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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 


 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2004

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from             to             

 

Commission file number 0-21958

 


 

QRS Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware   68-0102251
(State of incorporation)  

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1400 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 

(510) 215-5000

(Registrant’s phone number, including area code)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    YES  x    NO  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

As of November 2, 2004, 15,970,721 shares of the issuer’s common stock, par value $.001 per share, were outstanding.

 



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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our business strategy, future operations, future financial position, estimated revenues or earnings (losses), projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives. These statements appear in a number of places and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “estimates,” “will,” “should,” “plans” or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy.

 

Actual results may vary materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors that are identified in “Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this document. These factors include: general economic and business conditions; specific conditions in the retail industry; competition; changes in senior management; rapid technological change in our industry; dependence upon key customers and their trading partners; ability to introduce and market acceptance of new products and services; the ability to successfully integrate and manage acquired businesses and technologies; customers’ willingness to purchase products or services offered through or in conjunction with third parties; customers’ reluctance to purchase products or services due to the announcement of the signing of the merger agreement with Inovis International, Inc. (“Inovis”); diversion of management’s attention to completing the merger with Inovis and planning the integration of QRS’ business with Inovis; loss of or harm to the Company’s relationships with employees due to the Company’s pending merger with Inovis; costs related to the merger and the integration of acquired products, technologies and employees into Inovis’ business and product offerings; dependence upon IBM for electronic commerce service; dependence on third parties for licenses to technology that is integrated into certain products and services offered by us; and the ability to protect our proprietary technology and information.

 

No assurance can be given that the factors described above and contained elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are all of the factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

 

CAUTION REQUIRED BY CERTAIN SEC RULES

 

In connection with the merger of Inovis and QRS Corporation (“QRS”), QRS has filed a proxy statement for QRS’ special stockholder meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Investors and security holders are advised to read the proxy statement because it contains important information about the proposed merger. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other documents filed by QRS with the SEC at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. Free copies of the proxy statement and other documents filed by QRS with the SEC may also be obtained from QRS by directing a request to QRS, Attention: Stacey Giamalis, Secretary, 510.215.5000.

 

QRS and its directors and its executive officers may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be soliciting proxies from QRS’ stockholders in favor of the proposed merger. Information regarding the identity of these persons, and their interests in the solicitation, are set forth in a Schedule 14A filed with the SEC, and is available free of charge at the SEC website and public reference rooms, and from the QRS corporate secretary.


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QRS CORPORATION

FORM 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page
Number


PART I— FINANCIAL INFORMATION     

Item 1.

  

Financial Statements (Unaudited):

    
    

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2003

   1
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2004 and 2003

   2
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2004 and 2003

   3
    

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

   4

Item 2.

  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   11

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

   26

Item 4.

  

Controls and Procedures

   26
PART II— OTHER INFORMATION     

Item 1.

  

Legal Proceedings

   27

Item 2.

  

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

   27

Item 3.

  

Defaults upon Senior Securities

   27

Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

   28

Item 5.

  

Other Information

   28

Item 6.

  

Exhibits

   28
    

SIGNATURE

   29

 


Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. Financial Statements

 

QRS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 AND DECEMBER 31, 2003

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     September 30,
2004


    December 31,
2003


 
ASSETS                 

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 27,347     $ 31,419  

Marketable securities available-for-sale

     1,954       5,203  

Accounts receivable—net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $594 at September 30, 2004 and $698 at December 31, 2003

     14,753       15,426  

Prepaid expenses and other

     1,421       2,730  
    


 


Total current assets

     45,475       54,778  
    


 


Property and equipment:

                

Furniture and fixtures

     1,812       2,109  

Equipment

     18,768       16,489  

Leasehold improvements

     2,309       2,128  
    


 


       22,889       20,726  

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (16,507 )     (13,045 )
    


 


Total property and equipment

     6,382       7,681  
    


 


Restricted cash

     3,560       —    

Marketable securities available-for-sale

     —         1,500  

Capitalized service and product development costs—net of accumulated amortization of $10,382 at September 30, 2004 and $8,407 at December 31, 2003

     8,639       6,206  

Goodwill

     830       830  

Intangible assets

     225       504  

Other assets

     1,294       1,280  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 66,405     $ 72,779  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                 

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 6,935     $ 6,586  

Accrued compensation

     2,966       4,424  

Accrued vacation

     2,201       2,155  

Deferred acquisition payment

     —         2,500  

Deferred revenue

     2,179       2,733  

Current portion of sublease loss accruals related to business restructuring

     2,668       3,142  

Other accrued liabilities

     2,026       2,562  

Current portion of note payable

     —         284  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     18,975       24,386  

Sublease loss accruals related to business restructuring

     6,429       7,884  

Deferred rent and other

     1,259       2,036  
    


 


Total liabilities

     26,663       34,306  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)

                

Stockholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock: $.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

     —         —    

Common stock: $.001 par value; 60,000,000 shares authorized; 16,190,432 shares issued and 15,956,701 shares outstanding at September 30, 2004 and 16,154,468 shares issued and 15,920,737 shares outstanding at December 31, 2003

     255,628       254,973  

Deferred compensation

     (1,945 )     (2,225 )

Treasury stock: 233,731 shares at September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2003

     (5,557 )     (5,557 )

Accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss):

                

Unrealized gain on marketable securities available-for-sale

     47       10  

Cumulative translation adjustment

     (268 )     (193 )

Accumulated deficit

     (208,163 )     (208,535 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     39,742       38,473  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 66,405     $ 72,779  
    


 


 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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QRS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 AND 2003

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2004

    2003

    2004

    2003

 

Revenue:

                                

Software applications

   $ 8,161     $ 8,333     $ 24,681     $ 24,803  

Trading community management

     14,358       16,857       45,322       49,859  

Global services

     6,305       6,072       18,531       17,973  
    


 


 


 


Total revenue

     28,824       31,262       88,534       92,635  
    


 


 


 


Cost of revenue:

                                

Software applications

     2,197       2,351       6,480       6,795  

Trading community management

     7,719       7,955       23,160       24,062  

Global services

     5,680       5,264       16,253       15,753  
    


 


 


 


Total cost of revenue

     15,596       15,570       45,893       46,610  
    


 


 


 


Gross profit

     13,228       15,692       42,641       46,025  
    


 


 


 


Operating expenses:

                                

Sales and marketing

     4,515       5,258       15,847       16,058  

Service and product development

     2,615       3,198       8,491       9,356  

General and administrative

     4,510       4,654       14,361       13,796  

Settlement of deferred acquisition payment

     —         —         (600 )     —    

Amortization of other intangible assets

     93       800       279       2,488  

Restructuring expenses

     331       5,279       331       5,279  
    


 


 


 


Total operating expenses

     12,064       19,189       38,709       46,977  
    


 


 


 


Operating income (loss)

     1,164       (3,497 )     3,932       (952 )

Interest income

     105       120       282       346  

Interest expense

     (3 )     (30 )     (20 )     (106 )

Merger termination fee

     (3,750 )     —         (3,750 )     —    
    


 


 


 


Income (loss) from operations before income taxes

     (2,484 )     (3,407 )     444       (712 )

Income tax expense

     25       50       72       98  
    


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

   $ (2,509 )   $ (3,457 )   $ 372     $ (810 )
    


