Sid Cato -- June 2005 Quiz Answers

(Answers for June 2005)

1. So you're seeing fewer incursions of the legalistic Form 10-K into the 2004 crop of annuals, but fewer gimmicks as well. True or false?
Answer: No—and, I guess you could say, yes. The legalistic 10-K appears in more than one in three early 2004 books, and my guess is that more copies of the SEC- and NYSE-required legal document will make their way upstream—into the annual report, that is.

2. But what about gimmicks this year—more die-cut covers, for example. True or false?
Answer: False. Haven't seen any whatsoever so far—no die-cut covers, though there's more than one gatefold this year.

3. Isn't it true you play favorites?
Answer: False, I sincerely hope all my readers agree. I go to extremes to disclose any potential conflict-of-interest—that (in one instance this year, for example) I was retained as a consultant. Despite which, the report didn't receive credit for extending design throughout the entire book—my oversight, which kept Tellabs from having a perfect score.

4. Fewer and fewer picture employees (as contrasted to directors, and the top brass) in their annuals. True or false?
Answer: True, pretty much. Back among 1984 annuals, two decades earlier, 63% of annuals contained employee photos. That stands currently at 46.7%. Kids on the cover—that's a different story.

5. Okay—then more kids are being pictured in annuals today? True or false?
Answer: True, to a degree. While I've never officially monitored this element, it was clear this year that some (perhaps more) prominent companies pictured youth—from Constellation Energy (its predecessor company, Baltimore Gas & Electric produced the very first annual, my research indicated) to Tellabs to Cleco to Canada's Aliant, best of them all.

6. Aliant included more than a hundred photos of kids in its annual. True or false?
Answer: True, hard as that may be to believe. It pictured the children and/or grandchildren of employees—charming, delightful infants, all.

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	1.	So you're seeing fewer incursions of the legalistic Form 10-K into the 2004 crop of annuals, but fewer gimmicks as well. True or false? *Answer:* No—and, I guess you could say, yes. The legalistic 10-K appears in more than one in three early 2004 books, and my guess is that more copies of the SEC- and NYSE-required legal document will make their way upstream—into the annual report, that is.

	2.	But what about gimmicks this year—more die-cut covers, for example. True or false? *Answer:* False. Haven't seen any whatsoever so far—no die-cut covers, though there's more than one gatefold this year.

	3.	Isn't it true you play favorites? *Answer:* False, I sincerely hope all my readers agree. I go to extremes to disclose any potential conflict-of-interest—that (in one instance this year, for example) I was retained as a consultant. Despite which, the report didn't receive credit for extending design throughout the entire book—my oversight, which kept Tellabs from having a perfect score.

	4.	Fewer and fewer picture employees (as contrasted to directors, and the top brass) in their annuals. True or false? *Answer:* True, pretty much. Back among 1984 annuals, two decades earlier, 63% of annuals contained employee photos. That stands currently at 46.7%. Kids on the cover—that's a different story.

	5.	Okay—then more kids are being pictured in annuals today? True or false? *Answer:* True, to a degree. While I've never officially monitored this element, it was clear this year that some (perhaps more) prominent companies pictured youth—from Constellation Energy (its predecessor company, Baltimore Gas & Electric produced the very first annual, my research indicated) to Tellabs to Cleco to Canada's Aliant, best of them all.

	6.	Aliant included more than a hundred photos of kids in its annual. True or false? *Answer:* True, hard as that may be to believe. It pictured the children and/or grandchildren of employees—charming, delightful infants, all.