Trends: Ethics Equals $$$

An index of companies deemed ethical by numerous sources has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 370% over five years, showing that organizations that live up to certain moral principles-or codes of conduct-are likely to be more profitable over time.

Created by Corpedia, which works in risk assessment and eLearning for ethics and compliance, the Ethics Index tracks the stock performance of publicly traded companies that are recognized for their corporate citizenship, ability to attract and retain employees, and sustainability practices.

The average five-year return on the Ethics Index was 102% compared with 26% for the S&P 500.

The results of the Ethics Index show consumer support for purchasing from companies that promote ethical practices.

According to the Ethisphere Council, key drivers of this profitability for Ethics Index companies include how loyal customers are and how strongly they identify themselves with a corporation's products and services.

Other key drivers include the ability to:

• Attract customers away from competitors
• Prevent its own customers from defecting
• Enter new markets
• Attract and retain superior workforce
• More easily obtain or develop proprietary intellectual property
• Offer new products and services to the same customer
• Command superior pricing

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Fighting for Ad Dollars

New research by The Kelsey Group indicates a gap between the sources to which home buyers turn to get information about real estate and the media that advertisers use to promote property for sale.

"This lag is not uncommon," says Neal Polachek, Kelsey Group senior vice president, advisory services, research and consulting. "Eyeballs move more quickly than ad dollars, and this is just another clear example. The question is, ‘how fast will ad dollars catch up with the shift in eyeballs?'"

Based on data from the Newspaper Association of America and The Kelsey Group's forecast, Kelsey analysts anticipate $7.75 billion was estimated to be spent on real estate classified advertising-offline and online-in 2006. Online listings, paid search, Internet newspaper and other online sources were estimated to drive the Internet ad share to 44.3% as the real estate transaction is more closely linked to financial and move-related services through consolidation.

"Clearly, the underlying buyer and seller trends suggest we are reaching a tipping point regarding the transition of ad dollars from offline media to online media," says Matt Booth, Kelsey Group senior vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media and Marketplaces.

Study findings include:
• Sellers turn first to newspapers (24%)
• Followed by signs (19%) to advertise real estate for sale
• Buyers turn equally to newspapers (30%) and online (30%).
• Younger generation-the most active real estate-buying age group (18- to 34-year-olds)-turns to online sources first
• Only a handful of home buyers-6%-used the Yellow Pages to find an agent

No Habla English, No Problema

Respuestas a sus preguntas sobre la inspeccion de la vivienda. Confused? Imagine how a prospective home buyer who only speaks Spanish feels when reading a typical home inspection report in English. Translated, the aforementioned phrase reads: Your home inspection questions answered. Now, thanks to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), learning about home inspections has never been easier-especially if you speak Spanish.

In an effort to provide home buyers and sellers with the information they need in a language they understand, ASHI has translated its Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics and general consumer brochure into Spanish.

"This is a step in the right direction," says Joe Corsetto, 2006 ASHI president. "We're removing the barriers for Spanish-speaking home buyers who previously may not have considered a home inspection."

For more information, visit www.ashi.org.

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