 


 


 


Other comprehensive income (loss):

                                

Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities available-for-sale, net of tax

     —         (5 )     37       (10 )

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

     (9 )     (7 )     (75 )     (22 )
    


 


 


 


Total comprehensive income (loss)

   $ (2,518 )   $ (3,469 )   $ 334     $ (842 )
    


 


 


 


Basic net income (loss) per share

   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.22 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.05 )
    


 


 


 


Shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share

     15,947       15,859       15,937       15,830  
    


 


 


 


Diluted net income (loss) per share

   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.22 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.05 )
    


 


 


 


Shares used to compute diluted net income (loss) per share

     15,947       15,859       16,474       15,830  
    


 


 


 


 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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QRS CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 AND 2003

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2004

    2003

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net income (loss)

   $ 372     $ (810 )

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment

     3,645       3,613  

Amortization of capitalized service and product development costs

     1,975       964  

Amortization of software licenses and other

     86       1,008  

Amortization of other intangible assets

     279       2,488  

Stock-based compensation

     789       204  

Provision for allowance for doubtful accounts

     295       80  

Loss from disposal of property and equipment

     177       63  

Changes in assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivable

     378       (1,654 )

Prepaid expenses and other

     1,309       (1,143 )

Other assets

     212       —    

Accounts payable

     349       (1,209 )

Accrued compensation

     (1,458 )     (1,486 )

Accrued vacation

     46       177  

Deferred acquisition payment

     (2,500 )     —    

Deferred revenue

     (554 )     751  

Sublease loss accruals related to business restructuring

     (1,929 )     2,719  

Other accrued liabilities

     (248 )     (931 )

Deferred rent and other

     (715 )     (223 )
    


 


Net cash provided by operating activities

     2,508       4,611  
    


 


Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Restricted cash

     (3,560 )     —    

Sales and maturities of marketable securities available-for-sale

     4,991       7,089  

Purchases of marketable securities available-for-sale

     —         (12,372 )

Purchases of property and equipment

     (2,523 )     (2,772 )

Capitalization of service and product development costs

     (4,408 )     (4,150 )

Purchase of licensed technology

     (518 )     —    

Other assets

     —         552  
    


 


Net cash used in investing activities

     (6,018 )     (11,653 )
    


 


Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan

     49       176  

Exercise of stock options

     97       129  

Repurchase of common stock

     —         (9 )

Payments on note payable

     (288 )     (799 )

Payments on capital lease obligations

     (346 )     (340 )
    


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     (488 )     (843 )
    


 


Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents

     (74 )     (23 )
    


 


Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (4,072 )     (7,908 )

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     31,419       35,358  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 27,347     $ 27,450  
    


 


Cash paid for:

                

Taxes

   $ 102     $ 76  

Interest

   $ 36     $ 89  

Noncash investing and financing activities:

                

Property and equipment acquired through capital lease

   $ —       $ 419  

Fair value of restricted stock awarded

   $ 468     $ 210  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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QRS CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

1. GENERAL

 

QRS Corporation (“QRS,” the “Company,” “we” or “us”) is a technology company that serves the global retail trading community with collaborative commerce solutions. We manage the flow of critical commerce information and leverage our retail technology expertise to address fundamental industry challenges such as global data synchronization, compliance mandates, transaction management and global trade management. Our solutions help customers expand into new markets and channels, improve operational efficiency and differentiate their brand. Currently we have approximately 9,800 customers, as measured by the number of total, unique corporate customers that purchased or licensed our products and services between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004.

 

We have prepared the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2004, the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, and the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, without audit. In the opinion and to the knowledge of management, all adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows at September 30, 2004 and for all periods presented have been made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2003 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements as of that date.

 

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted as permitted by regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. These interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the annual audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2004.

 

The preparation of our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles necessarily requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses for the periods presented. Actual amounts may differ from such estimates.

 

Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results anticipated for any other interim period or for the full year.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In March 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) reached a final consensus on Issue 03-06. Issue 03-06 addressed a number of questions regarding the computation of earnings (loss) per share (EPS) by companies that have issued securities other than common stock that contractually entitle the holder to participate in dividends and earnings of such companies when, and if, it declares dividends on its common stock. The issue also provides further guidance in applying the two-class method of calculating EPS. It clarifies what constitutes a participating security and how to apply the two-class method of computing EPS once it is determined that a security is participating, including how to allocate undistributed earnings to such a security. Issue 03-06 is effective for the first fiscal period beginning after its issuance. During the quarter ended June 30, 2004, we adopted Issue 03-06 and the adoption did not have any material effect on our calculation of EPS.

 

On March 31, 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an exposure draft entitled “Share-Based Payment” to amend Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” and FAS 95, “Statement of Cash Flows.” The proposed standard’s effective date will apply to awards that are granted, modified, or settled in cash in interim or annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005. This proposed standard would eliminate the ability to account for share-based compensation using the intrinsic value-based method under APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” This exposure draft would require us to calculate equity-based compensation expense for stock options and employee stock purchase plan rights granted to employees based on the fair value of the equity instrument at the time of grant. The equity-based compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting period beginning with the grant date. Currently, we disclose the pro forma net income (loss) and related pro forma earnings (loss) per share information in accordance with FAS 123 and FAS 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Costs-Transition and Disclosure.” We continue to evaluate the impact that the exposure draft will have on our financial position and results of operations.

 

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The following table illustrates the effect on our net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share if we would have applied the fair value recognition provisions of FAS 123 to stock-based compensation (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2004

    2003

    2004

    2003

 

Net income (loss), as reported

   $ (2,509 )   $ (3,457 )   $ 372     $ (810 )

Add: Stock-based employee compensation expense included in reported net income (loss)

     257       55       748       138  

Deduct: Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair value-based method for all awards

     (1,160 )     (814 )     (3,342 )     (2,878 )
    


 


 


 


Net loss, pro forma

   $ (3,412 )   $ (4,216 )   $ (2,222 )   $ (3,550 )
    


 


 


 


Basic net income (loss) per share, as reported

   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.22 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.05 )
    


 


 


 


Basic net loss per share, pro forma

   $ (0.21 )   $ (0.27 )   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.22 )
    


 


 


 


Diluted net income (loss) per share, as reported

   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.22 )   $ 0.02     $ (0.05 )
    


 


 


 


Diluted net loss per share, pro forma

   $ (0.21 )   $ (0.27 )   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.22 )
    


 


 


 


 

The weighted-average fair value of options granted were estimated on the date of grant using the multiple options method of the Black-Scholes pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions used for grants made for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2004

    2003

    2004

    2003

 

Weighted-average fair value of options granted

   $ 4.46     $ 4.50     $ 4.01     $ 3.61  

Risk-free interest rate

     2.84 %     2.66 %     2.81 %     2.87 %

Expected volatility

     102 %     110 %     108 %     106 %

 

The expected life of options granted in 2004 and 2003 is 12 to 18 months beyond each incremental vesting period (total life of 2 to 5.5 years, depending on each grant’s individual vesting schedule). No dividends are assumed for any plan in any year.

 

The fair value of the stock purchased under the employee stock purchase program was determined using the Black-Scholes pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions as of March 31, 2004: risk-free interest rate is 2.61%; expected volatility is 109%; expected life is 6 months. No dividends are assumed.

