of use
of the site.
From the criteria, we calculate a total score
for each company that measures the overall effectiveness
and credibility of the site and its information.
The formula has four inputs:
- Completeness of the site's content in terms
of depth, breadth and timeliness.
- Transparency of the site in terms the availability
and prominence of high value information.
- Service attitude of the site in terms of
resources and services offered to shareholders.
- Ease of use of the site including navigation,
information design and technical formatting.
To be selected as World's Best IR Websites™,
companies have to achieve a score over a specific
threshold.
Why World's Best
IR Websites™?
By recognizing companies with the best IR websites,
IR Web Report aims to encourage more
companies to use the Web effectively. This can
benefit all investors because the Internet has
the ability to democratize access to corporate
information to give all investors an equal chance
to make informed decisions.
|
