How annual reports communicate a customer orientation

Abstract

This article deals with the frequency with which CEOs express their companies commitment to customers in the president's letter section in their companies' annual reports. It focuses on manufacturing companies operating in industrial markets. For the purpose of the research, a typology of references, including customer commitment, made to “customer(s)” in presidents' letters is developed. The construct of customer commitment is based on a search of relevant literature. Results show that only a small percentage of companies use the president's letter in their annual reports to communicate commitment to customers. In fact, some president's letters fail even to mention the word “customer(s).” The authors conclude there is an overlooked opportunity for companies to use the president's letter to communicate customer commitment. The issue of companies who talk about customer commitment, but who do not perform accordingly in the marketplace, is also addressed.