How to Write a Company Annual Report
Businesses deal with a lot of paperwork, but perhaps none is more important than the company's annual report. The report is an in-depth study of where the company stands within its industry, to what it credits its success, and plans for upcoming growth and development. Begin and end your report with letters from key personnel for a uniform business message.
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Instructions
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Write a letter directed toward shareholders, personnel and the public. Briefly describe the business model and specific successes within that model in the previous calendar or fiscal year. Detail new initiatives or policy changes, and how they benefited the company.
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List financial highlights from the previous year. Compare this year's numbers to those of last year in a chart to show growth.
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Create charts showing net sales, profit, cash flow and share worth. Compare numbers from the last five years to illustrate the progress in a graph.
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4
List number of employees and how many work at each company location. State sites of all locations. Describe reasoning behind new sites, buildings or upgrades, if applicable.
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Post names of key personnel, job title and location. Some companies disclose management salaries; some choose not to. Also list those on the board of directors, if applicable.
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Analyze the business and list its products or services. Describe big sellers and determine why this might be so. Pit your company against the competition to express what your company is doing correctly and how it can improve.
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Solicit departmental reports. Each division should have the opportunity to describe its specific projects from the year and analyze its work. Keep these reports under 1,000 words.
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Close the annual report with a statement from an executive stating where the company is heading. Use this opportunity to project next year's profits, or to announce a new product or service.
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Submit all report information to an internal design department or hired firm. A designer will format the report, add graphics and create a cover page featuring your logo. Such reports are prepared professionally to make it inviting to shareholders, personnel and the public. A designer also will space out content to make the report easier to read. If an employee photo is used, give her name as well.
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