Answer to “Open Letter to the Editor of the Financial Times”

Thursday, November 04, 2004

RE: Bias in FT/Hallvarsson & Halvarsson 2004 Webranking

On the same day as the results of Webranking 2004 were published in the Financial Times, we received a letter from one of our competitors, questioning the impartiality and transparency of Webranking 2004. Below you can see our answer:

Dear Sir:
Dominic Jones questions the impartiality and transparency of the study and argues that the Webranking is biased in favour to our clients. Dominic Jones operates IR Web Report, owned by the web consultancy Blunn & Company and Clarity! Communications.

It is true that the buyers of last year’s Webranking rank high on the ranking list. 13 of the top 20 in the list bought the report last year. The fact that the buyers of last year’s report score high in the study is more a consequence of interest, ambition and of course also resources. Even if 25 percent of the items in the protocol are changed from last year, the 2003 protocol is a good guide to what the financial market people consider essential on a corporate website.

The Webranking study is as objective as it can be. The survey is based on an annual questionnaire responded to by analysts, investors and business journalists from all over Europe on their Internet preferences. The results are converted to a test protocol with 111 criteria, covering technology, interactivity and content. Our researchers are especially recruited and only work with this survey. Each website is audited at least twice by different persons. More information on the study can be found on www.webranking.nu.

Some of the top companies are our clients, which also is disclosed in the Financial Times articles. Webranking 2004 is the eighth edition and we have sold hundreds of reports during the years. I would like to believe that Hallvarsson & Halvarsson with these annual rankings has contributed to the improved standard of corporate communication on Internet in Europe, being significantly better than in the United States according to Dominic Jones/IR Web Report’s own audits.

IR Web Report and Hallvarsson & Halvarsson both have to carefully consider impartiality and transparency in research methodology. We are both advising clients on improving their corporate websites based on Best practice surveys.

Dominic Jones and we have reached slightly different results in our audits/rankings. Webranking 2004 is based on the European financial communication culture, which differs from the North American culture. There are for instance differences in reporting (in the United States through SEC and the Edgar database) and interactivity. Our study is based on investor professionals’ views, in contrast to the consultants’ views in IR Web Report’s audits.

The prime purpose with the Webranking is as an instrument for feedback to the companies. They can buy a tailor-made report with the details of the study, their own detailed results, our individualized comments and a CD with "Best Practice" for all the items in the protocol.

Best regards
Gabriel Thulin
Head of research
Hallvarsson&Halvarsson AB