 

2. OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 

Other intangible assets include acquired technology with an estimated useful life of 6 years; customer lists with useful lives of 3.5 to 5 years and a weighted-average estimated useful life of 4.8 years; customer contracts with useful lives of 5 to 7 years and a weighted-average estimated useful life of 6.4 years; and non-compete agreements entered into in connection with the acquisitions of businesses with estimated useful lives of 3 years. These intangible assets continue to be amortized on a straight-line basis over their useful lives.

 

As of September 30, 2004, other intangible assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

     Gross

   Accumulated
Amortization


    Net

Acquired technology

   $ 2,743    $ (2,725 )   $ 18

Customer lists

     1,552      (1,466 )     86

Customer contracts

     1,480      (1,359 )     121

Non-compete agreements

     1,212      (1,212 )     —  
    

  


 

Total

   $ 6,987    $ (6,762 )   $ 225
    

  


 

 

The estimated future amortization expense of other intangible assets as of September 30, 2004 is as follows (in thousands):

 

2004 (remaining six months)

   $ 82

2005

     142

2006

     1
    

Total

   $ 225
    

 

3. RESTRUCTURING EXPENSES

 

As part of our 2001 restructuring activities, we made certain estimates of sublease income on the vacated facility adjacent to our corporate headquarters in Richmond, California; however, due to a prolonged difficult real estate market in the Bay Area, those original estimates proved optimistic. As a result, during 2003 we began reevaluating our assumptions surrounding our sublease loss

 

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accrual, including discussions with our landlord to renegotiate the terms of our lease. We recorded a $3.7 million restructuring expense for the year ended December 31, 2003 based on the terms of a non-binding Letter of Intent with the landlord to reduce the term of the lease and our total cash commitments over the remaining life of the lease. During January 2004, we finalized agreements with our landlord to sublet the facility to an affiliate of our landlord and reduce our total cash commitments over the remaining life of the lease by $6.4 million. The sublease agreement for full contract rent and operating expenses from October 1, 2008 through the lease termination on June 30, 2011 is collateralized by a $4.0 million Deed of Trust. The agreements with our landlord required us in the first quarter 2004 to deposit $3.6 million of base rent for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 in an escrow account for disbursement over the related rental period. The funds held in escrow are classified as restricted cash in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004. Under the terms of the agreements with our landlord, we also settled a $0.8 million common area maintenance obligation related to our headquarters facility for $0.2 million that we paid during the first quarter of 2004. The remaining $0.6 million liability was allocated between our headquarters facility and the vacated adjacent facility based on square footage. As a result, $0.3 million will be recognized ratably as a reduction in operating expenses over the remaining headquarters lease term and $0.3 million was reclassified from deferred rent and other liabilities to the sublease loss accrual for our vacant Richmond, California facility. We believe that the sublease loss accrual related to this facility as of September 30, 2004, assuming certain amounts of sublease income, will cover all of our revised obligations under the final agreements.

 

During 2003, we also completed a review of our overall cost structure with the goals of creating better alignment with our growth strategy and finding additional efficiencies. As a result, we centralized substantially all of our development team to our Richmond, California headquarters and streamlined other parts of our operations, primarily general and administrative services. These actions resulted in a restructuring charge of $1.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2003, consisting of $1.2 million related to the closure of our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility, $0.1 million related to the write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements and $0.7 million related to the severance of 43 employees located in Wakefield, Massachusetts; Richmond, California and New York, New York. During the third quarter 2004, we finalized an agreement with a third party to sublease our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility from October 1, 2004 through the term of the lease in June 2007. We recorded an additional restructuring charge of $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 to increase the sublease loss accrual to cover our revised obligations related to this facility.

 

During 2004, management reevaluated our strategy in Europe, primarily the cost of operating a facility in the U.K. Revenue generated from Europe fell below expectations and was insufficient to offset current operating expenses. As a result, we vacated the facility in August 2004 and settled the outstanding lease obligation with our landlord for $0.1 million. In addition, we incurred a restructuring charge during the third quarter 2004 of $0.2 million related to the abandonment and write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements. In October 2004, we terminated employment for four of the six remaining employees in Europe and expect to incur severance-related restructuring expenses during the fourth quarter 2004 of approximately $0.2 million.

 

The following is a summary of the restructuring liabilities from December 31, 2003 to September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

    

2001

Restructuring Activities


   

2003

Restructuring Activities


   

2004

Restructuring Activities


 
     Facilities Closure
(primarily
Richmond, CA)


    Severance
(included in
Accrued
Compensation)


    Facilities Closure
(Wakefield, MA)


    Facilities Closure
(United Kingdom)


    Total

 

Balance at December 31, 2003

   $ 9,995     $ 246     $ 1,031     $ —       $ 11,272  

Restructuring expenses(1)

     —         27       179       154       360  

Cash payments

     (2,052 )     (270 )     (420 )     (154 )     (2,896 )

Adjustments(2)

     336       (3 )     28       —         361  
    


 


 


 


 


Balance at September 30, 2004

   $ 8,279     $ —       $ 818     $ —       $ 9,097  
    


 


 


 


 



(1) Restructuring expenses of $27,000 related to severance (associated with terminated employees who provided services from their notification of termination in the third quarter 2003 through their last day of employment on March 31, 2004) were included in service and product development expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the first quarter 2004. Severance expenses were incurred ratably over the severance period. Restructuring expenses of $179,000 related to the sublease loss accrual for our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility were included in general and administrative expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2004. Restructuring expenses of $154,000 related to early-termination of our lease in the U.K were included in restructuring expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) during the third quarter 2004, in combination with $177,000 associated with the write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements (not shown in the table above).

 

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(2) The adjustment to the restructuring liability in the first quarter 2004 was due to $0.3 million reclassified from deferred rent and other liabilities to the sublease loss accrual upon settlement of a common area maintenance obligation per the terms of the agreements with our landlord.

 

Based on the terms of the agreements with our landlord described above and actual subleases in effect on other properties, $2.7 million of the total facilities closure liability of $9.1 million has been classified as a current liability and the remaining $6.4 million has been classified as non-current with payments through 2008.

 

4. EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE

 

We calculate basic earnings (loss) per share (EPS) and diluted EPS in accordance with FAS 128, “Earnings Per Share.” Basic EPS is calculated by dividing net earnings (loss) for the period by the weighted-average common shares outstanding for that period, excluding unvested restricted share rights. Diluted EPS takes into account the effect of dilutive instruments, such as stock options and restricted share rights, and uses the average share price for the period in determining the number of incremental shares that are to be added to the weighted-average number of shares outstanding pursuant to the treasury stock method.

 

The following is a summary of the calculation of the number of shares used in calculating basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


   Nine Months Ended
September 30,


     2004

   2003

   2004

   2003

Shares used to compute basic EPS

   15,947,407    15,859,472    15,936,861    15,830,162

Common stock options

   —      —      213,216    —  

Restricted share rights

   —      —      324,198    —  
    
  
  
  

Shares used to compute diluted EPS

   15,947,407    15,859,472    16,474,275    15,830,162
    
  
  
  

 

Potentially dilutive shares for the three months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 were 3,488,196 and 3,359,100 shares, respectively, with weighted-average exercise prices of $10.97 and $12.62, respectively. Potentially dilutive shares for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 were 2,935,083 and 3,349,832 shares, respectively, with weighted-average exercise prices of $11.02 and $12.10, respectively. These potentially dilutive shares have been excluded from the shares used in calculating diluted net income (loss) per share since their inclusion in the calculation would have been anti-dilutive either due to the loss for the period or because the options’ and warrants’ exercise prices exceed the average fair market value of the Company’s common stock during the period.

