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Industry Executives and Financial Analysts Rank Leadership Abilities of Pharmaceutical CEOs in Annual Rating Research Reputation Study

Executives, Analysts View Merck, Bayer, Others Dramatically Differently

Bedminster, N.J. (5 November 2003) - Senior industry executives and financial analysts rank the CEO leadership effectiveness of 19 leading pharmaceutical companies considerably differently, according to the results of the second annual reputation study of the industry, conducted by Rating Research LLC (RRC), the leading reputation rating agency. The study involved hundreds of telephone interviews with industry senior executives and financial analysts in the first quarter of 2003, resulting in over 1,000 company profiles.

Pharmaceutical Industry – CEO Rankings

“It seems clear from the findings that industry executives and financial analysts evaluate pharmaceutical CEOs through a very different lens,” said Dory Gasorek, RRC principal and Rating Committee Chair. “Executives correlate CEO effectiveness with their perceptions of a company’s overall management team, whether the corporation is well positioned for the future and has a clear strategic direction, among other reputation components we ask respondents.”

In contrast Gasorek notes, “Analysts appear more impacted by the perception of a company’s financial disclosure practices, coupled with the effectiveness of its communications with the financial community, in addition to being well positioned for the future.”

RRC is a joint venture partner between The Ratrix Group and Opinion Research Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCI).