Financial World Explained

Financial World
Editor5:-->
Editor Title5:-->
Format:Biweekly magazine
Category:Business
Founder:Louis Guenther
Founded:1902
Country:United States
Based:New York
Language:English
Issn:0015-2064

Financial World was an American magazine for investors that operated from 1902 to 1998. The magazine was known for its annual "Bronze Award" given to companies for the quality of their annual shareholders reports and, later, that year's top corporate CEO, in their respective industries.

Publication history

Financial World was founded in 1902 by Louis Guenther in Chicago, and moved to New York City a few years later.[1] The first issue, published on October 1, 1902, stated the purpose of the magazine was to provide information about companies that individual investors could use for evaluating the quality of individual stocks.[2] The magazine was initially published monthly without advertisements for the price of 5¢ with subscriptions available for 50¢ per year. It started including advertisements when the publication frequency increased to semi-monthly commencing with the October 1, 1905, issue.[3] Due to popular demand from its readers, the magazine began publishing weekly starting with the September 1, 1906, issue.[4]

Guenther died on March 11, 1953, at the age of 78. Ralph Bach, Richard J. Anderson, and Arthur E. Voss purchased the magazine's publishing company, Guenther Publishing, from Guenther's estate in 1955.[5] Bach, who had worked for the magazine since 1929, published it until his death in 1973, when Macro Communications took over.[6] [7] Macro reduced the publication frequency to semi-monthly in 1975. By the 1980s, the magazine was known for publishing annual lists of the year's top money-makers. Carl Lindner Jr. and a group of investors purchased the magazine in 1983;[8] it was sold to Barry Rupp, Steve Rupp, and Timothy Draper in 1995.[9]

In the magazine's later years of publication, its signature issue was the "Sports Franchise Valuation Issue". In its last years, this feature was prepared by Andrew Zimbalist, who became a contributor to Forbes.

The magazine failed in 1998.[9] [10]

Bronze awards

Annual reports

In 1942, Vice President and Business Editor Weston Smith surveyed the shareholder annual reports for 1941 of 500 corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange, evaluating how each company's report had improved the structure and quality of information presented when compared to the company's 1931 report.[11] The following year, he expanded the survey to 766 corporations, both listed and unlisted, and awarded "Highest Merit Award" and "Honorable Mention" certificates for each industry category that were mailed to the presidents of the companies. The "Highest Merit Award" was for reports considered modern, while "Honorable Mention" was for reports that had shown significant improvement from 10 years before. The judging criteria included format, content and illustrations, typography, and public relations appeal.[12] 318 were considered virtually unchanged, and Smith noted that some company reports had used the same style or content for over 25 years. Smith stated that the purpose of his annual report surveys was to foster continual improvement.

For the 1944 survey, over 2,000 companies submitted their 1943 annual reports to the magazine for inclusion. 1,000 reports qualified for the "Highest Merit Award" or an "Honorable Mention". In response to popular demand for selecting a best report from each industry category, the magazine formed an independent board of experts with initial members Lewis Haney (finance and economics), Norman Bel Geddes (industrial arts), Glenn Griswold (business and industry), Raymond C. Mayer (public relations), and C. Norman Stabler (financial journalism).[13] The industry winners were announced in the August 9, 1944, issue, with Brown & Bigelow being awarded for "Outstanding Annual Report of the Year", and Pan American Airways being awarded "Best Original Annual Report Cover Design".[14]

The first annual awards dinner was held on October 2, 1945, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.[15] [16] The awards presented were the "best of industry" awards, which the magazine dubbed the "Oscar of Industry", a gold award for the overall winner (Caterpillar Tractor Company), second through fifth place awards, and two awards for cover designs.

Moving forward, the awards were divided into industrial classifications (100 in 1948), with the winner of each classification receiving a bronze award.[17] The overall winner received a gold award, and multiple silver awards were given in various broader industry categorizations.[18] Judging criteria included good design, graphics, completeness of information, and uniformity of data.[19] Information looked for included the cost and nature of acquisitions, lines of business breakdowns, company products, sales, marketing and advertising, taxes, future financing plans, research and development, and public relations programs.

