Fundamental changes in a company (solution)

1. Compile a list of sources of information which could be used to quickly research North American companies. Outline the kind of information that can be found from each of these sources.
   
   Company website
   
   A good starting point for obtaining information about a company, and the English vocabulary used to describe its operations and industry, is the company's own website.
   
   Type the following search query into Lycos (www.lycos.com):
   
   knight ridder
   
   Among the first few hits, the search returns entries for Knight Ridder's corporate website, www.kri.com or www.knightridder.com. Clicking on this link takes you to the start page of the website.
   
   The start page of the Knight Ridder site contains general information regarding the company and its organisation, as well as investor information, recent news, etc.
   
   The information included on a company website is usually rich in industry-related vocabulary. In the case of Knight Ridder, we find vocabulary such as advertising share, electronic media enterprises, web-based marketing solutions and local online consumer and advertiser business. In addition to helping you describe the company and its business accurately in your memo, this terminology can also help you formulate other online research strategies.
   
   Furthermore, general information on a corporate website regarding its operations, financial position and officers is often easily found and can be printed out in the form of an annual report.
   
   Finally, names of subsidiaries, affiliates and partner companies may also be listed on the site, making in-depth research into the industry even easier.
   
   Lycos parallel view
   
   When clicking a link in Lycos, the original search results appear in a window on the left-hand side of the screen. Once you have finished reviewing the relevant site, you can go immediately to the search results without having to use your back button.
   
   Industry and business intelligence aggregators
   
   There are numerous online services which collect, organise and provide information about companies and the industries in which they work. These can be valuable sources of relevant industry vocabulary. Generally, these companies charge a fee for their services. However, free basic corporate information is often provided in the form of a summary.
   
   Using the Google search engine (www.google.com), enter the following search query:
   
   "company information"
   
   NB: Ensure that you are using www.google.com (Google’s main international site), and not the Google service specific to your own country (e.g. Google France).
   
   The first ten or so entries are under Sponsored Links. Below this list you will find the web results. One of the first entries will be Company Information from Hoover's including business reports and ... . Hoover's is a popular subscription service which also provides brief summaries of companies without charge.
   Click the Hoover's link. You will then be able to enter the name of the company, industry, name of an officer, etc, in the Hoover’s search field. Enter "Knight Ridder" in the search field and click the Go button. Click on the link to Knight Ridder, Inc in the Hoover’s Company Name Matches section. The corporate summary returned by Hoover’s provides valuable information about the company and the industry. It includes basic contact information, the New York Stock Exchange ticker name, basic sales data, information about the number of its employees, the names of its executives, and the name of its top competitors. Examining both Hoover’s profiles and the websites of Knight Ridder’s competitors will also be valuable in compiling industry-related vocabulary and business intelligence relating to research.
   
   Media sources
   
   Up-to-date information regarding a company and its associated industry may also be found in online media sources.
   
   A number of services that charge a fee for access to their media archives are available on the Internet. However, a number of sources provide free, though less extensive, articles which allow text searching.
   
   Go to Find Articles (www.findarticles.com) and enter the following search query:
   
   "Knight Ridder"
   
   The resulting hits from the query provide links to various articles, and indicate both the original source and date of the publication. The search field in Find Articles also allows you to limit your search to a number of categories, such as Business and Finance, News and Society, etc.
   
   Another valuable source of media, and currently one of the most popular sites for free online industry research, is Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/). Choosing the News & Commentary tab on the menu bar allows you to enter the name of the company you are researching in a search field. In addition, the service allows you to sort the results according to the relevance and date of publication.
   
   Yahoo! Finance
   
   The Yahoo! Finance page provides media coverage regarding industries and recent market news. The News and Commentary section provides access to blogs about companies and industries. Blogs can also be an important source of information regarding recent developments and provide a rich source of relevant industry jargon. Yahoo! Finance also provides links to other Yahoo! Finance sites throughout the world.
   
   Stock exchanges
   
   If the company you are researching is listed on a stock exchange, the stock exchange will provide basic data concerning that company. Knight Ridder is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
   Enter the following search query in Google:
   
   "new york stock exchange"
   
   Choose the link to the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Group, Inc. The first page of the New York Stock Exchange's website allows you, among other things, to search for the name of the company and to obtain information about the company by entering its stock exchange ticker symbol.
   
   Knight Ridder's ticker symbol, KRI, can be obtained by clicking on the SYMBOL LOOKUP function. If you enter the symbol in the GET QUOTE field, the New York Stock Exchange site returns the data that it has regarding Knight Ridder. You can choose to view the company's profile, data, news and SEC Filings, which may provide valuable information about your research target and the documents it has submitted to the US Securities Exchange Commission.
   
   Answer
   
   1) Useful sources include:
   
   Company websites, e.g. the Knight Ridder website http://www.kri.com
   
   Industry and business intelligence aggregators, e.g. Hoover’s http://www.hoovers.com/free/
   
   Media sources, e.g. Find Articles http://www.findarticles.com and Yahoo! Finance http://finance.yahoo.com/
   
   Stock exchanges, e.g. The New York Stock Exchange http://www.nyse.com/
   
   2) Provide a one-page memo with detailed information on Knight Ridder, one of the companies your client is considering acquiring, including the following information:
   
   • details of the services Knight Ridder supplies;
   • key competitors;
   • number of employees;
   • name of chairman/CEO and CFO;
   • sales figures and net income for last year;
   • recent mentions in the media, including date and publication;
   • current stock price;
   • most recent SEC filings.
   
   Make a note of which sources were useful for finding which pieces of information.
   
   Revisit the sources that you explored above to find the information you need to write your memo. Make a note of which sources were useful for finding which pieces of information.
   
   Answer
   
   2) The following details were correct as of 14 June 2006.
   
   Details of the services Knight Ridder supplies
   Knight Ridder is one of the nation's leading providers of news, information and advertising, in print and online. Knight Ridder also operates the Real Cities network, the largest national network of city and regional web sites in more than 110 US markets. (http://www.kri.com)
   
   Key competitors
   
   The two main direct competitors are Gannett Co. Inc. and Tribune Co. (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=KRI)
   
   Number of employees
   
   18,000 (http://finance.yahoo.com/)
   
   Name of chairman/CEO and CFO
   
   The chairman/CEO is Tony Ridder. The CFO is Steven B Rossi. (http://www.kri.com)
   
   Sales figures and net income for last year
   
   32 daily newspapers in 29 US markets, with a readership of 8.5 million daily and 11 million Sunday. It is also the founder and operator of Real Cities (http://www.RealCities.com).
   
   For the year, total operating revenue was $3.0 billion, up 2.1% from 2004. (http://www.kri.com)
   
   Recent mentions in the media, including date and publication
   
   Knightfall; Knight Ridder and how the erosion of newspaper journalism is putting democracy at risk.
   AMACOM, August 2005, by Merritt, Davis( http://www.findarticles.com)
   
   VA series gets award for Knight Ridder
   (State College) Centre Daily Times, March, 2006 (http://www.findarticles.com)
   
   Buyer to be announced for 3 sister Knight Ridder papers
   Akron Beacon Journal, June 2006 by Gloria Irwin (http://www.findarticles.com)
   
   Knight Ridder May Total Ad Revenue Rises
   Associated Press (AP), 9 June 2006 (http://finance.yahoo.com/)
   
   Current stock price
   KRI last traded at $61.53 as of 4:02 PM ET, 14/6/06. (http://www.kri.com)
   
   Most recent SEC filings
   These can be found at the New York Stock Exchange (http://secfilings.nyse.com/files.php?symbol=KRI)