2018 Trends in Corporate Reporting White Paper
Is a Responsibility or Sustainability Report a must have? Do companies still do Annual Reports? Should you consider a digital version? What about video?
Our 2018 Trends in Corporate Reporting white paper looks at what the Fortune 200 produced for 2018. In our seventh installment we look at trends for 2017 reports released in 2018. It shows how companies of influence are shaping the evolution of corporate reporting.
Looking at both Responsibility (which includes Sustainability, CSR, and ESG Reports) as well as Fiscal Annual reports we noted that reporting is still a necessary communication widely produced. Responsibility Reports continue to increase, with 70% of the Fortune 200 creating a standalone report, and 58% creating a digital component to accompany a print or PDF report. Fiscal annual reports seemed to have leveled off, with a fairly steady—even slightly increasing—number creating a report more than the legally required minimum. Digital and video are still a presence. Companies producing reports use the communication opportunity to their full advantage.
If you’re looking for the right approach for your organization, you’ll have to balance competing factors, including budgets, what stakeholders expect, what you need to achieve, and where you wish to stand among your peer set. No longer a mere compliance activity, annual reporting remains what it has always been: a strategic communication opportunity to set the terms for the ongoing, necessary conversation with shareholders and stakeholders.