REPUTATION, REPUTATION, REPUTATION; GREENWASHING ALERT

REPUTATION, REPUTATION, REPUTATION; GREENWASHING ALERT

Welcome to this week’s business and media intelligence update.

REPUTATION, REPUTATION, REPUTATION 

Along with most other airlines in the world, Qantas has had a tough few months courtesy of Covid-related issues that have resulted in major disruptions, from cancelled flights and stranded passengers to huge airport queues and lost baggage.

The Flying Kangaroo’s reputation has been tarnished in the process, prompting suggestions in The Guardian that perhaps it should be re-nationalised given that “chaos has now come to define the passenger experience of Australia’s once-vaunted national carrier.”

It’s an interesting idea, but would such a move solve the airline’s reputational issues and make passengers proud of it once more? Or is it a case, as the formidable Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy warned the fiery Miss Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: “My good opinion once lost, is lost forever.”

GREENWASHING ALERT 

Ethical investing might be becoming more popular, but superannuation and managed fund operators have been put on notice about “greenwashing” investors.

The Financial Services Council (FSC) and other watchdogs including ASIC and the ACCC are on the lookout for ethical funds using misleading marketing messages about how they will achieve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) aims.

To help funds avoid accusations of “greenwashing”, the FSC has released guidelines that it hopes will provide certainty for consumers when it comes to the credibility of net-zero or ESG claims.

QUIET QUITTING  

A new workplace phenomenon is trending on (of all places) TikTok and has garnered 2.6 million views.

It’s called “quiet quitting”, an idea that’s not about handing in your resignation but more about “quitting the idea of going above and beyond” at work.

Some experts say the trend has emerged in response to Covid-19, which seems to have prompted many workers to re-evaluate their life purpose.

RESULTS SEASON IS FINALLY HERE! 

Most listed companies spend a fair bit of time focusing on investors during reporting season – as they should. But don’t forget your old friends in the media!

Consultant Aileen Bodart distils key insights from a discussion Cannings had with The Australian Financial Review’s Markets Reporter, Tom Richardson, on what the media look for in companies’ ASX statements, key themes for this season and top tips for preparing earnings results.

Read Aileen’s piece here.


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