The Annual report should be a company’s most important strategic communications document, setting forth the firm’s vision, values and operating philosophy, as well as its communication strategy. It could be akin to a company’s strategic plan in importance and lays out the positioning groundwork to explain where the organization is going over the next three to five years. Companies now face a growing competition for influence among their various publics. In the information age, with multiple channels and suppliers of data about your company, the power and quality of your story becomes an even greater business imperative. The Annual is the one document that reaches millions of readers, either in print or via the Internet. As the single most widely read document, the Annual provides a chance to anticipate how the company is perceived, in light of trends and competitors, and to articulate a forward-looking story about the company that reflects vision and direction. The story is intended to transcend the current business circumstance and address the future.