Annual Report Gold Winners
Year Company
1945 Caterpillar Tractor Company
1946 Chesapeake and Ohio Railway[20]
1947 Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad[21]
1948 Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company
1949 Standard Oil Company[22]
1950 General Motors[23]
1951 Erie Railroad[24]
1952 Monsanto Chemical Company[25]
1953 Illinois Central Railroad[26]
1954 Eastman Kodak[27]
1955 Pennsylvania Railroad Company[28]
1956 Great Northern Railway[29]
1957 Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company[30]
1958 Ford Motor Company[31]
1959 Hilton Hotels Corporation[32]
1960 Standard Accident Insurance Company[33]
1961 American Electric Power Co.[34]
1962 General Electric[35]
1963 General Electric[36]
1964 Xerox[37]
1965 Copperweld Steel Company[38]
1966 Eastman Kodak[39]
1967 Glidden Company[40]
1968 North American Rockwell Corporation[41]
1969 Singer Corporation[42]
1970 Westinghouse Electric Corp.[43]
1971 Eastern Air Lines[44]
1972 Lowe's Companies[45]
1973 Philip Morris[46]
1974 Citicorp[47]
1975 Dayton-Hudson Corp.[48]
1976 Lowe's Companies[49]
1978 Louisiana Land and Exploration[50]
1979 W. R. Grace and Company[51]
1985 Vulcan Materials Company[52]
1988 Times Mirror Company[53]
1990 PepsiCo[54]
1991 Atlantic Richfield Company[55]
1992 PepsiCo[56]
1994 Knight-Ridder[57]
1995 Allstate Corp.[58]

CEO of the year

The magazine began awarding its CEO of the Year award in 1975.[59] Like the annual report awards, bronze awards were given for the best in each industry category (52 in 1983), silver awards, and a gold award for the overall winner.[60]

CEO of the Year
Year CEO Company
1975 Walter B. Wriston[61] Citicorp
1976 C.B. Branch[62] Dow Chemical Company
Rick de Lome
Mary Lynn Van Dyken
Jim Zahrt
1982 Raymond Mundt
1983 Chrysler Corporation
1990 Amy Ink
1993 Donald Haberek
1994 Ronald L. Bittner
1995 Ronald L. Bittner
1996 Brian Engel

Special awards

Special Awards
Year Recipient Reason
1960 The company's "leadership in encouraging greater dissemination of share ownership information."
1964 "for distinguished achievement in the annual reports of the public corporations and authorities"

