Accessorizing the annual report

Annual reports are a powerful tool, but they need more accoutrements, according to a study by WithumSmith+Brown. About 75 percent of participants, 100 investors, portfolio managers and securities analysts, cited the annual report as the most important publication a public company produces. Nearly 80 percent of participants said they use annual reports to make investment decisions about companies and 90 percent suggested the reports would be more beneficial if they included information such as issues facing the company and its industry, such as sustainability of the environment or corporate governance.