Governance mechanisms are effective when they meet the needs of all stakeholders. Governance mechanisms are also a key way in which to ensure that strategic decisions are made effectively. As a potential employee, how would you go about investigating a firm's governance structure, and would that investigation weigh in your decision to become an employee? Identify a firm that you currently would like to join or one that you just find interesting. Working individually, research the following aspects of your target firm. Find a copy of the firm's most recent proxy statement and 10-K. Proxy statements are sent to shareholders prior to each year's annual meeting and contain detailed information about the company's governance and issues on which a shareholder vote might be held. Proxy statements are typically available from a firm's Web site (look for an "Investors" submenu). You can also access proxy statements and other government filings such as the 10-K from the SEC's EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). Alongside the proxy you should also be able to access the firm's annual report. Here you will find information concerning performance, governance, and the firm's outlook, among other matters. Identify one of the firm's main competitors for comparison. You can find one of the firm's main competitors by using company analysis tools such as Datamonitor. Summarize the key aspects of the firms' governance mechanisms. try to creat a single graph covering the last 10-year historical stock performance for both companies. If applicable, find a representative index to compare both with, such as S&P or NASDAQ. Highlight key differences between your target firm and its competitor. Based on your review of the firm's governance, did you change your opinion of the firm's desirability as an employer? Why or why not? How does the target firm compare to the main competitor you identified?