It's that time of the year again...

... the time when design companies are pitching to produce annual reports for the hundreds of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, the country's stock exchange. An annual report helps shareholders understand how their investment in a particular company is doing. For those not yet invested, it gives them a good idea of the company's progress and performance, thus helping them in deciding whether or not to buy its shares.

An annual report provides information required by company law, stock exchange requirements and accounting standards. It usually begins with the chairman's statement and review by the managing director or chief executive officer. The operations review follows next, which is a detailed report on the company's performance for the financial year. The company also needs to make a statement in regard to its corporate social responsibility. There are then various sections on the company, its corporate and organisational structure, board of directors and senior management as well as corporate calendar. Before the financial statements are presented, there are the corporate governance statement, audit committee report and statement of internal control.

The annual report then is a strategic communications tool, providing the investing public with an insight into a company's vision, mission, direction and, just as importantly, its future. It is the single most important document produced by a company for the year, which is why its design and presentation are important. It must command attention and be easy to read. In Malaysia, the National Annual Corporate Report Awards have been held since 1990 to recognise corporate financial reporting.

Having been a company secretary before, I've been called on by design firms to provide writing and/or editing services for the annual reports they are producing. Sometimes, I'm approached directly by the companies. My corporate experience has certainly helped me in this area. In the first few years of my writing life, I took on way too much, doing four or five annual reports, all of which needed to be delivered within the same short time frame. It was crazy, and I had to be careful not to mix up the companies! Now I don't take on more than two a year.

Malakoff was one of my direct clients back then, and I wrote their annual report for six years. They were comfortable with me and trusted me to do the job without hand-holding. On my part, I found them easy to work with; they were professional and responsive.

Another regular client was Puncak Niaga; in this case, I provided my services to the design company that produced their annual reports.

There were other companies. One experience I wouldn't want to repeat was that of working on the annual report for Malaysia Airlines. I was the writer on a team brought together by the design firm. There were really no problems but, to finalise the design and text, we were required to work non-stop at the client's premises for 48 hours, with breaks for meals and prayers only. It was mentally and physically exhausting, and I was aching all over. When I got home, I took a nice cold shower and slept for hours.

You don't have had to work in a particular industry to be able to write the annual report of a related company. My clients included financial institutions as well as property developers and a healthcare provider. In writing an annual report, you will be relying on write-ups and other information provided by the company's business units. There will also be interviews with key people, such as the chairman and chief executive officer. Additional research on the industry is necessary because that provides the context for the company's performance. Of course, it helps if you can digest economic data and is up-to-date with what's happening in the global economy.

Writing annual reports is not for everyone and it goes without saying that, not only do you have to write well, you also have to write with confidence and conviction - because your words will be conveying what a company is all about.