The Public Register Online - Assignment Example

The two annual reports selected for comparison purposes from The Public Register Online were two companies from the food industry that specialize in beverages:. The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group (Annualreportservice, 2011). The Cola-Cola Company is the industry leader in the beverage industry. In 2010 the firm generated global revenues of $35,119 million (Annual Report: Coca Cola, 2010). Both companies are US based firms that are traded in the NYSE. The annual reports of both companies are quite extensive with the document sizes being 184 and 148 pages.

Coca Cola used a traditional approach in its annual report since the report is written in black and white. The annual report of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is more visually appealing due to the fact the annual report is written using color ink with graphics and photos. The annual report of this company is easier to read as the information is not a cluttered as in the Coca-Cola annual report. The way the Coca-Cola annual report is presented detracts from value of the information that is presented.

To me it seems as if Coca-Cola wrote the report thinking only about its obligation with the SEC, instead of realizing the importance of the annual report for the investor community. One good attributes about the format used by Coca Cola is that as you move through the report in the left side there are links itemizing the topics which helps the user jump to different topics within the report instantly. The 2010 Coca Cola annual report has all the necessary components that an annual report is supposed to have and is well structured, but the report lacks the ability to connect with the reader.

The Dr Pepper Snapple Groups annual report uses several techniques business professionals use to make the presentation of financial and business data easier to understand and more fun to read. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group management team presents a positive outlook in the annual report. The company has been able to penetrate the non-soda beverage market very well with a market share of 40.4% largely in part to the booming sales of the Snapple natural beverages (Annual Report: Dr Pepper Snapple Group, 2010).

The Dr Pepper brand has achieve six consecutive years of sales growth and the firm has increased its customer reach through its distribution of the product at over 14,000 McDonald’s establishments. The annual report of this firm focused on the domestic market since 89% of the firm sales are in the United States with additional international revenues coming from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The Coca Cola Company is the biggest company in the beverage industry. The annual report of this firm showed greater strategic focus.

Coca-Cola products are sold in over 200 countries around the world. The company has over 500 branded products and the firm has been in business for over 125 years. The annual report shows good results in fiscal year 2010. The company had a net income of $11,809 million. In comparison with the previous year the net income of the company grew by 73%. The revenues of the firm were increased by $4.12 billion in 2010. Overall the company was very happy with its growth and increased popularity its Coca Cola brand.

ReferencesAnnual Report Coca Cola Company (2010). Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/investors/pdfs/form_10K_2010.pdf Annual Report Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (2010). Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/annualreport/2010/HTML/DPSG_2010_AnnualReport_Web.pdf Annualreportervice.com (2011) Food-Beverages. The Public Register Online. Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.annualreportservice.com/search.php?type=industry&q=208