Assignment:
Exercise: Analyze the document design elements and images of a corporate annual report. Create a short evaluation using a standard business format.
STEPS:
Select/access a corporate annual report from the list below:
Link: Alberta Dept of Culture and Tourism Annual Report 2016-17. Simple.
Link: Bank of America Annual Report 2017.
Link: Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report 2018.
Link: Citigroup Annual Report 2017.
Link: Nissan Global Annual Report 2017.
Link: NYC Office of Child Support Enforcement Annual Report 2015.
Link: Office of Child Support Enforcement Annual Report to Congress 2016.
Link: Planned Parenthood Annual Report 2016-2017.
Link: Proctor and Gamble Annual Report 2017.
Link: Walmart Annual Report 2017.
Review the design elements, tables, and images in the annual report.
Create a short (up to one-page) evaluation of the annual report in four parts:
Provide a corporate title and a one sentence introduction.
Create a section header entitled, Corporate images. Create a numbered list of one or two key corporate images and summarize the impact of each.
Do not type up manual lists; use Word numbered/bulleted list functions (Home tab, Paragraph section, icons).
Create a section header entitled, Document design elements. Create a bulleted list of three to five document design elements and summarize the impact of each.
Create a section header entitled, Impression of overall message. Summarize briefly your impression of the overall message of the annual report.
Annual reports are full of corporate spin. Google the company (e.g., Walmart problems) and skim recent headlines/articles in appropriate publications. Describe paradoxes, if discovered, for example:
Retail companies (popular products at low prices vs. worker exploitation)
Tech companies (new products vs. exporting jobs)
Energy companies (cleaner dirty energy vs. environmental disaster)
Food companies (fortunes in fast or snack food vs. healthy choices)
Agri-business (organic food vs. genetically modified crops)
Financial institutions (client trust vs. selling bad investments)
ASSESSMENT:
Your evaluation will be assessed as follows:
Identification of document design elements.
Evaluation of how corporate images and messages are created through graphic and document design elements.
Assessment of corporate images in the light of recent or major news.
Overall evaluation.