assurance

1. Part of corporate governance in which a management provides accurate and current information to the stakeholders about the efficiency and effectiveness of its policies and operations, and the status of its compliance with the statutory obligations.

2. Insurance cover against an eventuality that (sooner or later) must occur; death of the person covered under a life insurance policy being the common one.

The best assurance of continued growth, and high profit margins, comes back to this: the company should have a special niche in the marketplace, so that sales don't depend on offering a commodity item at a lower price than the competition's. It should, to a degree, dominate that niche. The best company in a marginal industry is worth more than the third-best company in a major industry. I'd rather own the shares of Hokuto, the leading mushroom grower in Japan, than of Mitsubishi or Subaru.