Notable alumni of Financial World

Notes and References

  1. News: Louis Guenther publisher here . . March 12, 1953 . 27 . CII . 34746 . Late City.
  2. The Financial World . Financial World . October 1, 1902 . 1 . 1 . 1, 8 . Chicago.
  3. Important announcement . Financial World . September 1, 1905 . 3 . 12 . 1 . Chicago . Louis Guenther.
  4. A weekly September 1st. . Financial World . August 1, 1906. 1 . 5 . 9 . Chicago . The Financial World Publishing Co..
  5. News: Group Gains Control Of 'Financial World' . . September 20, 1955 . New York, New York . . 20 . 107 . 92.
  6. News: Ralph Bach Dies On 70th Birthday . The Item of Millburn and Short Hills . February 1, 1973 . 13 . 84 . 5.
  7. A note to our readers . Financial World . December 1, 1975 . 4 . 144 . 22 . New York, New York . FW Publishing Corporation . Weingarten . Robert I. . Kingon . Alfred H. . Alfred H. Kingon.
  8. News: Philip H. . Dougherty. Financial Magazine's New Era. Advertising. Dec 29, 1983. D13 . . CXXXIII . 45907 . late.
  9. News: Devin . Leonard. Financial World Magazine Collapses Under Gung-Ho Owner Barry Rupp. 19 February 2016. The New York Observer. 3 August 1998.
  10. Web site: Margaret . Abrams. A Trend Forecaster Tells Us What to Expect for Spring 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20091025094704/http://www.observer.com/node/40786. dead. 25 October 2009. The New York Observer. 19 February 2016.
  11. Annual survey of annual stockholder reports . Financial World . June 30, 1943 . Guenther Publishing Corporation . 3–4, 24–26 . Smith . Weston . New York, New York . 79 . 26.
  12. Annual survey of annual stockholder reports . Financial World . July 5, 1944 . Guenther Publishing Corporation . 3–4, 27–32 . Smith . Weston . New York, New York . 82 . 1.
  13. Announcing the Formation of an Independent Board of Experts . Financial World . July 5, 1944 . Guenther Publishing Corporation . 4 . New York, New York . 82 . 1.
  14. News: Report of Independent Experts . Financial World . August 9, 1945 . Guenther Publishing Corporation . 5 . New York, New York . 82 . 6.
  15. 'Best of Industry' Selections for 1944 Annual Reports . Financial World . October 3, 1945 . Guenther Publishing Corporation . 5 . New York, New York . 83 . 14.
  16. News: Prizes are awarded . . October 3, 1945 . 15 . CV . 177 . Final . . New York.
  17. News: 'New Haven' Wins Group Award For Annual Report Ads . . October 22, 1948 . 20 . CXII . Final City . Associated Press.
  18. News: Warnaco report wins top 'Oscar' . . October 24, 1975 . XCII . 250 . 36 . County.
  19. News: Harleysville Annual Report Wins Financial World Award . . November 19, 1975 . 95 . 4930 . 18 .
  20. News: Snyder sees need to keep taxes up . . October 5, 1946 . 21 . XCVI . 32396 . Late City.
  21. News: Canadian Reports Win High Honors . . October 11, 1947 . 12 . 170.
  22. News: Industry 'Oscars' Awarded . . 6 . 54 . Wednesday Afternoon . Suttle . Howard . Liftin' the Lid on Washington.
  23. News: Sloan urges all to acquire stock . . October 31, 1950 . 43 . C . 33883 . Late City.
  24. News: Erie Gets The Oscar For Annual Report . . October 31, 1951 . 26 . 49 . 148 . Kellum . Robert.
  25. News: Monsanto wins report trophy . . October 29, 1952 . . New York . 46 . 142 . 104 . Latest City.
  26. News: Illinois Central Wins Gold Oscar . . October 27, 1953 . 39 . CIII . 34975 . Late City.
  27. News: Kodak top winner with year report . . October 26, 1954 . 40 . CIV . 35339 . Late City.
  28. News: Pennsy line wins prize for report . . October 25, 1955 . 45 . CV . 35703 . Late City.
  29. News: Southam Co. Wins Trophy . . October 30, 1956 . . New York . 30 . 73 . 250 . Final.
  30. News: Gold Award for 1956 Stockholders Report To Marquette Cement . . October 29, 1957 . 27 . 83 . 140.
  31. News: Ford Wins 'Oscar of Industry' Award For Best Annual Report Issued for '57 . . October 28, 1958 . 58 . CVIII . 36802 . Late City.
