PR Newswire Offers Innovative New Service to Assist Public Companies in Complying with Expected SEC Guidance on Disclosure Requirements Relating to the Impacts of Climate Change

NEW YORK, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its extensive set of corporate disclosure and online engagement services, PR Newswire today launched an innovative new tool called CSR Room that enables organizations to easily create and manage dedicated web pages to showcase corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and while also supporting compliance with SEC requirements relating to the impacts of climate change.  

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On January 27th, 2010, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to issue interpretive guidance on existing SEC disclosure requirements, which is expected to shed light on four categories of climate change-related developments that may trigger disclosure requirements: (i) the impact of legislation and regulation; (ii) the impact of international accords; (iii) the indirect consequences of regulation or business trends; and (iv) the physical impacts of climate change.

To help public companies comply with the disclosure requirements included in this guidance and improve communication around sustainability programs, PR Newswire offers a number of different services including: traditional press release distribution; SEC document preparation and filing services; a social media monitoring service which tracks conversations in blogs, Twitter and other social networks; and the brand new CSR Room service.

"Many companies already have begun to disclose information regarding climate change-related developments through such vehicles as press releases, sustainability reports and corporate website postings, but the anticipated SEC guidance will hopefully give companies some clarity on what developments they should be disclosing as a result of climate change," said Susan McPherson, vice president, business development, PR Newswire.  "PR Newswire's distribution, monitoring, and engagement services provide a complete solution for public companies to communicate with media, investors, CSR-focused audiences and the general public and comply with the SEC climate change-related disclosure requirements in a timely, relevant manner.  With the launch of the CSR Room service, both public and private organizations can now more easily communicate their efforts on environmental and social issues to audiences and further raise the profile of their CSR initiatives."

A 2009 report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, CSR Trends 3, found that while 75% of companies surveyed included CSR information on their websites, only 40% drew attention to this information with a tab on the main menu.  PR Newswire developed its CSR Room service to meet this underserved need by providing organizations with an easy-to-use platform for building and managing CSR-focused web sites that can become the beacon for their corporate citizenship initiatives.

Built upon the same award-winning technology as PR Newswire's MediaRoom platform, CSR Room's user friendly content management system enables those directly involved in a company's CSR efforts to manage and update all aspects of the CSR page without the need for IT skills or support.  Users can modify the display and flow of information and provide access to a wide array of communications content and tools, including news and event updates, photos and videos, and forms for making charitable contributions.  Plus, CSR Room integrates with an organization's overall website maintaining the same look and feel and giving the visitor a seamless experience.

Further, CSR Room clients can maximize engagement with stakeholders by incorporating SEO and social media tools, including "calls-to-action" for enabling individuals to get involved in specific efforts and become part of the community.  Additionally, CSR Room users can extend the visibility of their programs by leveraging PR Newswire's CSR Wire distribution to reach influential people in the CSR community as well as media, bloggers and the general public.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the global leader in innovative communications and marketing services, enabling organizations to connect and engage with their target audiences worldwide.

Through its multi-channel distribution network, audience intelligence, targeting, measurement and compliance services, PR Newswire helps corporations and organizations conduct rich, timely and dynamic dialogues with the media, consumers, policymakers, investors and the general public, in support of building brands, generating awareness, impacting public policy, driving sales, and raising capital.

Pioneering the commercial news distribution industry 55 years ago, PR Newswire connects customers with audiences in more than 170 countries and in over 40 languages through an unparalleled network of offices in 16 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and via unique affiliations with the leading news agencies across the globe.  PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), a leading global business media company that serves professional commercial communities around the world.  For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

Media Contacts:

Rachel Meranus, Vice President, Communications, PR Newswire at +1.201.360.6776 or [email protected]

SOURCE PR Newswire Association LLC