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Improving Sustainability: A New Tool to Increase Corporate Transparency

Improving Sustainability: A New Tool to Increase Corporate Transparency

Published 12-16-08

Submitted by ASSET4

ZUG, SWITZERLAND. - December 16, 2008 "“ ASSET4 AG, the leading provider of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) information, today announced that it has just released its assetmasterExecutive(TM) solution, which enables corporate executives, board members, CSR managers, investor relations and corporate communication professionals to quickly and easily monitor their company's ESG performance and that of their peers.

In response to changing economic conditions and demands of long-term investors and other stakeholders, corporate executives are now analysing an expanded set of competitive parameters that include their carbon footprint, board independence and employee satisfaction for example. Today, executives must understand whether their performance in these and other extra-financial areas will enhance their ability to attract long-term investment or instead increase their level of overall enterprise risk. During this analysis they must answer a number of new questions, such as:

  • How is your response to climate change perceived by investors?
  • Are your policies about workers' rights in developed and emerging countries giving you an edge or creating a reputational risk?
  • Are you implementing best practices in the area of corporate governance?
  • Is your level of transparency sufficient to ensure the trust of all stakeholders?
The assetmasterExecutive solution, which accesses ASSET4's world's largest database of objective and transparent ESG information, provides users answers to these questions and many more. With one click of the mouse users can monitor default configurations that contain 80 extra-financial key performance indicators (KPIs) with which to monitor their company and its peers. One configuration for example enables users to benchmark their performance against the Global Reporting Initiative standard. In addition, within each standard or customised benchmark best practices are identified for each KPI enabling users to see where they are a leader and where a laggard. Benchmarks can include any of the over 2300 companies covered by ASSET4.

"Corporate social responsibility has become an integral element to the business vocabulary of today's leading executives because they understand that extra-financial issues play a fundamental role in their companies’ long-term success," said Peter Ohnemus, ASSET4 CEO and President. "Having the ability to monitor and benchmark their extra-financial performance with one click of the mouse changes the game. While many executives may be aware of how their own company is performing in some of these areas, having instant access to the history of that performance and being able to see how other companies in their industry, sector or simply model companies in other fields are performing in direct comparison to their performance is unique. We believe that assetmasterExecutive can give corporate executives, board members and investor relations professionals a new tool to help them better understand and better communicate these issues to all stakeholders and better prepare them for the new business and regulatory reality that will be emerging in the months and years to come."

To watch a short film describing the benefits and features of the assetmasterExecutive system, click on www.asset4.com/video/ame.

ASSET4
ASSET4 has the world's largest database of transparent, objective and auditable environmental, social and governance (ESG) information.

Professional investors use our database and analysis tools for a variety of applications such as positive and negative screening, compliance monitoring and integration of ESG into their investment analysis. This enables them to systematically engage with companies, improve investment performance, reduce risk and lower research costs.

Corporate executives, investor relations, CSR managers and corporate communication professionals have one-click access to ESG benchmarking and best-in-class tracking and evaluation capabilities. This enables companies to reduce enterprise risk, enhance corporate governance and increase accountability, transparency and trust, while at the same time improving communications with long-term investors and other stakeholders.

ASSET4 has 240 employees and is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland with locations in London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Mauritius and India. It is a proud signatory of the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment. For more information, please visit www.asset4.com.

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ASSET4

ASSET4

ASSET4 has the world’s largest database of transparent, objective and auditable environmental, social and governance (ESG) information. Professional investors use our database and analysis tools for a variety of applications such as positive and negative screening, compliance monitoring and integration of ESG into their investment analysis. This enables them to systematically engage with companies, improve investment performance, reduce risk and lower research costs. Corporate executives, investor relations, CSR managers and corporate communication professionals have one-click access to ESG benchmarking and best-in-class tracking and evaluation capabilities. This enables companies to reduce enterprise risk, enhance corporate governance and increase accountability, transparency and trust, while at the same time improving communications with long-term investors and other stakeholders. ASSET4 has 240 employees and is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland with locations in London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Mauritius and India. It is a proud signatory of the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment. For more information, please visit www.asset4.com.

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