 

5. INCOME TAXES

 

We recorded $72,000 of income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 and $98,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Income tax expense for all quarters in 2004 represents various state and foreign tax obligations. We did not incur any current federal tax expense during the first nine months of 2004 or 2003 primarily because of the effect of temporary differences arising from the deduction of capitalized service and product development costs for tax purposes, which resulted in a deferred tax liability. The deferred tax liability is offset by our unrecognized deferred tax asset. A valuation allowance has been placed against the remainder of our deferred tax asset.

 

6. COMMON STOCK, RESTRICTED SHARE RIGHTS, TREASURY STOCK AND STOCK OPTIONS

 

At September 30, 2004, there were 16,190,432 shares of our common stock issued of which 15,956,701 were outstanding. Employee and director stock-based compensation expense and non-employee stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 were as follows (in thousands):

 

     Three Months
Ended
September 30,


  

Nine Months
Ended

September 30,


     2004

   2003

   2004

   2003

Employees and directors

   $ 257    $ 55    $ 748    $ 138

Non-employees

     —        66      41      66
    

  

  

  

Total stock-based compensation expense

   $ 257    $ 121    $ 789    $ 204
    

  

  

  

 

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Restricted Share Rights

 

The following table shows the common stock restricted share rights granted under the provisions of the 1993 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan:

 

Grant Date


   Number of
Share Rights


   Vesting
Completion Date


   Fair Value

   Market Price
per Share on
Date of Grant


March 18, 2003

   25,000    January 1, 2006    $ 131,250    $ 5.25

March 18, 2003

   15,000    March 18, 2006      78,750      5.25

October 1, 2003

   155,000    October 1, 2006      1,317,500      8.50

October 22, 2003

   20,000    May 15, 2005      202,200      10.11

November 19, 2003

   55,000    December 2, 2006      562,650      10.23

December 3, 2003

   15,000    December 2, 2006      132,600      8.84

January 27, 2004

   34,813    January 27, 2007      319,583      9.18

March 17, 2004

   5,000    March 17, 2007      31,900      6.38

April 29, 2004

   25,500    April 29, 2007      137,700      5.40
    
       

      

Total

   350,313         $ 2,914,133       
    
       

      

 

These common stock restricted share rights will vest and become issuable as long as the grantee remains employed by or a director of the Company through the vesting date, or upon a change in control of the Company. The fair value of all common stock restricted share rights is included in the financial statements as deferred compensation and is being amortized ratably over the vesting period. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we issued 10,416 shares of common stock, of which 3,723 shares were surrendered to the Company as payment of minimum payroll tax withholding.

 

The following table shows the activity under the common stock restricted share rights program:

 

     Number of
Unvested Share Rights


 

Balance at December 31, 2003

   285,000  

Vested and issued

   (10,416 )

Restricted share rights surrendered as payment of minimum payroll taxes withheld

   3,723  

Granted

   65,313  
    

Balance at September 30, 2004

   343,620  
    

 

Treasury Stock

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock.

 

Stock Option Plans

 

The following table shows the activity under our stock option plans:

 

     Number of
Options
Available for
Grant


    Number of
Options
Outstanding


    Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price


Balance at December 31, 2002 (1,273,850 exercisable at $18.51 weighted-average price per share)

   1,667,199     2,932,887     $ 14.67

Granted

   (1,345,490 )   1,345,490       6.77

Exercised

   —       (35,670 )     4.89

Canceled

   923,087     (923,087 )     14.84

Restricted share rights

   (285,000 )   —         —  

Restricted stock canceled

   111,945     —         —  

Expired

   (21,767 )   —         26.25
    

 

     

Balance at December 31, 2003 (1,282,769 exercisable at $16.60 weighted-average price per share)

   1,049,974     3,319,620       11.46

Granted

   (284,000 )   284,000       5.93

Exercised

   —       (18,379 )     5.26

Canceled

   576,942     (576,942 )     13.31

Restricted share rights

   (65,313 )   —         —  

Expired

   (8,320 )   —         14.57
    

 

     

Balance at September 30, 2004 (1,488,956 exercisable at $13.47 weighted-average price per share)

   1,269,283     3,008,299     $ 10.62

 

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7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

We use IBM Information Exchange as the Value Added Network (VAN) over which we provide customers with some of our QRS Exchange products and services, such as Data Exchange, QRS Catalogue, QRS Web Forms and QRS Managed EC. We depend on IBM Information Exchange for a substantial part of our revenue. In July 2002, we entered into a three-year agreement with IBM effective July 1, 2002 and ending June 30, 2005. Pursuant to the agreement, we pay fees to IBM based on our usage of its network and other specified services, subject to minimum payments set forth in the agreement. During April 2004, we modified our agreement with IBM to eliminate our obligation to purchase specified minimum annual amounts of IBM’s Business Exchange Services – Internet Transfer (BES-IT), formerly Internet Data and Document Exchange (IDDX).

 

We have established two irrevocable letters of credit with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as security for real property leases; one in the amount of $0.4 million and one in the amount of $0.2 million. These letters of credit remained outstanding as of September 30, 2004 and are collateralized by two certificates of deposit, which are classified as other assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. In the first quarter 2004, $3.6 million of cash was placed in escrow to fund various future lease payments for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 as discussed in Note 3 above. The funds held in escrow are classified as restricted cash in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004.

 

We have made guarantees and indemnities, under which we may be required to make payments to a guaranteed or indemnified party, in relation to certain transactions. In connection with some of our facility leases, we have indemnified the lessors for certain claims that could arise from our use of the facility. In connection with some of our vendor and partner agreements, we have indemnified the vendors and partners for certain claims that could arise from these agreements. Typically, these guarantees and indemnities do not provide for any limitation of the maximum potential future payments we could be obligated to make. We believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. No liability associated with this indemnification has been recorded.

 

Pursuant to our bylaws and indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers, we are obligated to indemnify each of them against expenses and losses incurred for claims brought against them by reason of being a director or executive officer of the Company. The term of the indemnification period is for the director’s or officer’s lifetime. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, we have a directors and officers liability insurance policy that may be called upon to contribute to the satisfaction of any liability. We believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. No liability associated with this indemnification has been recorded.

 

Under the terms of our enterprise software applications license agreements and certain other sales agreements with our customers, in the event the software, products or services sold infringe upon any patent, copyright, trademark or any other proprietary right of a third party, we must indemnify our customer and licensees against any loss, expense or liability from any damages that may be awarded against its customer. In the event our customer cannot use the software or service due to infringement and we cannot obtain the right to use, replace or modify the license, product or service in a commercially feasible manner so that it no longer infringes, we may terminate the license and agreement and provide our customer a pro-rata refund of the fees paid by our customer for the infringing license, product or service. The agreements typically do not stipulate a maximum liability that can be incurred under the indemnification. We believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. No liability associated with this indemnification has been recorded.

