Annual report - wikipedia Annual report An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company 's activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company 's activities and financial performance. They may be considered as grey literature. Most jurisdictions require companies to prepare and disclose annual reports, and many require the annual report to be filed at the company 's registry. Companies listed on a stock exchange are also required to report at more frequent intervals ( depending upon the rules of the stock exchange involved ). Contents 1 Contents 1.1 Directors ' Role 2 History 3 ' Alternative ' annual reports 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Contents Typical annual reports will include : General corporate information Operating and financial review Director 's Report Corporate governance information Chairpersons statement Auditor 's report Contents : non-audited information Financial statements, including Balance sheet also known as Statement of Financial Position Income statement also profit and loss statement. Statement of changes in equity Cash flow statement Notes to the financial statements Accounting policies Other features Other information deemed relevant to stakeholders may be included, such as a report on operations for manufacturing firms or corporate social responsibility reports for companies with environmentally or socially sensitive operations. In the case of larger companies, it is usually a sleek, colorful, high - gloss publication. The details provided in the report are of use to investors to understand the company 's financial position and future direction. The financial statements are usually compiled in compliance with IFRS and / or the domestic GAAP, as well as domestic legislation ( e.g. the SOX in the U.S. ). In the United States, a more - detailed version of the report, called a Form 10 - K, is submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A publicly held company may also issue a much more limited version of an annual report, which is known as a `` wrap report. '' A wrap report is a Form 10 - K with an annual report cover wrapped around it. Directors ' role The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. ( June 2014 ) Statement of Directors ' responsibilities for the shareholders ' financial statements The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable Law of the Republic of Ireland, including the accounting standards issued by the Accounting Standards Board and published by The Institute of Chartered Accountants. Irish company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial period which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to : select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business The directors confirm that they have complied with the above requirements in preparing the financial statements. The directors are responsible for keeping proper books of account that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting standards generally accepted in Ireland and with Irish statute comprising the Companies Acts 1963 to 2009. History In 1903, U.S. Steel published an annual report whose financial accuracy was certified by Price, WaterHouse & Co. in what is known as the earliest modern corporate annual report. ' Alternative ' annual reports Certain groups such as The True Cost Of Chevron Network have released ' alternative ' annual reports as a way to highlight ongoing environmental destruction and / or human rights abuses committed by a particular company. See also Form 10 - K, the basic information required by the US Securities and Exchange Commission US corporate law Green annual report Grey literature References Jump up ^ Annual Report and Accounts - Contents http://tutor2u.net/business/accounts/annual-report-and-accounts-contents.htm Jump up ^ Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms by John Downes and Jordon Elliot Goodman Barron 1995 ISBN 0 - 8120 - 9035 - 7 page 23 Jump up ^ `` Wrap Report Definition ''. AccountingTools. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 27. Jump up ^ Wessel D. ( 2002 ). When Standards Are Unacceptable. WSJ. Jump up ^ The True Cost Of Chevron, An Alternative Annual Report, May 2011 http://truecostofchevron.com/2011-alternative-annual-report.pdf Retrieved 19 July 2017 External links How to Efficiently Read an Annual Report How to Read a 10 - K Like Warren Buffet by CNBC Database of digital Annual and Integrated Reports NDL : 00568088 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Annual_report&oldid=830268658 '' Categories : Financial statements Grey literature Annual publications Hidden categories : Articles with limited geographic scope from June 2014 Articles prone to spam from August 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Bahasa Indonesia Latviešu मराठी Nederlands नेपाली Norsk Português Русский Suomi 中文 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 March 2018, at 20 : 02. About Wikipedia

Question: who has responsibility for preparing corporate annual reports
Answer: The Directors