Ranking of Austrian Online CSR Reports

Results 2020: Palfinger - Integrated Annual Report 2019

For the ranking in each category (Strategic Approach, Open Information and User Orientation) click on the respective link below.

RankScoreAverageBest
1. STRATEGIC APPROACH1132.715.845.1
a. Were the material aspects identified according to the criteria of the GRI standard?147.46.09.3
b. Does the company take responsibility for its impact along the entire value chain?38.96.09.0
c. Does the corporate strategy include a management approach to all material topics?156.85.89.6
d. Are both harm reduction strategies and maximization of benefits pursued?185.75.68.7
e. Have appropriate structures and processes for sustainability management been set up and sufficiently presented in the report?263.94.89.0
2. OPEN INFORMATION1316.57.927.3
a. Does the report make clear and complete statements? (Key figures on all material topics, interpretation of development, definition/evaluation of goals)106.24.89.3
b. Is the report balanced? (positive / negative developments, solved / unresolved problems, etc.)155.14.58.7
c. Are internal and external stakeholders appropriately involved and are the relevant structures and processes disclosed?175.34.99.3
3. USER ORIENTATION1110.55.119.0
a. Is the report clearly structured according to the material topics?222.02.24.7
b. Is the text clear and precise, easy to understand and read?123.12.74.7
c. Is the visualization appealing and does it support the understanding of the content?122.72.44.7
d. Is the report user-friendly and are online features sufficiently utilized? (Target group specific approach, optional information, links, timeliness, interactivity etc.)72.71.85.0
TOTAL RANK & SCORE1159.751.691.4
PalfingerPalfinger

Recommendations:

(provided by students, how the company should improve its report)

I would recommend communicating in a clearer way how the company is structured and how each unit is supporting sustainability management.

Listing the stakeholders is done very well, this could be enhanced by visualizing them and showing their connection (although not necessary, an extra benefit)

The report is very creative, innovative and interactive. Maybe slightly too modern for my taste though. It took me a while to find out how to download the “actual” report. I can imagine that could be difficult for people who are not tech-savvy. I would recommend adding a short description to the overall visualization (world).

I would cut down some of the explanations, especially some bits about how they reach the SDGs is very, very long.

Integrating sustainability measures in the annual report is a first step. Still, Palfinger should consider putting more effort into an actual sustainability report in order to fulfill GRI standards on all levels in a more qualified way.

The report is well written. Still, I would recommend putting some effort into the creation of infographics in order to make it easier for stakeholders to grasp information.

The idea of an “i-report” is state of the art. Only basic information is given, which might not be sufficient for stakeholders. P’s “i-report” should not be implemented for publicity purposes but should provide factual and interesting information.

The online version is very interactive and nicely visualized. I would recommend adding a bit more information or direct links to subpages with more details.

The offline version on the other side is very extensive and might seem overwhelming for readers at first. Maybe it could be shortened on some parts, because 284 pages are too much for anyone to read and stay focused.

The globe and the menu in the online version confused me at first. Maybe a swipe through creation would help people to find their way around better. Although as it is, it is still very well made and very nicely visualized. The “burger” menu is state of the art as well.

More pictures and color could be added in the offline version. They only include big pictures in the beginning and then focus on the text but a mix up between the two would keep the reader interested for a longer time.

Palfinger needs better disclosed information on how CSR is implemented in the organization of the company, a decent organization chart showing the position of CSR in the company could be the start

The stakeholders relevant for Palfinger should be connected better to the material topics, a stakeholder matrix could add more insight on the dynamics and importance of different stakeholders

The report of Palfinger sometimes uses way to complex and long text passages to explain topics, the passages should hit the target more precisely so the reader has less trouble understanding what the company tries to communicate

Palfinger can and should implement more relevant visualizations and graphs, a lot of visual material is quite nice but the information content of these is sometimes is rather low (e.g. web application)

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