SCA wins Financial Times annual web evaluation – Webranking 2004
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Wednesday, November 03, 2004
As presented in today’s issue of Financial Times, the best European corporate web site belongs to the Swedish pulp, paper and hygiene products producer Svenska Cellulosa AB (SCA). SCA scores 89 points, the highest score ever recorded in the four-year history of the European Webranking.
Last year’s winner Stora Enso was a narrow second with 88.25 points, although it has improved its web site substantially. TPG from the Netherlands is third with 82 points, a big improvement from #15 in Webranking 2003.
The overall standards are highest in Central and Northern Europe but the greatest improvements have been made in Southern Europe. The real climbers are the Italian insurance company RAS on #5 and a score of 81 points and #6 Repsol YPF from Spain with 80.25. RAS was ranked as #63 last year and Repsol YPF as #139. Both companies are examples of how a great ambition and of course also resources allocated to the web site makes a difference.
The survey states that the quality of the websites of the 157 largest companies in Europe has continued to improve from last year’s study, even though the test protocol has been sharpened since last year. The average rose from 55.4 to 58 points.
The corporate websites of the Nordic companies still have the highest averages, closely followed by German and Swiss companies. But the improvements are most evident among Italian and Spanish corporate web sites, even if many companies there still have a long way to go to reach a level that suits the investor professionals. The lowest average is accounted for by Russian companies, even though these companies give ground for that an all European web standard is forming for ameliorating the communication with the international capital markets.
A falling score does not mean that a corporate website is worse off than a year ago. The test protocol is strengthened year by year, introducing new features, toughening the definitions in the criteria and scrapping items which have become almost mandatory features. The number of criteria also increased 2004 to 111, from 99 last year. This year the protocol puts a higher emphasis on corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and creditor relations.
The test protocol is based on a questionnaire responded by 147 analysts, investors and business journalists from all over Europe. Some aspects for the ordinary shareholder using the Internet are also included. A website competing in the top of the Webranking cannot have any weak sides of importance. A winning website must for instance have a complete archive for reports, a good section for corporate governance, usable interactive functions.
For more information on Webranking 2004 please visit www.webranking.eu. or call
Andreas Johansson, project manager, +46-8 87 112 68,
Tove Håkansson, researcher, +46-8 587 112 78,
Humla Törd, researcher, +46-8 587 112 75,
Press release with appendix (PDF)
Complete ranking list