Neckarsulm, 27 August 2012 – Bechtle’s annual report was elected the best of all TecDAX companies by the German manager magazin. The award was presented on 23 August at the IHK event room in Frankfurt am Main. This is the second time that Bechtle has won the prestigious award after taking home first place in 2008. In the overall ranking of all 160 German companies in the competition, Bechtle came in 7th, making the top 10 for the first time.
This year marks the 18th survey conducted by the German manager magazin of the most important publicly traded German companies. After placing third in last year’s survey, the Neckarsulm based IT company once again has made it to the pinnacle among TecDAX listed companies. In addition to the actual content of the report, layout and linguistic style were among the distinguishing factors of the 236-page Bechtle AG financial report. According to the expert opinion of the survey team and the independent panel, the unique graphical design helped propel this year’s financial report to the top of the list.
Continuous improvement.
“Being awarded the top prize in this year’s survey attests to the high standard of quality that Bechtle’s financial reports have reached in recent years. Despite a growing number of high-quality reports, we’ve established ourselves in the elite group. It’s especially satisfying to know that we have been able to continuously improve upon our past performances in the most significant areas of evaluation. The result is a comprehensive and transparent financial report, which is continuously optimised and enhanced with our shareholders and stakeholders in mind,” explained Dr. Thomas Olemotz at the award ceremony. As the CEO of Bechtle AG, the 50-year-old is responsible for the department of investor relations and is also therefore responsible for the corporation’s financial communication. Prize winners of the other German stock indices include Adidas (DAX), ProSiebenSat.1 Media (MDAX), and H&R (SDAX).
Report with style.
Content, which was already the most important criterion of the survey, was weighted even heavier in 2012. The content quality of the reports made up approximately 75 per cent of the total grade. The design of the reports made up the remaining 25 per cent of the evaluation. Additionally, the panel evaluated the overall linguistic impression of the top four reports of each stock market segment. Dr. Thomas Olemotz: “An excellent report conveys important facts and figures in a clear and easily understood fashion, and clearly shows the company’s growth strategy, and at the same time gives insight into the company’s corporate culture. All involved in the production of the report have once again managed to highlight all the most important aspects of the company which demonstrate the unique profile of the Bechtle Group.”
Benchmarks in financial reporting.
The German manager magazin has been analysing financial reports of the most influential companies listed on the German stock market indices, DAX, MDAX, SDAX and TecDAX, since 1995. This year, the Hamburg based business magazine surveyed 160 financial reports. According to the magazine, that makes this survey the biggest of its kind in Germany and one of the biggest in the world. The best business reports are determined by professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Jörg Baetge from the University of Münster, Germany along with a panel of qualified experts. The design of the reports was evaluated by Gisela Grosse, professor for Corporate Design at the Münster University of Applied Sciences.
Editorial staff of the annual report: Bechtle AG, Investor Relations
Layout and design: W.A.F. Werbegesellschaft mbH, Berlin