- Is the front cover 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 first pages? Is there a mission statement?
- Are key figures or financial highlights displayed directly –and relevant?
- 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 animated and backed?
- Is there a quick snapshot of business/geographic segments?
- Is there a thread/route throughout the whole report? And how is it sustained?
- Does the report make an appealing read? Which ingredients are used?
- Is the information flow logically sequenced and structured?
- Are visual elements used to animate/depict? How many pictures are shown?
- Are past objectives compared with last year achievements (also in figures)?
- Is the strategic direction/outlook made clear? Are targets set (also in figures)?
- How many charts are used? Over which time spans?
- Are there key performance indicators and metrics? Expressed as ratios?
- 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 plainly put?
- 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?
- Is there a chapter dedicated to risk management and financial control?
- How many risk and influencing factors are listed –and described?
- Where and how are financial statements shown (or summed up) first?
- Is there a special 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?
- Does 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?
- Where does the number of employees appear first?
- Is there a stakeholder/responsibility/sustainability chapter or report?
- What are the main issues covered in the responsibility chapter/report?
- Are operating and responsibility measures checked and are targets set?
- 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 the online version of 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.
A question about one or more of the above reporting criteria? Or more questions?
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As the Nobel Prize in Economics Paul Krugman puts it "We are already... well into the realm of what I call depression economics". 