 

In connection with the merger agreement relating to our 2000 acquisition of Image Info, we would have been required to pay the former shareholders of Image Info an additional $2.5 million in 2002 if revenue attributable to the acquired business for 2001 met the minimum amount described in the merger agreement. The deferred acquisition payment was accounted for in the acquisition cost for the original transaction and included as a liability in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. We determined that the revenue attributable to the acquired business did not reach the minimum amount required for 2001. On October 8, 2002, Craig Schlossberg, purporting to act on behalf of the former shareholders of Image Info, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the Company and WS Acquisition Corp., one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries (which was renamed Image Info, Inc.), in the Superior Court of California for the City and County of San Francisco, alleging claims for breach of contract and seeking to recover $2.5 million, plus interest, under a provision of the merger agreement. We vigorously defended the lawsuit, which we believed was without merit. To avoid further litigation, in April 2004, we reached a mutually satisfactory settlement agreement with the former shareholders of Image Info that resolves the lawsuit and terminates all claims against the Company. The action has been dismissed. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, we paid $1.9 million during the second quarter 2004, which was less than the $2.5 million liability classified as deferred acquisition payment in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2003. The effect of this settlement on our liability was recorded in the first quarter 2004 operating results as a benefit of $0.6 million.

 

In the second and fourth quarters of 2004, respectively, we were notified by two customers of contract disputes that could potentially result in litigation. We have not yet been able to estimate our potential exposure, nor do we know the probability of an unfavorable outcome; therefore, no liability has been recorded. However, settlement of the contract disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position

 

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8. MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

 

After entering into a merger agreement with JDA Software Group, Inc. (JDA) on June 17, 2004, we received unsolicited proposals from five bidders to acquire all of the outstanding shares of QRS. After receipt of each of these acquisition proposals, the QRS Board of Directors determined that QRS could engage in discussions with and furnish information to each potential acquirer in compliance with the JDA merger agreement. Thereafter, we engaged in extensive negotiations and due diligence with each potential acquirer prior to determining that the proposed merger with Inovis International, Inc. (Inovis) was more favorable to QRS’ stockholders than the proposed merger with JDA from a financial point of view, taking into account all of the terms and conditions of the proposed merger with Inovis, the likelihood of completion of the proposed Inovis merger, and the financial, regulatory, legal and other aspects of the proposed Inovis merger.

 

On September 2, 2004, we entered into a merger agreement with privately-held Inovis, pursuant to which a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inovis will merge with and into QRS. Under the terms of the agreement, QRS stockholders will receive $7.00 in cash for each share of QRS common stock. Completion of the merger is subject to the approval of QRS stockholders and other conditions. A definitive proxy statement was mailed to stockholders and the Company has set the date for a special stockholders meeting on November 12, 2004. In September 2004, the Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 applicable to our proposed merger with Inovis. Upon completion of the merger, we will be required to pay $16 to $17 million comprised of executive compensation, employee termination costs, stock compensation, legal and other professional fees and other contingent liabilities. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, we are required to maintain a balance of $15 million in cash and marketable securities as of the closing of the merger. There can be no assurance that the merger will be consummated. In the event that the merger agreement is terminated, under certain circumstances, we will be required to pay Inovis a termination fee of $3.75 million.

 

Included in non-operating activities during the third quarter 2004 is a $3.75 million termination fee paid to JDA related to QRS’ termination of the merger agreement entered into on June 17, 2004 with JDA. In addition, general and administrative expense in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) included $0.7 million and $1.7 million of merger-related costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, respectively.

 

On November 4, 2004, due to the proposed merger with Inovis, QRS provided notification of termination to more than 100 employees, contingent upon the completion of the merger with Inovis. With respect to the affected employees, we are taking actions in compliance with the provisions of the federal Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Severance and benefit costs and obligations under the WARN Act, are expected to total between $9 and $10 million which we expect to pay by the third quarter of 2005.

 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those set forth under this Item, as well as those discussed elsewhere in this report and those that may be identified from time to time in our reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Item 1 of this quarterly report and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in our annual report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2004.

 

Overview

 

We are a technology company that serves the global retail trading community with collaborative commerce solutions. We manage the flow of critical commerce information and leverage our retail technology expertise to address fundamental industry challenges such as global data synchronization, compliance mandates, transaction management and global trade management. Our solutions help customers expand into new markets and channels, improve operational efficiency and differentiate their brand.

 

Our products and services help thousands of retailers, vendors, suppliers and brand manufacturers from a variety of retail segments, including general merchandise and apparel, consumer packaged goods, health and beauty, consumer electronics, hardlines, do-it-yourself, sporting goods and grocery. Our products and services are typically used with our customers’ enterprise information technology systems in order to deliver greater benefits and efficiencies to these customers.

 

We market our products and services in three Solutions Groups: Software Applications, Trading Community Management and Global Services. The following chart shows our current product set within each Solutions Group:

 

Software Applications


 

Trading Community Management


 

Global Services


QRS Catalogue

  QRS Exchange   QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM

QRS IMPACT

      Data Exchange   QRS Professional ServicesSM

QRS QuickSync

      Internet Transaction Exchange   QRS Product Support and Maintenance

QRS Sourcing

      Enterprise Business Exchange    
        QRS Web Forms    
        QRS Managed EC    
        QRS Compliance Link    
        QRS EDIINT Gateway    
        Access Services    
    QRS Reveal    

 

Our Software Applications Solutions Group, which represented 28% of revenue in the third quarter 2004, supports product information management and data synchronization; as well as collaborative product planning, design, production and shipment. Software Applications include both enterprise software applications installed on customers’ computer systems and hosted applications installed on our computer systems.

 

Our Trading Community Management Solutions Group, which represented 50% of revenue in the third quarter 2004, allows retailers, vendors and their trading partners to exchange electronic business documents, such as purchase orders, invoices and advance ship notices. The newest solution in this group, QRS Reveal, which was released for general availability during the third quarter 2004, offers transaction lifecycle visibility to proactively monitor business transactions across the trading community. These electronic transactions are conducted over a proprietary value-added network (VAN) or over the Internet.

 

Our Global Services Solutions Group, which represented 22% of revenue in the third quarter 2004, includes the collection, analysis and delivery of pricing, promotion and distribution information; software implementation and integration services; and technical support and training services for our various solutions.

 

Revenue from our traditional business, which includes our Trading Community Management Solutions Group and our QRS Catalogue product, totaled approximately 78% of our overall revenue in the third quarter 2004. This revenue is billed to customers on a month-to-month basis or under contractual arrangements generally ranging from one to three years.

 

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During the third quarter 2004, we incurred a net loss of $2.5 million, compared to net income of $1.5 million reported in the second quarter 2004, primarily due to the $3.75 million termination fee that resulted from our termination of the merger agreement with JDA, and restructuring expenses of $0.3 million associated with the closure of our U.K. facility. Total revenue of $28.8 million in the third quarter 2004 decreased from $29.2 million reported in the second quarter 2004 and from $31.3 million reported in the third quarter 2003. The reduction in Trading Community Management revenue more than offset revenue growth in our Global Services solutions group. Our QRS Exchange revenue continued to be negatively impacted by industry trends such as customer consolidations, the migration of customers to internet protocols such as AS2, and competition from other providers of VAN-based services – factors that caused declines in both kilocharacter volume and the number of trading partnerships. Gross margin of 46% decreased from the 49% reported in the second quarter 2004, due to the contracted minimum costs of network services purchased from IBM, as well as a more significant share of revenue coming from lower margin products such as QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM.

