Global Stakeholder Report 2003 Shared Values?
The first world-wide stakeholder survey on non-financial reporting

Edited by ECC Kohtes Klewes GmbH and Fishburn Hedges Bonn and Londo
November 2003

This is the first empirical study of the attitudes and interests of the various stakeholder groups to corporate sustainability or CSR reporting. The variety of stakeholder groups and the complexity of communication needs they have are an immense challenge for corporate communications. Academic research in universities and other institutions acknowledges these difficulties but has so far not contributed to their solution. As communications consultancies working in this area on behalf of clients both ECC Kohtes Klewes and Fishburn Hedges
therefore considered it necessary to explore this subject in more depth.

Strategic and efficient communication needs a clear picture of its targets. In order to derive meaningful and relevant conclusions from the answers to this survey, the editors defined 22 stakeholder groups interested in CSR reporting alone.Their interests often diverge to such an extent that – from a communications viewpoint – a single report might seem a hopeless effort.

Yet these reports are being produced, by more companies and for more stakeholder groups.
The aim of the survey was to research central parameters of stakeholder satisfaction with a wide range of report types and to identify their pivotal expectations and demands. It was possible to analyse strengths and weaknesses of reports from a stakeholder viewpoint.This survey gives information on how expectations differ across stakeholder groups and to what degree companies already fulfil these expectations. In international comparisons some well-known reports could be evaluated and the role of some stakeholders could be examined. Finally it was possible to identify those elements that make a CSR report appear particularly successful (structure, length, form etc.).

This report in its English or German language version is protected by the common copyright of ECC Kohtes Klewes GmbH and Fishburn Hedges Ltd.The report is open to academic research but may otherwise neither be used complete nor in part for any commercial purposes of third parties. Quotations are allowed and welcome, subject to credit being given to both
copyright holders.

ECC Kohtes Klewes GmbH
Sustainability Practice
Kaiserstrasse 33
53113 Bonn
Germany
Telephone (+49-228) 91514-221
Fax (+49-228) 91514-302
E-mail: axel.klein@ecc-group.com
Internet: http://www.ecc-kohtes-klewes.com

Fishburn Hedges Ltd.
Corporate Responsibility Practice
77 Kingsway
London WC2B 6SR
Great Britain
Telephone (+44-20) 7839 4321
Fax (+44-20) 7242 4202
E-mail: martin.lejeune@fishburn-hedges.co.uk
Internet: http://www. fishburn-hedges.co.uk

Participants in this project:
Dr.Axel Klein (project lead ECC + generally), Martin Le Jeune (project
lead FH), Ragnar Fleischmann, Laura Noble,Andreas Steinert, Julia Wedel,
Julia Zangl

Date: November 2003

031209_ECC-FH_stakeholder_report.pdf