Avusa is actively engaged in a variety of industry bodies, including the World Association of Newspapers, Print Media South Africa, the Newspaper Association of South Africa, the Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa, the Southern African Federation Against Copyright Theft, the National Organisation for Reproduction Rights in Music in Southern Africa, the Recording Industry of South Africa, the South African Music Performance Rights Association, the Publishing Association of South Africa, the South African Booksellers’ Association and the International Map Trade Association, through funding and by the leading roles of Avusa executive and business unit management in these industry bodies.
The chairman and executive directors regularly engage with major shareholders, institutional investors, analysts and the media when presenting the group’s interim and annual results. Group operations have their own programmes in place to inform stakeholders on material issues.
Financial results are published in the press, and delivered to shareholders. Shareholders have been offered the opportunity to receive financial results electronically. Shareholders are encouraged to attend the annual general meeting of the company. The financial results are also provided on the company’s website.
Avusa has a share-care line to address shareholder queries. There were still numerous certificated shareholders at 31 March 2011. Shareholders are reminded that they are unable to deal in their Avusa shares unless the shares are dematerialised.
Avusa encourages as many shareholders as possible to receive annual and interim financial reports electronically, rather than in paper form through the mail. The electronic service offers shareholders an opportunity to receive company documentation in a user-friendly form while reducing costs and the consumption of natural resources. Shareholders who wish to take advantage of this service are kindly requested to complete the electronic reporting election form at the back of this annual report.
Once registered to receive electronic information, shareholders receive an email notification each time Avusa releases annual and interim financial reports. This notification will direct shareholders to the appropriate page on Avusa’s website to view the documents concerned. The company will review extending the ambit of providing electronic documentation to shareholders in compliance with the new Companies Act.