â–¶ Twitter Tops List as Fortune 100’s Most-Used Social Media Platform: A study released in June 2009 by ÜBERCEO revealed that Fortune 100 CEOs were overwhelmingly absent in social media—a complete contrast to a new report released by Burson-Marsteller and Proof Digital Media, which looked at the social media use of Fortune 100 companies (as opposed to just their CEOs) and found that, as a whole, most were active on three key platforms: Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Among the specific findings:
• 54% of Fortune 100 companies actively use Twitter, making it the platform of choice; in comparison, 32% maintain blogs and 29% have active Facebook fan pages;
• For those companies actively using just one platform, an overwhelming majority—76%—chose Twitter over Facebook and blogs;
• 94% of Fortune 100 Twitter accounts are used to distribute company news updates and announcements; 67% at least partially serve a customer service function; 57% promote deals and contests; and 11% promote job openings/tips for applying to a position; and,
• The average number of Twitter followers for all Fortune 100 company accounts is 5,234 and the median is 674 followers—the discrepancy is due to outliers at either end of the spectrum.
Source: Burson-Marsteller and Proof Digital Media
â–¶ Choosing Your Words Wisely: A survey of 150 senior executives from the nation’s 1,000 largest companies, conducted by Accountemps, posed the question, “What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?” Among the responses:
• Leverage
• Reach out
• It is what it is
• Viral
• Game-changer
• Disconnect
• Value-add
• Circle back
• Socialize
• Interface
• Cutting-edge
These are given in comparison a similar survey conducted by Accountemps in 2004, in which executives cited the following as the most annoying buzzwords/phrases:
• At the end of the day
• Synergy
• Solution
• Think outside the box
• On the same page
• Customer-centric
Source: Accountemps
â–¶ Execs Anticipate an Increase in Corporate Fraud and Misconduct: In the midst of the recession and an increasingly stringent regulatory environment, executives expect to see an increase in instances of fraud and misconduct within their organizations, according to a survey conducted by KPMG. Among the findings:
• 32% of respondents expect an increase in fraud/misconduct in one of three categories: financial reporting, asset misappropriation or “another illegal or unethical act”;
• Respondents cited inadequate controls (66%) and management override of controls (47%) as the top enablers of fraud and misconduct;
• 71% said the potential loss of public trust was their top concern, were fraud or misconduct to be revealed in their organizations;
• 67% believe improvements in communication and training are necessary to prevent/detect and respond to wrongdoings; 65% cited technology-driven techniques including auditing and monitoring, and 60% cited fraud risk management assessments;
• 27% admitted that their organizations did not fully understand how to conduct investigations, and at what point the board of directors should be alerted to potential concerns; and,
• 33% said they lacked protocols on how to remedy control breakdowns.
Source: KPMG
â–¶ Friends, Enemies or Simply Co-Workers? A survey developed by OfficeTeam shed light on managers’ feelings about being “friended” on Facebook by colleagues and employees. Specifically:
• 48% are uncomfortable with being friended by the employees they manage;
• 47% are uncomfortable with being friended by their boss;
• 41% aren’t comfortable with being friended by coworkers, 50% with clients and 62% with vendors.
Source: OfficeTeam