In his speech at the IABC workshop 'Reinventing Communication' Jim Shaffer, principal at human resources consulting firm Towers Perrin, said communicators "need to be
focused on improving business performance around the things that matter to the company, like cost and quality of service. If the communication people don't deliver, the
leadership is going to find somebody who will."
Although CEOs acknowledge the Internet's impact on their corporate reputation, less than half of the 600 execs surveyed by Yankelovich Partners have a strategy for
managing reputation on the Web. Only 11% of corporate chiefs regularly check the Net to find out what is being said about their company.
PR firm Morgan&Myers purchases the assets of marketing firm Sargent & Potratz and combines all staff and services. The firm will operate as Morgan&Myers.
Hill and Knowlton opens a new office in the "technology corridor" of Northern Virginia to better serve its technology and telecom clients.
Lisa Kovitz leaves Cairns & Associates to join Burson-Marsteller as managing director of its consumer brands specialty group...Henry Gomez, formerly VP of corporate
affairs with HBO, joins eBay as its first VP of corporate communications...Pharmaceutical company Alpharma names David Jackson VP of investor relations...Cheryl Budd is named
senior VP of corporate communications for ANC Rental Corp.
