Annual reports are growing ever bigger and demanding ever more resources to complete, according to new research by 35 Communications into trends into FTSE100companies.

The average annual report grew by 15 per cent in the last year, and over fifty per cent of companies are forced to divide their research into more than one document, according to the research.

The research report puts this trend down to demands of International Reporting Standards, and the continuing uncertainty surrounding OFR guidelines.
The report also identified that many companies where not connecting business strategy with corporate responsibility, treating the later as almost an add on.

Nigel Forsyth, director of 35 Communications and author of the report, comments, “This is a clear mistake as CR audiences are becoming more demanding. There also needs to be a better balance to the subject matter. Companies should be proud of their successes, yet also acknowledge their shortcomings. Corporate responsibility cannot be about community donations and soft focus stuff. It needs to be part of the soul of the business and inform its strategy.”

35 Communications has also identified some of the best and worst annual reports from big companies operating in the UK. WPP Group, Reuters and Wolseley ranked first second and third, whilst Morrisons, Man Group, Imperial Tobacco, Alliance & Leicester and Hilton produced the worst reports. ShareThis