Doing
How effectively do you use your annuals?
Give your own answer and try to rate yourself on 50 questions.
- Is the front cover or annual report homepage really used as a communication vehicle and/or theme driver?
- Are all covers optimally used -inside and outside?
- Is the report not too long and heavy to carry or download (and print out)?
- How (far) does the report reflect the company identity and brands?
- Is the company profiled in the very first pages? Is there a mission statement?
- Are key figures or financial highlights displayed directly, relevant, comparable?
- Are key share indicators (earnings, dividend...) made quickly accessible?
- Are year events, salient facts and major products summed up?
- Do(es) the Chairman/CEO message(s) state the course of action?
- In what style is the Chairman/CEO put? Is it inviting, pictured, supported?
- Is there a quick snapshot of business/geographic segments?
- Is there a thread/route sustained throughout the whole report?
- Does the report make an appealing read? Which ingredients are used?
- Is the information flow logically sequenced and structured?
- Are visual elements (photos, videos) used to animate/depict?
- Are past objectives compared with last year achievements (also in figures)?
- Is the strategic direction/outlook made clear? Are future targets set (also in figures)?
- How many charts are used? Over which time spans? Are chart-building facilities provided online?
- Are there key performance indicators and metrics? Expressed as ratios? Compared over years?
- How is the review of operations, businesses and markets built?
- How many segments or areas are reported?
- Any references to industry positions, market shares, competitors, statistics?
- How long is the financial review/management discussion? Is it written in plain language?
- Is performance and contribution analysis clear, thorough and consistent?
- Is geographical segmentation broken down deeply enough?
- Is financial condition, liquidity and cash flow analysis earnestly addressed?
- Are medium-term performance, historical and growth figures provided?
- How many ratios are featured among historical data?
- How far are risk management and financial control covered?
- How many risk and influencing factors are listed, explained?
- Where and how are financial statements shown (or summed up) first?
- Is there a table of contents/index for statements and notes?
- Are accounting principles and policies fairly and intelligibly explained?
- Are restatements, reconciliations, exceptional items made transparent?
- How many notes to statements? Are they sufficiently clear and detailed?
- Are board and executives portrayed? Are background details provided?
- Are corporate governance principles and application fairly described?
- Do committees' work, memberships, reports, meeting attendance appear?
- Are executive compensation principles and policies explained in the report?
- Are board and management remuneration and ownership figures disclosed?
- Is there a stakeholder/responsibility/sustainability chapter or report?
- Is the number of employees highlighted? Are employee matters reported
- What are the main issues covered in the responsibility chapter/report?
- Are operating and responsibility measures checked for the past and are targets set for the future?
- Is a shareholder section available? Are investor contacts listed in?
- Which share-related fundamentals are reported?
- Are share ownership and shareholder control and breakdown shown?
- Is share price figured, charted, compared -over a time span?
- Is there a special annual report section on the website? Is the report downloadable -and printable- in parts?
- Are readers' facilities provided (e.g. index, glossary, tabs, flaps, marks)?
Checklist prepared by e.com report analysts and derived from the criteria used for scoring and rating annual reports for the Annual Report on Annual Reports.
Would you like to improve your annuals and reach best practice level?
A question about one or more of the above reporting criteria? Or more questions?
Some doubt about the best way to use (almost) each and every report item?
Any help to make better content and greater communication content in your annuals?
Just drop us an e-mail at e.com@reportwatch.net. We will be pleased to be of service.
Annual reports from the financial sector are no longer selected for our competition. This does not imply that there are not (sometimes very) good and improved reports in the sector. However, for consistency, comparability and credibility reasons it has been decided not to include any. On a customized basis, e.com keeps on evaluating and benchmarking financial sector reports.
How does your annual report score on all evaluation criteria used for the Annual Report on Annual Reports?
