Author Archives: Richard Ketchen

Bring your story to life, strategically

By Richard Ketchen | Published: May 15, 2012
Building or maintaining trust requires candid, meaningful dialogue with stakeholders. Storytelling is among the actions discussed in my last article (New trends in sustainability reporting) that can help companies establish stronger – and stickier – connections with employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. Whether you’re writing an annual report or giving a presentation, the objective is [...]
Posted in Annual reports, Communication strategy, Messaging strategy, Narrative structure, Stakeholder communication | Leave a comment

New trends in sustainability reporting

By Richard Ketchen | Published: April 4, 2012
When it comes to determining the primary audience for sustainability reports, is it investors, customers or another stakeholder group? A recent study by Ernst & Young and GreenBiz.com found employees to be the second most important audience for sustainability reports. That’s not surprising when you consider that the study also found employees to be second [...]
Posted in Annual reports, CSR reporting, Corporate reporting, Integrated reporting, Stakeholder communication, Sustainability reporting | Leave a comment

Corporate responsibility reporting gains traction

By Richard Ketchen | Published: March 8, 2012
Corporate responsibility reporting hit an all-time high in 2011. Once seen as fulfilling a moral obligation to society, the so-called triple-bottom-line approach to reporting is now considered a business imperative by the world’s largest companies. According to a study by KPMG, corporate responsibility reporting is increasingly providing financial value and driving innovation.
Posted in Annual reports, CSR reporting, Corporate reporting, Integrated reporting, Stakeholder communication, Sustainability reporting, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What makes a great annual report?

By Richard Ketchen | Published: October 19, 2011
Asking an investor what makes a good annual report is like asking somebody what makes a good pizza. Some enjoy the simplicity of a thin, crispy crust topped with only tomato sauce and cheese. Others prefer thick-crusted varieties capable of supporting a shopping-cart load of toppings.
Posted in Annual reports, Corporate reporting, Integrated reporting, Messaging strategy, Narrative structure, Plain language, Stakeholder communication, Strategic messaging | Leave a comment

Exchanges: Remarkable news and quotes

By Richard Ketchen | Published: August 16, 2011
Study calls for truer account of performance. Major investors ask companies to embrace ESG issues. Hybrid annual reports on the rise.
Posted in Annual reports, CSR reporting, Corporate reporting, Integrated reporting, Stakeholder communication | Leave a comment

Stakeholder Engagement: Worth its weight in gold, and more

By Richard Ketchen | Published: August 4, 2011
What gets measured, matters. Measuring the effectiveness of stakeholder, investor and other corporate communication activities, however, has always been somewhat ambiguous. Until now.
Posted in Communication strategy, Stakeholder communication, Sustainability reporting, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Exchanges: Remarkable news and quotes

By Richard Ketchen | Published: June 29, 2011
New coalition aims for better sustainability ratings. Association seeks improved sustainability reporting.
Posted in CSR reporting, Integrated reporting, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

3 tips for simplifying your annual report

By Richard Ketchen | Published: June 20, 2011
Complexity is unavoidable in today’s ever more complicated and sophisticated business environment. Much of the complexity in corporate reporting, however, is created by the sheer volume of disclosure. The solution? Thoughtful reduction to achieve simplicity.
Posted in Annual reports, Communication strategy, Corporate reporting, Plain language | Leave a comment

5 ways to improve annual report narrative

By Richard Ketchen | Published: May 9, 2011
Annual reporting season has finally and mercifully come to an end for most companies.  The cost of this exercise? Just for Form 10-K, the SEC estimated that companies chalk up 4 million hours of staff time and 12 million hours of outside advisor time, which, at $300 per hour, amounts to $3.6 billion. And that [...]
Posted in Annual reports, Financial writing, Messaging strategy, Plain language, Stakeholder communication, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Exchanges: Remarkable news and quotes

By Richard Ketchen | Published: May 6, 2011
Benefits of integrated reporting. Transparency is not about giving away secrets.
Posted in Annual reports, Corporate reporting, Integrated reporting, Stakeholder communication | Leave a comment