Crisis has affected businesses worldwide. Many international corporations must cope with this turmoil, which affects their economic liability. Firms express their actual financial situation in the annual reports they issue every year. The annual report is a document that combines both promotional and informative features. Our study tries to find out how companies from two different countries (United States and Spain) deal with the issue of crisis in difficult times through their annual report. Additionally, and from a pedagogical perspective, we discuss the benefits of using the annual report in the teaching of writing for our students.