Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company's activities and financial performance.
Companies with issued shares publicly listed are also required to report at more frequent intervals (depending upon the rules of the stock exchange involved).
The directors are responsible for keeping proper books of account that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting standards generally accepted in Ireland and with Irish statute comprising the Companies Acts 1963 to 2009...
For example, in Estonia, failing to meet this deadline can lead to penalties, including fines and, in more severe cases, the potential removal of the company from the register.
[5] Certain groups such as The True Cost Of Chevron Network have released 'alternative' annual reports as a way to highlight ongoing environmental destruction and/or human rights abuses committed by a particular company.