Category Archives: Annual reports

Bring your story to life, strategically

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 [...]
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New trends in sustainability reporting

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 [...]
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Corporate responsibility reporting gains traction

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.
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What makes a great annual report?

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.
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Exchanges: Remarkable news and quotes

Study calls for truer account of performance. Major investors ask companies to embrace ESG issues. Hybrid annual reports on the rise.
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3 tips for simplifying your annual report

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.
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5 ways to improve annual report narrative

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 [...]
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Exchanges: Remarkable news and quotes

Benefits of integrated reporting. Transparency is not about giving away secrets.
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Telling the story behind the numbers

Love it or hate it, management’s discussion and analysis, or simply the MD&A, provides a window on details behind earnings and other key performance numbers. But is the MD&A a bastion of storytelling and plain language? Probably not. So how can you capture a reader’s attention and communicate clearly and effectively in the MD&A? The [...]
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Wise words and plain language from Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, legendary investor and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, recently released that company’s 2010 annual report. His famously open and honest shareholder letters first appeared in 1977. The letters are a must-read for anybody who communicates in writing with stakeholders.
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