Databases containing board information

Here are links to blogspots offering board informsation.
Content may vary between databases.

Database Asset4

In Lexis/ Nexis (News)

In Audit analytics

In Wharton / Compustat

In Bureau van Dijk databases (Amadeus, Bankscope, REACH)

Board Information - Lexis/Nexis

Not all databases provide information on executive boards, governance or any other relevant board information.This post will seek to provide an overview of some databases that do.


Lexis / Nexis

US Executive Compensation Database.
Compositions of executive boards (Hystoric)
SEC filings.
First of all set he database according to the language you desire.

 Select Sources

It is possible to choose between browse - (when leafing through possibilities) and find sources (when you know which one)
Find sources.
"U.S. executive compensation database"
Click OK Continue (top right)
Select link Industry (new window pops up) > Select Computing

OK add to search (button)
You can leave it at that and press search (unweighed)

The result is a list of companies.

You can open individual companies, or downlad data
It is possible to select the desired download format and/ the number of records (max 200) and or full text or  other top right)

Finish selection with Download.

A window appears with a download link (right click)
Two links are downloaded. Keep them both.
Opening:

More databases offering board information

Database Asset4

In Compustat:  Execucomp

In Audit analytics

In Bureau van Dijk databases (Amadeus, Bankscope, REACH)

Poison Pills

Poison Pill: a tactic used by companies that are threatened by a hostile take over that ensures any take over will result in events that substantially reduce the value of the company. I.E. selling a valuable assets to a friendly company / bank or the issue of securities with a conversion option enabling buyer's to purchase at reduced price. See also porcupine provisions* and staggered directorships**.

Also, even if shareholders actually support the take over, the board of directors could decide to follow a poison pill strategy (just say no defense). In current days, with increased hostile activity, it can be expected that companies will continue just say no defenses, even in spite of their own shareholders, and following law suits, between suitors and target company. (see also: "How courts see the Just say no defense, Investment Dealer's Digest, 2010, vol. 076, iss, 10, pg. 22.)

An extreme version of poison pills are the so-called Defensive Scorched Earth policies.

A reaction to a takeover attempt that involves liquidating valuable assets and assuming liabilities in an effort to make the proposed takeover unattractive to the acquiring company. Read more: http://www.investorwords.com/4410/scorched_earth_policy.html#ixzz12KzZckeY
Any measures are valid to discourage take over, e.g. getting a loan at an exhorbitant interest rate.
Method SDC: Mergers and Acquisitions  US + NON-US ; dates ; Search ; All items  : search word: "scorched" ; select ; close ; Execute ; Custom Report ; add any report items you wish like name, state, status, synopsis etc.

Poison pills data are hard to get.
Our library does not have a specific database that does.

SDC has got some poison pills data types in the Mergers and Acquisitions section, but most won't provide data (license).
A usefull way of retrieving data on poison pills is a work around starting off with SDC Mergers and Acquisitions and ending in Lexis/ Nexis, which one database that does provide poison pill data.
(this part is pending)
Path in SDC:
Mergers and Acquisitions > set time scale > choose TAB 'all' > search word poison or (scorched earth) > close > execute > Tab top bar Custom Report > Set preferences (see figure)

 

For a basic introduction to SDC, click here (M and A search)
All SDC contributions on this blog can be found here

*) Porcupine provisions. (shark repellents)

Provisions made by companies to discourage take over bids.

**) Staggered directorships. To prevent hostile take overs. If the company makes clear that directors can't be removed from office as a result of the take over, without due cause, a bidder can't gain control of  the board for some time, even with a controlling interest in shares capital.

Date of incorporation

The date the company was founded.
Not all databases at Vrije Universiteit do actually provide this item, although it seems like they do. For instance Datastream datatype WC182173

Databases that do provide data are
Amadeus or
Lexis/ Nexis (company information)


Switch to English (if desired) by pressing the flag symbol on the right

Press the TAB Company Information


Fill in the required/ desired fields


Result: when just search by key word dat of incorporation and e.g. "North/South America Company Information Sources" (scroll down) results in many records (+ 3000). A fine feature is that the dates of all subsidiaries are listed as well:


Open a record:


Means of saving keeping (top right of screen)

Amadeus (through Wharton or Bureau van Dijk)

Select

A screen pops up, fill in desired date range


The left menu priovides many selection criteria.
E.g., do the same for region (country and city)

The selection in three steps:


Show the actual records by pressing one of the options in the top bar.


List: list of all companies from the selection.
Company report, a report of all companies in the selection (893) etc.
(Peer analysis is limited to 500 companies.)
Example:



Amadeus in Wharton Portal


Choose: Bureau van Dijk (drop down selection)



Open link financial (left hand menu) and search for "incorporation" (CTRL-F)


As for submiting the query (save as TAB-delimited txt file) and opening the results, I refer to this section