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KALAMAZOO, Mich., Oct. 24.— Sid Cato, who has monitored the world's annual reports since the 1982 crop—14 years of the key corporate communique—each weekend (for 47 weeks) on his website (sidcato.com) offers a blue plate special:
A weekend-only feature for those who visit his site outside of "normal" work hours. The adjective "blue plate" came into being in 1926, usually signifying a daily special in a small town diner for hard-pressed Americans. Cato's blue plate special is without charge. This weekend's feature summarizes results of his 12th annual Producer Poll—a yearly survey of the men and women responsible for their companies' annual report to shareholders. Findings range from percentage of producers who say their chief executive is actively involved (79%) to the per-copy cost of the often-elaborate document: "$3.11 when results-distorting highs and lows are excluded." Cato said the per-copy cost among 1989 reports averaged $3.35, "So it's 7% less" today, "if up 27% (only about 2% a year)" over the 12 years of his polling. |