  32. News: Hilton '58 report wins gold award . . October 27, 1959 . 49 . CIX . 37166 . Late City.
  33. News: Insurer wins 'Oscar' . . October 25, 1960 . 51 . CX . 37530 . Late City.
  34. News: American Electric wins report trophy . . November 1, 1961 . News Items on Business Activities Over the Nation . . 9-C . 67 . 305.
  35. News: U.S. Steel Cuts Dividend . Business Chronicler . . October 31, 1962 . Record . Don . 30 . 130.
  36. News: G.E. Annual Report Wins Financial World's Award . . October 31, 1963 . CXIII . 38631 . 41 . Late City.
  37. News: Xerox Corp. Wins Award For Its Stockholder Report . . October 28, 1964 . 67 . CXIV . 38993 . Late City.
  38. News: Xerox to Get Silver Oscar . . October 26, 1965 . 1C . 133 . Metropolitan.
  39. News: Eastman Kodak Gets 'Oscar' for Report . . October 27, 1966 . New York . Lockwood . Leonard . 1C . 134 . Metropolitan.
  40. News: Glidden to Get Oscar For Its Annual Report . . October 25, 1967 . 72 . CXVII . 40086 . Late City.
  41. News: NA Rockwell To Get Award . . October 21, 1968 . 43 . 42 . 70 . Final City.
  42. News: L. M. Berry Co. Branches Out . Business/People . . October 30, 1969 . Vanderschmidt . Bill . 1C . 137 . Metro.
  43. News: 'Sell Anything' Stock Era Past . . October 29, 1970 . . New York . 56 . 106 . 121 . 9 Star Final.
  44. News: Eastern Air Lines to Get Trophy for Its '70 Report . . October 26, 1971 . 66 . CXXI . 41548 . Late City.
  45. News: Award Is Won by Retailer For Corporation Report . . October 26, 1972 . 65 . CXXII . 41914 . Late City.
  46. News: Hart, Case-Hoyt Award Winners . . October 31, 1973 . 8D . 141 . Metro.
  47. 1974 Annual Report Awards Section . Financial World . October 30, 1974 . Butler Publishing Corporation . 62–63 . New York, New York . 142 . 17 . Sherman . Howard L. . Nevans . Ronald.
  48. News: Merrill Lynch has real winner . . October 26, 1975 . Cole . Joe . B11 . 86 . 163.
  49. News: Lowe's Reports . Business Activities . . October 25, 1976 . 8 . CVII . 204.
  50. News: LCO Takes Top Award . . October 28, 1978 . 9 . 107 . 43.
  51. News: Annual report winners . Business Beat . . October 26, 1979 . 6 . 80 . 239.
  52. News: Vulcan Report Honored . . October 27, 1985 . 8B . 177 . 300.
  53. News: GMP wins bronze award for annual report . . October 21, 1988 . 76 . 197 . 6.
  54. News: PepsiCo report judged No. 1 . . October 25, 1990 . D1.
  55. News: Arco 1990 Annual Report wins Award From Financial Analysts . . October 26, 1991 . Lee . Patrick . D2 . CX . 327.
  56. News: In the region . Update . . October 23, 1992 . B9 . 36542.
  57. News: Roadway, Michelin, Knight-Ridder tops . Daily Backgrounder . . October 28, 1994 . B8.
  58. News: Annual reports for Tecnol, AMR, Tandy win awards . . October 23, 1995 . 6 . 90 . 181.
  59. News: Interstate/Johnson Lane's CEO earns Bronze Award . The Index Journal . April 3, 1994 . 76 . 49 . 5B . Sunday. |
  60. News: S&L presifdent wins national honors. . April 21, 1983 . 17A . Davis . Pati . 99 . 151.
  61. Selecting the Outstanding Corporate Chiefs . Financial World . March 26, 1975 . Barton . Lee . 16–17 . 143 . 13.
  62. The selection of America's outstanding chiefs . Financial World . March 15, 1976 . Wax . Alan J. . 26 . 145 . 6 . FW World Publishing . New York, New York.
  63. Web site: Dan Dorfman Joins Magazine. The New York Times. 4 December 1996. 19 February 2016.
  64. Web site: Fabrikant . Geraldine . Vogue's Plans for Centennial - A Big Issue and a Big Party. The New York Times. 11 March 1992. 19 February 2016.
  65. News: An idea whose time hadn't come . . October 28, 1979 . Livingston . Joseph A. . . 18 Today section . 301 . 120 . March 30, 2020.
  66. Web site: Douglas A. McIntyre. Huffington Post. 19 February 2016.

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