Content Analysis of News-based Organizational Events

Goce Andrevski
Queens University

Walter Ferrier
University of Kentucky

Competitive Action
an externally directed, specific, and
observable competitive move initiated by a firm to enhance its relative competitive position
Chen Smith, Grimm, Gannon & Chen Ferrier, Smith & Grimm Yu & Cannella (1988) (1991) (1999) (2007)

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Actions from News

Pricing Marketing New Product 1 July 1992: Fords Lincoln unit reduces Tracer model price by $234 14 February 2002: Canadian jazz diva Diana Krall is taking her smokey voice on the road to promote Chrysler cars.

21 October 2002. GM's Saturn unit unveils new small car, the Ion. 7 July 1993: Toyota opens plant in Troy, Missouri to Market supply aluminum cylinder heads to Toyota Camry plant in Expansions Kentucky 22 November 1997: Ford unveils the Super Stallion Signaling concept car, based on the legendary Mustang

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Major Issues
Data sources Thousands of news articles generated Extremely time consuming process How to develop a more efficient technique for coding data?

General Procedure Factiva

Developing key-word searching criteria for each action type

Downloading articles from an electronic database - Factiva

Transferring articles into Excel database

Cleaning and coding data

Computing Measures

Merging with other datasets

Speeding up Data Collection and Measurement

Developing key-word searching criteria for each action type

1. Boolean Search Operators

/f30/ ; w/5 ; atleast5; and; not; or;

2. Factivas Intelligent Indexing

Downloading articles from an electronic database - Factiva

hd=price cut; ns=c22; in=ICOMP

Transferring articles into Excel database

Cleaning and coding data

Computing Measures

Merging with other datasets

Key Word Criteria in Factiva

Pricing Actions:
Firm Name/f15/ and [(Price*/f15/ and drop/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and cut*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and decrease*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and reduc*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and new*/f20) or (price*/f20/ and lower*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and slash*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and slice*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and halv*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and undercut*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and plunge*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and fall*/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and plummet/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and slump/f20/) or (price*/f20/ and shrink*/f20/) or cheaper/f15/ or rebate/f15/ or saving*/f15/ or coupon*/f15/) not profit*/f15/ not stock price/f30/

Speeding up Data Collection and Measurement

Developing key-word searching criteria for each action type

Downloading articles from an electronic database - Factiva Software for Transferring Data Transferring articles into Excel database Cleaning and coding data Computing Measures Merging with other datasets

Software output Excel or Access

ID Co P a re nt_ mpu Compa n te y D a te H e a dline Action T ype Le a ding pa ra gra ph xT D xN S xR E

Hughes Taps 3Com Exec To Spur 20/05/1991 Marketing Effort 182 1 3Com 3Com Bolsters Reseller Support-- 27/05/1991 Three-Tiered Program Rewards Skills Upgrade Managing networks - Novell, 3Com 08/07/1991 applications boost VARs 179 1 3Com 3Com announces first European 16/09/1991 manufacturing facility 178 1 3Com News & Analysis: Packets: 01/01/1990 Happenings 3Com Corp. 292 1 3Com 3COM CUTS INTERNETWORK 02/01/1990 BRIDGE PRICES. 289 1 3Com 3Com Corp Reduces Prices On 02/01/1990 Internetwork Bridges 290 1 3Com price price price
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MOUNTAIN V IEW, CALIF. - Much of Hughes" marketing e ffort, Hughes LAN Systems Inc. has Murphy said, will f ocus on products i t tapped a 3Com Corp. has developed to tie l ocal-area executive to push the unit"s networks i nto wide-area networks. products and services to These i nclude packet switches, bridges major cCLARA, CALIF. - 3Com and terminal servers. omplements the SANTA orporate customers. The support program c According to Corp., as e xpected, l ast week changes i n the company"s reseller revealed a plan to provide program, which was prompted by additional support, i ncluding 3Com"s shift f rom work group products access to 3Com consulting to i nternetworking e quipment ( CSN, services, Calif. Novell Inc. At the same time, 3Com Corp. bto March 20). The company hopes egan San Jose, to resellers that recently outlined plans at PC Expo to provide network management f or NetWare networks and whetted attendees" appetites by PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a Pan-European news conference Monday, 3Com Corp. ( NASDAQ:COMS), a leading global data networking company, 3Com Corp., of Santa Clara, shipping i ts l ong-awaited V iewBuilder network management application. Internally called NetWare Services Manager ( NSM), Novell"s network management acility f or adapter product C22 : A temporary f console application, based testing and packaging will begin operation this November i n a Dublin suburb. ``A manufacturing f acility i n Europe e nables 3Com to e xpand i ts participation i n the rapid growth of

181

1 3Com

improve

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EURZ : New European Products Countrie /Services s | IRE : | CCAT : Ireland | Corporat NAMZ :

Calif., announced that i t has reduced the prices of two of its EtherLink adapters 22% and 17%, and i ncreased the warranty period to three SANTA CLARA, Jan 2, Reuter - The IB/1 i s priced at 9,100 dollars, 3Com Corp said i t i s cutting prices i mmediately on i ts internetwork bridges f amily between f ive pct and 25 pct, depending on product and SANTA CLARA, Calif. - DJ-

C31 : NAMZ : Markets/ North Marketin American g | C314 : Countrie Pricing | s | USA : United Effective i mmediately, 3Com said, i ts IB- CCAT : 3Com Corp. said i t i s 1 i s priced at $9,100, the IB-2000 at reducing prices on i ts e ntire $4,995 and the IB-3 at $7,500 f or dual family of i nternetwork low-speed l ine support and $8,500 f or a bridges. In a press release, single T-1 connection. 11:59 AM the company said the IB/20000 at 4,995 dollars and the IB/3 start at 7,500 f or dual l owspeed l ine support, and 8,500 dollars f or a single T- 1 connection.

Speeding up Data Collection and Measurement

Developing key-word searching criteria for each action type Pivot Tables Simple Programming

Downloading articles from an electronic database - Factiva

Transferring articles into Excel database

Cleaning and coding data

Computing Measures

Merging with other datasets

Pivot Table Output

Cusip 2444 2444 2444 2444 2444 7903 7903 7903 7903 7903 21441 21441 21441 21441 21441 31652 31652 31652 31652 31652 32092 Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1995 ads expand improve 11 12 11 3 13 price prod 1 2 version 6 2 3 1 3 12 10 5 14 13 4 3 5 19 3 Grand Total 18 16 15 5 16 16 18 16 22 32 10 14 28 47 17

1 1 2 2 1 3 1 2 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 1

3 2 2

2 2 9 4 3 18 22 11

1 3 6 2 3 1 7 1

1 2

1 1 4

1 4 6

Questions?