 

After entering into a merger agreement with JDA Software Group, Inc. (JDA) on June 17, 2004, we received unsolicited proposals from five bidders to acquire all of the outstanding shares of QRS. After receipt of each of these acquisition proposals, the QRS Board of Directors determined that QRS could engage in discussions with and furnish information to each potential acquirer in compliance with the JDA merger agreement. Thereafter, we engaged in extensive negotiations and due diligence with each potential acquirer prior to determining that the proposed merger with Inovis International, Inc. (Inovis) was more favorable to QRS’ stockholders than the proposed merger with JDA from a financial point of view, taking into account all of the terms and conditions of the proposed merger with Inovis, the likelihood of completion of the proposed Inovis merger, and the financial, regulatory, legal and other aspects of the proposed Inovis merger.

 

On September 2, 2004, we entered into a merger agreement with privately-held Inovis International, Inc. (Inovis), pursuant to which QRS stockholders will receive $7.00 in cash for each share of QRS common stock. Completion of the merger is subject to the approval of QRS stockholders and other conditions. A definitive proxy statement was mailed to stockholders and the Company has set the date for a special stockholders meeting on November 12, 2004. The Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 applicable to the proposed merger. Upon completion of the merger, we will be required to pay $16 to $17 million comprised of executive compensation, employee termination costs, stock compensation, legal and other professional fees and other contingent liabilities. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, we are required to maintain a balance of $15 million in cash and marketable securities as of the closing of the merger. There can be no assurance that the merger will be consummated. In the event that the merger agreement is terminated, under certain circumstances, we will be required to pay Inovis a termination fee of $3.75 million. See Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Revenue and Cost of Revenue

 

The following table sets forth the revenue, cost of revenue, gross profit and gross margin for our three Solutions Groups for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands) and associated headcount information at September 30, 2004 and 2003:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Change

    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


    Change

 
     2004

    2003

    $

    %

    2004

    2003

    $

    %

 

Software Applications:

                                                            

Revenues

   $ 8,161     $ 8,333     $ (172 )   (2 )%   $ 24,681     $ 24,803     $ (122 )   0 %

Cost of revenues

     2,197       2,351       (154 )   (7 )%     6,480       6,795       (315 )   (5 )%
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross profit

   $ 5,964     $ 5,982     $ (18 )   (0 )%   $ 18,201     $ 18,008     $ 193     1 %
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross margin

     73 %     72 %                   74 %     73 %              

Percentage of total revenues

     28 %     27 %                   28 %     27 %              

Trading Community Management:

                                                            

Revenues

   $ 14,358     $ 16,857     $ (2,499 )   (15 )%   $ 45,322     $ 49,859     $ (4,537 )   (9 )%

Cost of revenues

     7,719       7,955       (236 )   (3 )%     23,160       24,062       (902 )   (4 )%
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross profit

   $ 6,639     $ 8,902     $ (2,263 )   (25 )%   $ 22,162     $ 25,797     $ (3,635 )   (14 )%
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross margin

     46 %     53 %                   49 %     52 %              

Percentage of total revenues

     50 %     54 %                   51 %     54 %              

Global Services:

                                                            

Revenues

   $ 6,305     $ 6,072     $ 233     4 %   $ 18,531     $ 17,973     $ 558     3 %

Cost of revenues

     5,680       5,264       416     8 %     16,253       15,753       500     3 %
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross profit

   $ 625     $ 808     $ (183 )   (23 )%   $ 2,278     $ 2,220     $ 58     3 %
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross margin

     10 %     13 %                   12 %     12 %              

Percentage of total revenues

     22 %     19 %                   21 %     19 %              

Total:

                                                            

Revenues

   $ 28,824     $ 31,262     $ (2,438 )   (8 )%   $ 88,534     $ 92,635     $ (4,101 )   (4 )%

Cost of revenues

     15,596       15,570       26     (0 )%     45,893       46,610       (717 )   (2 )%
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross profit

   $ 13,228     $ 15,692     $ (2,464 )   (15 )%   $ 42,641     $ 46,025     $ (3,384 )   (7 )%
    


 


 


       


 


 


     

Gross margin

     46 %     50 %                   48 %     50 %              

Full-time headcount for customer support, operations and services

     200       227       (27 )   (12 )%                              

 

Software Applications

 

The Software Applications Solutions Group includes QRS Catalogue, a hosted application; and enterprise software applications, such as QRS Sourcing. License revenue from our recently introduced QRS IMPACT and QRS QuickSync products is included in enterprise software applications. License and professional services revenues from QRS IMPACT and QRS QuickSync are recognized after each customer implementation is completed.

 

Software Applications revenue for the third quarter 2004 decreased $0.2 million, or 2%, from the second quarter 2004 and from the same period in the prior year. Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 was consistent with the same period one year ago. The decrease from the second quarter 2004 is mainly attributed to a decline in QRS Catalogue revenue resulting from price competition, despite sequential quarterly gains in the number of trading partners. The decrease in revenue from the third quarter 2003 was primarily due to the drop in enterprise software applications revenue. During the third quarter 2004, we recognized, using the percentage-of-completion methodology, the remaining license revenue from an existing enterprise software applications customer as the related professional services were completed.

 

For the third quarter 2004 and all periods presented, QRS Catalogue comprised the majority of revenue for the Software Applications Solutions Group. We expect that retailers will continue to reorganize their operations to reduce cost and improve efficiency. To the extent that such reorganizations reduce the number of their retail operations, the number of their trading partnerships could also be reduced, which, under our present pricing structure, would reduce QRS Catalogue revenue in future periods.

 

Gross margin for the Software Applications Solutions Group was 73% during the third quarter 2004, compared to 74% reported for the second quarter 2004 and 72% in the third quarter 2003. The decline in gross margin from the prior quarter was primarily due to the decrease in revenue, in conjunction with relatively flat customer support, enabling and data center costs, as well as the amortization of capitalized software costs associated with QRS Catalogue.

 

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Trading Community Management

 

The Trading Community Management Solutions Group includes QRS Exchange products and services (Data Exchange, Internet Transaction Exchange, Enterprise Business Exchange, QRS Web Forms, QRS Managed EC, QRS Compliance Link, QRS EDIINT Gateway and Access Services) and QRS Reveal. Revenue consists primarily of fees charged for the transmission of standard business documents measured in kilocharacters (KCs) over the IBM VAN, monthly fees for leased line connections, and fees for EDI translation services. Revenue is recognized in the month that the services are performed.

 

Trading Community Management revenue for the third quarter 2004 was down $0.5 million, or 3%, from the second quarter 2004, driven specifically by declines in our Access Services and QRS Managed EC businesses. Revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 declined $2.5 million, or 15%, and $4.5 million, or 9%, respectively, from the same periods in 2003, reflecting significant erosion in Data Exchange, Access Services and QRS Managed EC revenues.

