The ‘10 Steps’ strategy described here should cover the needs of most SRI analysts and should, over time, enable companies to take full control of the SRI communications process and timetable.
However, it is unlikely that a company’s whole SRI communications process can be migrated immediately onto this framework.
Also, companies should remain willing to respond to ad hoc requests and single-issue engagements by SRI analysts if:
- Environmental or social events (such as major accidents or significant technology developments) occur that may have investable outcomes
- The analyst concerned can make a compelling case why their request should be answered outside the company’s own defined timetable
To make the process of responding to ad hoc enquiries as efficient as possible, companies should:
- Publish contact points for SRI
- Know how to prioritise between different investor types
- Know which SRI agencies are important
- Know which questionnaires to answer and which to ignore
- Follow four simple tips
- Be aware of the calendar of key SRI dates
