This policy governs how third parties may reference, excerpt, link to, or otherwise cite Kaizen Consulting (“Kaizen”) intellectual property (“Kaizen IP”), including:

• • Syndicated Research (reports, briefs, data, blogs on kaizen.sa)
  • Commissioned Research (custom studies, case studies, impact analyses)
  • Methodologies, frameworks, indices, benchmarks, rankings, visuals (charts, graphics, scorecards)
  • Kaizen-branded assets (logos, report badges)

All Kaizen IP is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Using Kaizen IP constitutes acceptance of this policy.

Citing Kaizen Research is a client privilege that typically requires prior approval, except where expressly permitted below.

Who may cite:

• • Clients with active licenses may cite licensed content, subject to this policy and their contract.
  • Clients with Reprints/Licensing rights may cite and promote the licensed item(s) per the granted rights.
  • Commissioned Research sponsors may cite approved deliverables in line with the statement and timeframe.

Exceptions (no pre-approval required):

• • Non-clients may cite public Kaizen materials (e.g., blog posts, publicly posted press releases) with proper attribution (see §6).
  • Independent media/news organizations may cite public Kaizen materials under fair reporting and our Media Citation Guidelines (contact press@kaizen.sa).

If in doubt, email info@kaizen.sa

You must obtain written approval from info@kaizen.sa before any external use of Kaizen IP, including:

• • Marketing, PR, sales, investor or legal materials (ads, websites, landing pages, white papers, case studies, pitch decks, SEC/stock exchange filings, RFPs).
  • Company-sponsored media content (native ads, advertorials, sponsored content).
  • Any Kaizen logo, badge, benchmark/scorecard visual, or design element.
  • Surrounding text that links to Kaizen domains when implying endorsement/ratings.

• • Internal use by licensed clients: limited excerpts (paragraphs or figures/tables) in internal presentations, memos, or trainings—no external distribution.
  • External quoting of public blog posts/press releases with proper attribution and a link to the source (no implied endorsement, no altered meaning).

Every citation must identify the source, author (if shown), title, publisher, and date. Examples:

• • Report: Title, Kaizen Consulting, Month Day, Year. Add author name(s) if displayed on the report.
  • Blog/Article: “Post Title,” Kaizen Consulting Blog, Month Day, Year, URL.
  • Chart/Data (no matching sentence available): Brief, accurate summary + source line: Source: Kaizen Consulting, Report Title, Month Year.

Translations of approved citations are allowed but must be re-reviewed by Kaizen prior to publication.

Allowed (with approval and correct attribution):

• • Attribute as: “A commissioned study conducted by Kaizen Consulting on behalf of [Client Name], [Month Year].”
  • Use only approved deliverables and final figures.
  • Kaizen must remain clearly independent; no joint logos unless explicitly licensed.

Not allowed:

• • Attributing commissioned research to a specific Kaizen individual (analyst/consultant) instead of Kaizen Consulting.
  • Positioning commissioned research as Kaizen endorsement.
  • Excerpts implying comparisons or disparagement of other companies/products.

If a third party wants to cite someone else’s commissioned study, Kaizen requires written permission from the original sponsor.

• • Visuals (graphics/scorecards/badges) may be used only with explicit license or reprint rights.
  • Any badge or logo must be smaller and less prominent than the citing company’s logo and must link to an authorized Kaizen page or licensed reprint.

• • Kaizen logos and badges require written permission or a valid license.
  • Never place Kaizen’s logo horizontally aligned with your logo in a way that implies partnership; keep Kaizen branding less prominent.
  • Do not use Kaizen logos/badges in press release mastheads, email signatures (except licensed badge banners linking to the reprint), or boilerplates.

Ads & Social Media (approval required):

• • Provide placements, copy, hashtags/emojis, and destination link for review.
  • Posts referencing rankings/scores must include (or link to) the objectivity statement.

Email (approval required for external use):

• • Emails citing rankings/scores or profile content must include (or link to) the objectivity statement.
  • Licensed badge banners may link to an authorized reprint/landing page.

Press Releases (approval required):

• • Releases citing rankings/scores must include (or link to) the objectivity statement.
  • Do not place Kaizen trademarks in headers/sub-headers.