Seems that more companies are using their homepage to grab visitors. I found this to be the case for Italy based UniCredit Group.
UniCredit packs the homepage with effective content–
- Right on top are hard to miss testimonials. These are one of the most effective methods to establish credibility.
- Access to press releases and news is available.
- Share price and chart.
- At the bottom, a series of links to what the company is doing to help clients and strengthen their financial base.
- And finally a link to one of the best “at a glance” sections I have seen.
Well done. Next the About Us page–
Before getting to the comprehensive About US menu on the upper left, you see a strong corporate statement and a signed CEO letter. This is another effective website technique–prominently displaying the top manager with a short message enhances the the idea that the company is interested in the needs of visitors.
Next a visit to additional sections of About Us. I found the Values section to be unique —
Items of note–
- Note the value chain of linking values to stakeholders, first time I have seen this technique
- Integrity is a key element of the Values proposition
Also on this page is a further explanation regarding how the Values are related to stakeholder groups.
The Integrity Charter, as noted, is amply used in the discussion of Values. On The Integrity Charter page is —
With the aim to guarantee the proper application of the Integrity Charter, we have designed the Restorative Justice System. This System promotes individual responsibility and the voluntary resolution of matters between parties and it is supported by a Groupwide “Ombudsman” network that works to resolve matters in which the Values of the Integrity Charter may have been compromised.
The Ombudsmen are internal appointees completely independent who report directly to the Group’s Chairman, and they are responsible for assessing the validity of the claims in each case.
Every year all people who work for UniCredit Group are involved in the Integrity Charter Day, the annual Group event devoted to remember and discuss about the importance of the Integrity Charter and of its implications in every day working life.
Note the Ombudsman approach and the Integrity Charter Day. Now that is how to implement integrity. The Integrity Charter is only available as a PDF but is well worth a read. Within this document is a benchmark display of associating values and integrity to stakeholder groups–
I’ve seen enough and am ready to do business with UniCredit Group.
Ed Konczal has an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business (with distinction). He has spent the last 10 years as an executive consultant focusing on human resources, leadership, market research, and business planning. Ed has over 10 years of top-level experience from AT&T in the areas of new ventures and business planning. He is co-author of the book "Simple Stories for Leadership Insight," published by University Press of America.
