Public Relations Institute Workshop

2 April 2007

Public Relations Institute Workshop Takes A Fresh Look At Sustainability And Annual Reporting

A Public Relations Institute of New Zealand workshop in Auckland on April 11 will take a detailed look at the move toward sustainability reporting.

The workshop presenter, Auckland-based sustainability reporting and investor relations expert Bronwen Jones, says that sustainability reporting is growing in popularity as businesses take a more holistic approach to stakeholder risk management.

"In the past, reporting by listed companies in particular has been driven by the requirements of a small but powerful group of stakeholders – shareholders, analysts and the stock exchange," she says.

"Then over the years, most companies and organisations expanded their annual reports into a more marketing-oriented corporate profile."

However, Jones says that the trend is now toward a broader approach that addresses the interests and concerns of all stakeholder groups.

The sustainability report covers performance in the financial, governance, regulatory, operational, supplier, employee, environmental and community areas, as well as its service to customers, which include ratepayers or taxpayers for public bodies.

"All these stakeholder groups have the potential to impact business strategies, future developments, day to day operations and ongoing viability," says Jones.

For a company or organisation to be sustainable over the long term, it must identify its stakeholder groups, ascertain their concerns and informational needs, and report transparently and consistently on key performance areas.

A good sustainability report tells the whole story, complete with performance measures, progress reports on weak areas and targets for future performance.

However, she says, the full story can equate to a large amount of information, so many companies and organisations are putting the full report on their website and providing a printed summary. Some have moved to CDs. The effectiveness of a particular channel – print or electronic – depends on the way stakeholders like to receive their information.

Bronwen Jones is a former print journalist who moved into financial public relations in 1987 and headed a small consultancy in Tokyo. She returned to New Zealand in late 1993 to do an MBA at Auckland University, became a principal in Cause and Effect then spent nearly five years as Group Manager Corporate Affairs for Ports of Auckland. She is currently an independent consultant specialising in stakeholder risk management and sustainability reporting.

ENDS

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