BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey, September 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- 87 Percent of Investor Relations Professionals Believe Communications
Technology Helps Organizations Achieve Business and Environmental Goals

Eighty-seven percent of investor relations professionals say they believe
companies can improve long-term shareholder value through better carbon
management -- reducing emissions that affect the environment -- and that
communications technologies can help companies achieve their overall
corporate social responsibility goals.

Those are among the key findings of a new study conducted by Verizon
Business and IR magazine. It investigated the drivers -- governmental,
regulatory, stakeholder or financial -- that are pushing environmental
concerns to the top of the investor relations agenda, and identified how
these concerns are affecting overall investor relations practices.

The report, which drew 150 responses from IR magazine's global
readership, found that investor relations professionals are increasingly
interested in new communications tools that can help reduce a corporation's
energy usage and overall carbon footprint.

Roberta Mackintosh, executive director of global voice, unified
communications and collaboration at Verizon Business, said, "This study shows
the increasing weight that investor relations professionals are giving to
climate-change issues. Verizon Business sees a tremendous opportunity and
responsibility to help our customers work smarter. We can help them make
better use of technologies to work more efficiently for their business and
for the environment.

"We know that collaboration is a key driver of overall business
performance; this study suggests that using collaborative technologies as
part of an overall carbon management strategy also makes good business
sense," Mackintosh added.

Other findings by the study include:

-- Sixty percent of the respondents say corporate social responsibility
(CSR) concerns affected their decision to use technology to achieve business
efficiencies - perhaps not surprising since fifty percent also say that
senior management are the key drivers of carbon reduction and broader CSR
initiatives.

-- Seventy-one percent are already using audio/video and Web conferencing
technologies to communicate with stakeholders, and indicate the use of
technology to complement face-to-face meetings looks to become increasingly
important as companies operate on a global stage.

-- About twenty-five percent are already using technology to communicate
with a closed interest group such as financial analysts.

-- Twenty-one percent use conferencing to communicate with broad interest
groups such as private shareholders.

-- Forty-five percent say that shareholders are increasingly engaged in
overall CSR policy, and forty-three percent already include carbon-reduction
measures as a key part of overall CSR policies.

[A podcast outlining content from a webinar, "Collaborative Technologies
to Enhance your CSR and Carbon Reduction Initiatives," hosted by IR Magazine
and with speakers from Verizon Business, Webex and PURE, is available at
http://www.podtech.net/home/5352/study-links-carbon-management-with-sharehold
er-value. (please copy and paste URL into browser)
The IR magazine study overview is available at
www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/irmagazine.pdf.]

Investor Professionals Increasingly Focus on Carbon Issues

An increasing number of investor organizations are now focusing on carbon
foot-printing. The Carbon Disclosure Project, a nonprofit organization that
represents 385 institutional investors with combined assets of more than
US$57 trillion, including Allianz, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and
Verizon, seeks annual reports from the world's largest companies regarding
the business implications of climate change. In addition, many of the world's
most influential institutional investors are also now signatories to the
Principles for Responsible Investment.

Phil Wolski, a fundraiser at the London-based charity PURE Clean Planet
Trust UK(i) notes that, "A lot of companies are surprised to learn that 95
percent of their shareholders are Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
signatories." As the CDP embarks on a global carbon mapping process, the
corporations that it deals with increasingly have to explain their strategies
for dealing with climate-change risk.

Verizon Business is one of the world's largest providers of audio, video
and web conferencing services, delivered as part of a portfolio of
integrated, network-based IP communication applications and collaboration
services. IP networks provide a foundation for unified communications and
collaboration to help multinational organisations achieve higher levels of
productivity, helping people and companies work smarter.

About IR Magazine

IR magazine is the only global publication focused on the interface
between companies and their investors. In addition, IR magazine hosts 15
annual awards ceremonies, conferences and roundtable events throughout the
world. Visit www.thecrossbordergroup.com for more information.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), operates
the world's most connected public IP network and uses its industry-leading
global-network capabilities to offer large-business and government customers
an unmatched combination of security, reliability and speed. The company
integrates advanced IP communications and information technology (IT)
products and services to deliver leading enterprise solutions including
managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional
services. These solutions power innovation and enable the company's customers
to do business better. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

(i) Registered Charity (No. 1112249)

Web site: http://www.verizonbusiness.com
              http://www.thecrossbordergroup.com
              http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/irmagazine.pdf