Reports of both Andrew Corp. and Tyson Foods scored 106 of a potential 135 points.

Cato, whose Newsletter on Annual Reports has been published monthly since September 1983, defines world-class status as scoring at least 100 points under his copyrighted criteria concerning what makes a good annual report.

His criteria range from full financial disclosure to a letter to shareholders "believably authored by the CEO himself or herself" down to and including fully identifying all employees, "just as all officers and directors are."

Cato said "three of four" early-arriving 2002 reports contained a theme. A year earlier, two in three reports presented a theme on the document cover. "What's more," he said, "the new themes impress as better conceived and executed—that is, more meaningful conceptually."