• Value creation
• Conciseness

Key observations:

Marks & Spencer’s 2017 Annual Report contains a ‘Board activities’ discussion which is presented in tables covering six key topics – strategy, values, shareholder engagement, governance & risk, customer, and leadership & employees. For each topic, information is provided on the main activities and discussion points, and concise bullet points (3E of the <IR> Framework) are used to highlight the ‘Actions arising’ and ‘Progress’ in relation to these. These discussions align with 4.8 of the <IR> Framework by showing how governance at M&S supports a number of value creating activities.

As one of the key topics featured is ‘Governance & risk’, this spread also demonstrates alignment with 4.9 of the <IR> Framework which calls for “Particular actions those charged with governance have taken to influence and monitor the strategic direction of the organisation and its approach to risk management”.