The Small Shareholder

Summary

Despite the increasing concentration of shares in the hands of financial institutions over the last two decades¹ the small private shareholder remains an important public for many of Britain’s largest companies. Research is used by companies to understand more clearly who their shareholders are, to ascertain their expectations of the company and to identify their communications needs. In recent years shareholder research has been increasingly used in takeover battles by both bidders and defenders to develop campaign strategies, monitor developments and refine tactics. It has also been used, since British Telecom in 1984, to guide the flotation of State assets.