 

Data Exchange revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 decreased 10% and 3%, respectively, from the same periods one year ago due to declines in both kilocharacter volume and the number of trading partnerships, which resulted from customer consolidations, the migration of customers to newer technologies such as AS2, and competition from other providers of VAN-based services. We do not believe that the long-term pricing pressure has abated in our Data Exchange business. If in future periods we are required to reduce prices further, these reductions in our net revenue per kilocharacter may reduce our Trading Community Management revenue to the extent that pricing changes are not offset by increased unit volume or other factors.

 

The migration of customers to internet protocols continues to reduce revenue from leased lines and dial-up connectivity services. Access Services revenue for the third quarter 2004 decreased 16% from the prior quarter and 26% on a year-over-year basis. We expect further declines in Access Services revenue in future years as internet technologies continue to replace and lower the market price of these services.

 

Additionally, third quarter 2004 revenue from QRS Managed EC services targeted towards small- and medium-sized businesses declined 14% from the prior quarter and 34% on a year-over-year basis due to a decrease in the number of customers and revenue per customer.

 

Trading Community Management gross margin for the third quarter 2004 declined to 46% from 50% in the second quarter 2004 and 53% in the third quarter 2003. The downward trend in gross margin is primarily due to the decline in Access Services revenue, coupled with our usage of network services falling below specified minimum amounts per the terms of our contract with IBM. In addition, the continued decline in QRS Managed EC revenue more than offset reductions in personnel costs at our QRS Managed EC operations center. Other Trading Community Management cost of revenue components include: customer support services, including QRS Managed EC personnel; technical support personnel; and amortization of capitalized service and product development costs for technology used in our QRS Managed EC operations center and QRS Reveal.

 

Global Services

 

The Global Services Solutions Group consists primarily of QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM; QRS Professional ServicesSM, mainly services provided to help our customers with the implementation of our licensed software products; and maintenance for our QRS Sourcing product, including post-contract support services for licensed software applications.

 

Global Services revenue for the third quarter 2004 increased $0.3 million, or 4%, from the second quarter 2004. Revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 increased $0.2 million, or 4%, and $0.6 million, or 3%, respectively, over the same periods in the prior year primarily resulting from growth in our QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM business. QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM revenue of $5.7 million in the third quarter 2004 increased 8% from the $5.3 million reported in the second quarter 2004 and 15% from the $5.0 million reported in the third quarter 2003. These improvements were offset by a decline in QRS Professional ServicesSM revenue and software maintenance revenue associated with our QRS Sourcing product, which we expect will continue to decline.

 

Cost of revenue for Global Services consists primarily of outsourcing costs for QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM field personnel and payroll for software application consultants and technical support personnel for our licensed software applications. Global Services gross margin declined to 10% in the third quarter 2004, compared to 14% for the second quarter 2004 and 13% in the third quarter 2003. The field personnel costs, including overtime, travel and hand-held scanner equipment, required for the expansion of our QRS Retail Intelligence ServicesSM business to new and existing customers contributed to the majority of the decrease in gross margin over the prior quarter and the third quarter of the prior year.

 

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Operating Expenses

 

The following table sets forth operating expenses (in thousands) and the related percentages of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 and associated headcount information at September 30, 2004 and 2003:

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,


   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,


 
     2004

   % of
Revenues


    2003

   % of
Revenues


    2004

    % of
Revenues


    2003

   % of
Revenues


 

Operating expenses:

                                                     

Sales and marketing

   $ 4,515    16 %   $ 5,258    17 %   $ 15,847     18 %   $ 16,058    17 %

Service and product development

     2,615    9 %     3,198    10 %     8,491     10 %     9,356    10 %

General and administrative

     4,510    16 %     4,654    15 %     14,361     16 %     13,796    15 %

Settlement of deferred acquisition payment

     —      —         —      —         (600 )   (1 )%     —      —    

Amortization of other intangible assets

     93    0 %     800    3 %     279     0 %     2,488    3 %

Restructuring Expenses

     331    1 %     5,279    17 %     331     0 %     5,279    6 %
    

        

        


       

      

Total operating expenses

   $ 12,064    42 %   $ 19,189    61 %   $ 38,709     44 %   $ 46,977    51 %
    

        

        


       

      

Full-time headcount:

                                                     

Sales and marketing

     82            96                                  

Service and product development

     96            117                                  

General and administrative

     59            69                                  

 

Operating expenses for the third quarter 2004 were down $0.8 million, or 6%, from the second quarter 2004, due primarily to a $0.5 million reduction in payroll related costs and a $0.4 million benefit resulting from the favorable resolution of various payroll tax-related items, offset by $0.3 million in restructuring expenses associated with the closure of our U.K facility.

 

Operating expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2004 declined by $7.1 million, or 37%, on a year-over-year basis. Factors contributing to the three month period decline included a $1.0 million decrease in payroll related costs (primarily wages, employer contributions to the 401(k) plan and recruitment), a $4.9 million decrease in restructuring expenses and a $0.7 million decrease in amortization expense resulting from the fourth quarter 2003 impairment of intangible assets.

 

Operating expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 declined by $8.3 million, or 18%, on a year-over-year basis. Factors contributing to the nine month period decline included a $1.8 million decrease in payroll related costs (primarily employee benefits, employer contributions to the 401(k) plan and recruitment), a $4.9 million decrease in restructuring expenses, a $2.2 million reduction in amortization expense resulting from the fourth quarter 2003 impairment of intangible assets, and the benefit of $0.6 million due to a favorable legal settlement related to a deferred acquisition payment, offset by $1.7 million of merger-associated costs.

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel and related costs in our sales and marketing organizations as well as the costs of various marketing programs. At September 30, 2004, we had 67 full-time employees in our sales organization, comprised of 61 employees located in North America and 6 employees located in Europe, primarily in the United Kingdom.

 

For the third quarter 2004, sales and marketing expenses were down $0.5 million, or 11%, from the second quarter 2004, and $0.7 million, or 14%, from the third quarter 2003. The decrease from the second quarter 2004 is attributable to a drop in payroll related costs of $0.5 million resulting from decreased commissions to sales personnel and lower wages stemming from headcount attrition. Compared to the third quarter 2003, payroll and travel costs declined by $0.5 million as headcount decreased by 14, and marketing expenditures dropped by $0.1 million.

 

Sales and marketing expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 decreased $0.2 million, or 1%, from the same period in 2003. The year-over-year savings primarily included $0.6 million in payroll related, travel and meeting costs and $0.2 million in marketing expenses, which were offset by $0.5 million in additional consulting expenses from projects focused on our solution selling capability and product strategy.

 

Service and Product Development Expenses

 

Service and product development expenditures consist primarily of personnel, consulting and equipment costs related to research, development and enhancements of our products, a portion of which is capitalized under American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) 98-1, “Accounting for Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use.” For our hosted and internal use products, we capitalize, as prescribed by SOP 98-1, all the costs incurred

 

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during the application development stage, which include designing the software configuration and interfaces, coding, installation and testing. For our enterprise software applications, we capitalize products and enhancements once they reach technological feasibility until they are released for sale, under the provisions of FAS 86, “Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software to Be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed.”

