What does the term

Investor Awareness speaks directly to the effectiveness of a company's efforts to stimulate demand by putting its stock on the radar screen of as many investors as possible. If a company has "good" or "strong investor awareness," then it's likely that the company is engaged in a variety of activities and initiatives designed to increase awareness in the investment community.  If a company has "poor" or "weak investor awareness," then it's likely that the company is not engaged in many of the activities and strategies used to create visibility.

What is the Investor Awareness Index (The Index)?

The Investor Awareness Index is a unique resource that provides insight into the comprehensiveness and effecitveness of a company's efforts to generate awareness for its stock within the investment community. The Index helps people understand how effective a company is in getting its stock on the radar screen of the investment community.

Is this a free service?

Yes.

What criteria is used to help comprise each company’s score and/or that can help create awareness within the investment community?

The scoring criteria looks at a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures for determining the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of a company's efforts to engage the investment community.  These criteria include the amount of institutional holders, the number of sell-side analysts covering the company, the amount of media coverage they get, the employment of a dedicated investor relations or communications officer or similar agency, and the use of Web 2.0 initiatives to enhance the distribution of company news and content, to name just a few.

What happens after a company representative registers and submits answers to the Investor Awareness Index Questionnaire?

The Index will begin verifying the provided answers.

What happens if all of the answers that comprise the scoring can be verified?

Once all of the answers are verified, a score is calculated and the company representative that filled out the questionnaire will be notified via email of the company's score. The email will include instructions for requesting the Official Scoring Logo, which can be freely placed on a company's website, in press releases, in company profiles, in newsletters, in RSS feeds, in internal communications, and on other company literature.

Concurrent with this email, the company name, trading symbol, score, and report (accessible by clicking on the company's score) will be listed on one of the Investor Awareness Indexes according to its market capitalization, along with the names, trading symbols, and scores of other companies. 

What is the Investor Awareness Index Scoring Logo?

The Investor Awareness Index Scoring Logo is a combination of The Index's official logo and the score the company received from The Index. The Scoring Logo contains an embedded link to The Index and contains the words "Click to Verify Score or Visit www.InvestorAwarenessIndex.com" so users can quickly access The Index to verify a company's score.

How can the Scoring Logo be used?

Once a company's score is posted on the Investor Awareness Index, the company can promote its score by freely placing the official Investor Awareness Index Scoring Logo on its Web site, in press releases, in company profiles, in newsletters, in RSS feeds, in internal communications, and on other company literature. Also, the score a company receives from the Investor Awareness Index may be a useful tool to IR and PR firms, analyst and research firms, investment advisors, and financial and investment-related Web sites. For details about the different ways your score can be utilized, please visit our Benefits and Uses page.

I received my company's score. How do I find out the areas in which my company can show improvement?

The email containing your company's score will contain a link to the various components that contribute to each company's score on the Investor Awareness Index and/or that can help create awareness within the investment community.

What happens if a company representative abandons the questionnaire before pressing

Responses will be saved for 48 hours in the event a company representative does not submit the questionnaire or wants to resume answering questions at a later time.  The questionnaire will be unavailable to all other representatives of the same company for 48 hours.  During the 48 hour period, the verification process does not begin.  If, after 48 hours, the questionnaire is not completed, the process must restart. 
 

Can a company's score appear on The Index even if the company never submitted a questionnaire?

Yes. The Investor Awareness Index includes both publicly traded companies that have requested a score by filling out a questionnaire and companies The Index has chosen to score on its own. Should a company representative not agree to the terms of use or not submit the questionnaire, The Index may eventually score the company on its own and the company's name and score may ultimately appear in The Index.

How are a company's answers verified?

The Index employs an independent research approach and utilizes multiple sources to verify answers.

How is a company's score calculated?

Each company's score is a result of The Index's proprietary combined weighting of criteria.

How often are a company's answers re-validated after its score is posted?

Company answers will be re-validated no more than six months after its score is posted on The Index. The Investor Awareness Index will recalculate a company's score if it determines that there have been changes to the answers. If a company's score is modified, the company representative who last filled out the questionnaire will be notified that the company's score has been updated, and the revised score will be posted.

Can a company resubmit answers to the questionnaire?

Yes. A company may resubmit answers in order to receive a modified score.

How often can a company resubmit answers?

A company may resubmit its answers 30 days after the company's name and score are first posted on The Index.  The second time, 30 days after answers have been verified and the company's modified score or unchanged score is re-posted on The Index, and so on.  For example, a representative submits answers for the first time on September 1.  Answers are verified on September 7.  The company's name and score are posted on September 8.  A company representative may resubmit answers on October 8.  Answers are verified by October 10 and the company's score is re-posted on October 10.  A company representative may resubmit answers again on November 9.  There is no guaranteed minimum or maximum amount of time to verify answers.

How many times can a company resubmit the questionnaire?

Currently, there is no limit to the number of resubmissions.

Will the Investor Awareness Index post a company's original score and its new score?

No. The Index will only post a company's latest score.

How long must a company wait to receive its score?

The verification process may be completed in as little as 72 hours, but can take longer if The Index cannot verify the submitted answers. If certain answers cannot be verified, the company representative that supplied the answers may be notified via email with instructions and details regarding how to help The Index confirm the answers.

How can information contained in The Index be used?

One of the main uses of the Investor Awareness Index is that it offers investors an additional tool that can augment the investment research process. Scores and information presented on www.InvestorAwarenessIndex.com can help support investment decisions and can be incorporated into the various models or theories investors use when assessing an investment opportunity. For more details, visit our Benefits and Uses page.

Is a company's score on the Investor Awareness Index a reflection of its stock price or its revenues?

No. Company scores on the Investor Awareness Index are not based on and are not a reflection of a company's actual performance, stock price, trading volume, management team, balance sheet, share structure, cash flow, revenues, or any of the other factors that have typically influenced investors' decisions. 

How do I receive updated information from The Index?

The Investor Awareness Index currently enables users to sign up for its email newsletter and subscribe to its RSS feed so they can stay abreast of the latest content.

What is the best way to contact the Investor Awareness Index?

Email is the best way to contact The Index. For a list of department contacts, please visit our Contact Us page.