PRESS RELEASE                                                                                          31 January 2001

LEADING LOCAL PR COMPANY CREAMS INTERNATIONAL ISO AUDIT

Top Cape Town-based public relations consultancy, Rosemary Hare Public Relations, has passed the consultancy's first annual external audit of its compliance to globally recognised ISO management systems standards, with flying colours.

With a 'no non-conformance' showing, this means that the consultancy is able to maintain operational service levels comparative to the best in the world.

The external audit, conducted by European-based DEKRA-ITS, is undertaken to ensure that any holder of ISO (International Standards Organisation) certification has the highest quality management systems possible pertaining to its industrial and market sector.

Rosemary Hare Public Relations is the only public relations consultancy in Cape Town to currently hold the certificate, awarded in 1999.

"The ISO audit has been a proving ground for staff and systems," said MD Rosemary Hare.

"There's a double-sided confidence factor inherent in this," she said. "It's tough getting globally recognised ISO accreditation and then maintaining required performance levels, but it gives both potential and existing clients renewed confidence in the consistency of our service and it gives our own team the confidence to undertake all that we do to the highest standards of excellence possible.'

She believes that ISO accreditation has helped the consultancy move the quantum leap forward needed to meet the needs and expectations of local clients now increasingly competing in ever-changing global markets.

"This means that there is a long term dividend for both parties," she said. "It goes way beyond claiming rightful membership to a rather exclusive 'club'. More importantly, it brings real mutually beneficial added-value to the client-consultancy relationship."

The consultancy also received accolades recently when their www.wotsnews.co.za website was chosen by www.19b.com - the Directory of Best South African Websites - as one of the top 19 entertainment websites created and maintained in South Africa. This comes hard on the heels of a similar listing as No.1 out of a possible 238 sites (under the keywords 'events calendar') on www.ananzi.co.za - one of the country's most respected search engines.

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