Reporting Nonfinancials

According to research carried out by Ernst & Young, 35% of all investment decisions are based on nonfinancial attributes. A substantial body of literature deals with the management and measurement of nonfinancial assets. This book, by contrast, focuses on best practice in disclosure:

• How do companies present their vital resources in annual, quarterly, and corporate citizenship/sustainability reports and also in other publications and on their web sites?
• Do they provide a coherent, consistent, and convincing view of resources like management quality, brands, and intellectual capital?
• And how should they proceed to make stakeholders grasp what makes them a valuable investment, a preferred supplier of goods and services, or an employer of choice, and also a good corporate citizen?

These are the core questions addressed in Reporting Nonfinancials. The book presents both best practice in nonfinancial disclosure and a pragmatic framework for action. It shows practitioners how to optimize the impact of their intangibles by first analyzing their companies’ strengths and then improving their disclosure through annual, quarterly, CSR, and other reporting formats. It also helps investors and other stakeholder groups evaluate the quality and relevance of information provided by companies. Thus it is important for both executives and outsiders.