Data collection.SRI World Group has brought out a Web-based application See Web application. that it says is a boon Boon A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors. This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market rally and stock buybacks. Notes: to companies facing reams of questionnaires designed to give institutional investors Institutional Investor A non-bank person or organization that trades securities in large enough share quantities or dollar amounts that they qualify for preferential treatment and lower commissions. information about their environmental or social policies as criteria for investment. The SRI World Group CSR (1) (Customer Service Representative) A person who handles a customer's request regarding a bill, account changes or service or merchandise ordered. Agents in call centers are known as CSRs. See call center. Platform is "exclusively designed to compile, analyze and distribute information across and beyond departments of the corporation," the company says. "The results are lowered cost, higher efficiency, saved time and greater transparency." Major corporations have been bombarded in the past few years with as many as 30 to 40 annual information requests from different providers, says SRI World Group President Jay Falk. Most companies currently seeking such information are targeting money managers and institutional investors as end users, though some might also sell to brokers or financial planners Financial Planner A qualified investment professional who assists individuals and corporations meet their long-term financial objectives by analyzing the client's status and setting a program to achieve these goals. . "These surveys arrive in different formats; some are on paper, some are Web-based," Falk said in an interview. "They go to different people at different desks, and they're answered differently. The overlap is substantial. We've heard the term 'survey fatigue' as a result." SRI's product has three aims, he says: consolidating the requests for nonfinancial information; wrapping the requests into a form that makes it easier for a company to collect; and providing data back to marketplace. "All of the organizations are asking about environmental issues," Falk adds. "We want the product to be more focused on real fundamental research and analysis, rather than simply on activism." About 50 companies have been involved in a beta test A test of new or revised hardware or software that is performed by users at their facilities under normal operating conditions. Beta testing follows alpha testing. Vendors of packaged software often offer their customers the opportunity of beta testing new releases or versions, and the of the product, Falk says, mentioning major U.S. firms such as Citigroup, Dell Inc. and Nike Inc., as well as foreign multinationals such as British Telecom The telephone and communications carrier that provides services in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It used to be a division of the British Post Office, but was privatized in 1984 under Margaret Thatcher's administration. (BT), Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Alcan Inc. and Vodafone Group. The price for an annual license is expected to run about $15,000 to $25,000 for most corporations, Falk said. Web: www.sriworld.com |
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