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This article was first published 10 years ago

10 companies that are least transparent and candid

August 14, 2013 12:05 IST

Image: A Tim Hortons restaurant in Toronto, Canada.
Photographs: Mark Blinch/Reuters

The annual letter sent by companies detailing its performance to shareholders is a good indicator of how transparent and open the company is, according to Rittenhouse Rankings, a corporate communications consulting firm. It says many firms send letters that are not only short in details, but also confusing, which makes it difficult for shareholders to get a clearer picture of the company's performance.

Let's take a look at 10 most secretive companies.

Source: 247wallst.com

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Homepage of Cigna Corporation.
Photographs: Courtesy, cigna.com

Cigna Corporation

One-year share price change: +84.79 per cent

Industry: Health care plans

Overall rank: 1

Cigna Corporation, which is based in Connecticut, United States, is a provider of health case services around the world. Its health plans include dental, behavioural, disability, business travel and life components. The company, which has about 40,000 employees, has been ranked the most secretive by Rittenhouse.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Homepage of Humana Incorporated.
Photographs: Courtesy, humana.com

Humana Incorporated

One-year share price change: +46.38 per cent

Industry: Health care plans

Overall rank: 2

Humana Incorporated, which is based in Kentucky, United States, deals with health insurance services in America, Puerto Rico, Western Europe and Asia. It has more than a million customers, $36.5 billion in revenue and over 40,000 employees.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman at the annual Allen and Company conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Photographs: Rick Wilking/Reuters

Hewlett-Packard

One-year share price change: +44.79 per cent

Industry: Computer systems

Overall rank: 3

Hewlett-Packard, which is based in Palo Alto, California, creates technologies and offers solutions and services to individual clients, businesses and enterprises of all sizes.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photographs: Chris Keane/Reuters

Bank of America

One-year share price change: +97.04 per cent

Industry: Banking

Overall rank: 4

Bank of America, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, operates in the United States and in 40 other countries. It's one of the four biggest banks in America, has more than $100 billion in revenue and employs 262,812 staff.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: L'Oreal cosmetics in Riga, Latvia.
Photographs: Ints Kalnins/Reuters

L'Oreal

One-year share price change: +28.14 per cent

Industry: Cosmetics

Overall rank: 5

L'Oreal, which is based in Paris, France, is the largest cosmetics and beauty company in the world. Its operations stretch all across the globe, posted 22.46 billion euros revenue and has more than 72,000 employees.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: A woman walks in front of the Avon Products headquarters in midtown Manhattan area of New York.
Photographs: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Avon Products

One-year share price change: +47.95 per cent

Industry: Personal products

Overall rank: 6

Avon Products, which is based in New York City, United States, manufactures and distributes beauty products in more than 140 countries. The fifth-largest beauty company in the world posted $10.7 billion in sales, $10.717 billion in revenue and employed about 40,000 staff in 2012.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Pedestrians walk past Tim Hortons coffee and bake shop in Midtown Manhattan section of New York.
Photographs: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Tim Hortons

One-year share price change: +8.01 per cent

Industry: Restaurants

Overall rank: 7

Tim Hortons, which is based in Ontario, Canada, is famous for its coffee and doughnuts. The company has 3,453 restaurants in Canada, 808 in the United States and 27 in the Middle East. It posted $2.536 billion revenue, $647 million profit and employs more than 100,000 staff.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Headquarters of Cisco in San Jose, California.
Photographs: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Cisco

One-year share price change: +60.31 per cent

Industry: Networking and communication

Overall rank: 8

Cisco, which is based in San Jose, California, manufactures and sells networking equipment all across the world. It posted $46.061 billion revenue, $10.065 billion income and employed more than 72,000 staff in 2012.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: AIG headquarters in New York's financial district.
Photographs: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

American International Group

One-year share price change: +53.35 per cent

Industry: Property and casualty insurance

Overall rank: 9

American International Group, which is based in New York City, offers life insurance, retirement services and mortgage insurance in more than 130 countries. AIG posted $65,656 million revenue, $6,635 million operating income and employed about 63,000 staff in 2012.

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10 companies that are least transparent and candid

Image: Exterior view of the ConAgra Foods's plant in Kansas City, Kansas.
Photographs: Dave Kaup/Reuters

ConAgra Foods

One-year share price change: +50.83 per cent

Industry: Processed and packaged goods

Overall rank: 10

ConAgra Foods, which is based in Nebraska, United States, manufactures and distributes products under different brand names in supermarkets and other establishments. ConAgra Foods posted $13.3 billion revenue and employed more than 26,000 staff in 2012.