Independence and integrity are at the heart of Ovum's core values. It is very important to us that we behave, and are seen to behave, with complete independence. And above all, our clients need to know that our advice had not been influenced by any vendor or supplier.
Our Independence Charter sets out precisely what Ovum means by 'independence', so that our customers can be confident that they are receiving truly independent advice. Our analysts and consultants have signed up to the Charter, which sets out the five principles of independent behaviour and the explicit steps we take to enforce them:
» Ovum does not publicly endorse vendors and service providers or their products and services
» Ovum's research is completely independent
» Ovum's consulting is completely independent
» Ovum's staff are completely independent
» Ovum is completely independent
We implement the charter in a transparent way. Customers, and other parties with whom we have a relationship, may seek further clarification in appropriate situations.
The Charter is a statement of best practice to which Ovum and its employees try to adhere at all times. However it is not intended to, and does not, create any legally binding rights or obligations or form part of any contract with customers.
The Charter may be revised from time to time.
THE OVUM INDEPENDENCE CHARTER
1. Ovum does not publicly endorse vendors/service providers or their products/services
1.1 Ovum's research on vendors/service providers and their products/services is intended for direct use by our clients. We do allow this analysis to be distributed by clients to other parties but only after it has already been published on our website and only with a standard disclaimer attached.
1.2 However, Ovum is happy to write or speak about general industry issues on behalf of vendors/service providers, subject to the following conditions.
1.3 Ovum will only prepare commissioned reports for subsequent distribution by vendors/service providers if they do not refer (except in passing) to the vendor/service provider or its product/service.
1.4 Ovum will only speak at public vendor/service provider events (eg for their customers), provided we do not refer (except in passing) to the vendor/service provider or its product/service.
1.5 Ovum will allow citations of short extracts, and the re-use of diagrams, graphs and/or tables from our research, providing the rules of our Citation Policy are fully adhered to. Ovum's Citation Policy can be found here.
2. Our research is completely independent
2.1 Ovum retains editorial control and the right to express opinions (although we get facts checked when appropriate).
2.2 Ovum never charges vendors/service providers for inclusion in its research.
2.3 Ovum's research or coverage is not influenced by whether a vendor/service provider is an Ovum customer or not.
2.4 Ovum's research is not influenced by our use of products/services for our internal systems. We do not allow vendors/service providers to reference our use of IT/telecoms products/services.
2.5 Ovum does not accept sponsorship of any kind.
3. Our consulting is completely independent
3.1 Ovum will only provide objective advice, which may differ from the client's own view.
3.2 Ovum will not itself directly promote a client's products or services to third parties.
3.3 Ovum does not take equity stakes in its clients.
3.4 Ovum takes appropriate measures to avoid conflicts of interest between clients.
4. Our staff are completely independent
4.1 Ovum staff may not give share tips or other financial advice.
4.2 Ovum staff may not buy or sell shares in a company that they are currently working for on a consulting project, for the duration of the project.
4.3 Ovum staff may not buy or sell shares in a company about which they are currently writing published research such as a company profile or news comment, during the research/writing period and for a period of 24 hours following publication of the research.
4.4 Ovum staff may not own shares in private companies that they are currently consulting for, or about which they are writing published research.
4.5 Ovum monitors relationships that directors and staff have with other companies, such as non-executive director or advisory roles, to ensure that these do not cause a conflict of interest.
5. Ovum is completely independent
5.1 Ovum is wholly owned by Datamonitor plc.
5.2 Ovum is not dependent on any single client. Our largest client accounted for no more than 3% of sales in 2005.
5.3 Ovum does not invest in other companies
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