 

We review service and product development expenses, capitalized costs and licensed technology on a combined basis in order to measure our investment in new and existing products. The following table sets forth (in thousands) total service and product development expenditures for the three months ended September 30, 2004, June 30, 2004, and September 30, 2003:

 

     Three Months Ended

     September 30,
2004


   June 30,
2004


   September 30,
2003


Service and product development

   $ 2,615    $ 2,701    $ 3,198

Capitalized service and product development

     1,427      1,389      1,332
    

  

  

Total service and product development expenditures

   $ 4,042    $ 4,090    $ 4,530
    

  

  

 

Total spending on service and product development in the third quarter 2004 was consistent with the prior quarter. On a year-over-year basis, total spending decreased by $0.5 million, or 11%, primarily resulting from the decline in payroll related and travel costs of $0.4 million as headcount dropped by 21 mainly attributed to the closure of our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility in the third quarter 2003.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and the related costs of our administrative organizations, such as finance, legal, human resources and management information systems, as well as professional fees and other costs.

 

General and administrative expenses for the third quarter 2004 were down $0.5 million, or 10%, from the second quarter 2004 and $0.1 million, or 3%, from the third quarter 2003. The decrease from the second quarter 2004 is attributable to the $0.4 million benefit resulting from the favorable resolution of various payroll tax-related items. On a year-over-year basis, in addition to the $0.4 million tax benefit previously described, we incurred savings in the areas of payroll and travel costs of $0.4 million as headcount decreased by 10, consulting expenses of $0.1 million, and hardware and software expenses of $0.1 million. These cost reductions were offset by $0.8 million in increased legal, accounting and other professional fees associated with merger activities as well as the review and testing of our material internal controls systems, processes and procedures in compliance with the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley Regulation 404.

 

General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 increased $0.6 million, or 4%, over the same period a year ago primarily resulting from $1.7 million in legal, accounting and other professional fees associated with merger activities and $0.2 million of restructuring expense associated with our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility. These costs more than offset the $1.3 million reduction in payroll related, travel and consulting expenses.

 

Settlement of Deferred Acquisition Payment

 

Operating expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 include a benefit of $0.6 million resulting from the April 2004 settlement of litigation surrounding our acquisition of Image Info in 2000. In order to avoid further litigation, we entered into a settlement agreement under which we paid $1.9 million during the second quarter 2004 to settle all claims made by the former shareholders of Image Info. The $1.9 million settlement was less than the $2.5 million liability classified as deferred acquisition payment in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2003. The effect of this settlement on our liability was recorded in the first quarter 2004 operating results as a benefit of $0.6 million. See Note 7 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Amortization of Other Intangible Assets

 

Amortization of other intangible assets for the third quarter 2004 was $0.1 million, compared to $0.1 million in the second quarter 2004 and $0.8 million in the third quarter of 2003. The decrease in amortization expense from the third quarter of the prior year resulted primarily from the impairment of intangible assets that occurred in the fourth quarter 2003.

 

Restructuring Expenses

 

As part of our 2001 restructuring activities, we made certain estimates of sublease income on the vacated facility adjacent to our corporate headquarters in Richmond, California; however, due to a prolonged difficult real estate market in the Bay Area, those

 

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original estimates proved optimistic. As a result, during 2003 we began reevaluating our assumptions surrounding our sublease loss accrual, including discussions with our landlord to renegotiate the terms of our lease. We recorded a $3.7 million restructuring expense for the year ended December 31, 2003 based on the terms of a non-binding Letter of Intent with the landlord to reduce the term of the lease and our total cash commitments over the remaining life of the lease. During January 2004, we finalized agreements with our landlord to sublet the facility to an affiliate of our landlord and reduce our total cash commitments over the remaining life of the lease by $6.4 million. The sublease agreement for full contract rent and operating expenses from October 1, 2008 through the lease termination on June 30, 2011 is collateralized by a $4.0 million Deed of Trust. The agreements with our landlord required us in the first quarter 2004 to deposit $3.6 million of base rent for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 in an escrow account for disbursement over the related rental period. The funds held in escrow are classified as restricted cash in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004. Under the terms of the agreements with our landlord, we also settled a $0.8 million common area maintenance obligation related to our headquarters facility for $0.2 million that we paid during the first quarter of 2004. The remaining $0.6 million liability was allocated between our headquarters facility and the vacated adjacent facility based on square footage. As a result, $0.3 million will be recognized ratably as a reduction in operating expenses over the remaining headquarters lease term and $0.3 million was reclassified from deferred rent and other liabilities to the sublease loss accrual for our vacant Richmond, California facility. We believe that the sublease loss accrual related to this facility as of September 30, 2004, assuming certain amounts of sublease income, will cover all of our revised obligations under the final agreements.

 

During 2003, we also completed a review of our overall cost structure with the goals of creating better alignment with our growth strategy and finding additional efficiencies. As a result, we centralized substantially all of our development team to our Richmond, California headquarters and streamlined other parts of our operations, primarily general and administrative services. These actions resulted in a restructuring charge of $1.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2003, consisting of $1.2 million related to the closure of our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility, $0.1 million related to the write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements and $0.7 million related to the severance of 43 employees located in Wakefield, Massachusetts; Richmond, California and New York, New York. During the third quarter 2004, we finalized an agreement with a third party to sublease our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility from October 1, 2004 through the term of the lease in June 2007. We recorded an additional restructuring charge of $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 to increase the sublease loss accrual to cover our revised obligations related to this facility.

 

During 2004, management reevaluated our strategy in Europe, primarily the cost of operating a facility in the U.K. Revenue generated from Europe fell below expectations and was insufficient to offset current operating expenses. As a result, we vacated the facility in August 2004 and settled the outstanding lease obligation with our landlord for $0.1 million. In addition, we incurred a restructuring charge during the third quarter 2004 of $0.2 million related to the abandonment and write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements. In October 2004, we terminated employment for four of the six remaining employees in Europe and expect to incur severance-related restructuring expenses during the fourth quarter 2004 of approximately $0.2 million.

 

The following is a summary of the restructuring liabilities from December 31, 2003 to September 30, 2004 (in thousands):

 

     2001
Restructuring Activities


   

2003

Restructuring Activities


    2004
Restructuring Activities


       
    

Facilities Closure
(primarily

Richmond, CA)


    Severance
(included in
Accrued
Compensation)


    Facilities Closure
(Wakefield, MA)


    Facilities Closure
(United Kingdom)


    Total

 

Balance at December 31, 2003

   $ 9,995     $ 246     $ 1,031     $ —       $ 11,272  

Restructuring expenses(1)

     —         27       179       154       360  

Cash payments

     (2,052 )     (270 )     (420 )     (154 )     (2,896 )

Adjustments(2)

     336       (3 )     28       —         361  
    


 


 


 


 


Balance at September 30, 2004

   $ 8,279     $ —       $ 818     $ —       $ 9,097  
    


 


 


 


 



(1) Restructuring expenses of $27,000 related to severance (associated with terminated employees who provided services from their notification of termination in the third quarter 2003 through their last day of employment on March 31, 2004) were included in service and product development expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the first quarter 2004. Severance expenses were incurred ratably over the severance period. Restructuring expense of $179,000 related to the sublease loss accrual for our Wakefield, Massachusetts facility were included in general and administrative expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2004. Restructuring expenses of $154,000 related to early-termination of our lease in the U.K were included in restructuring expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) during the third quarter 2004, in combination with $177,000 associated with the write-off of certain equipment and leasehold improvements (not shown in the table above).

 

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(2) The adjustment to the restructuring liability in the first quarter 2004 was due to $0.3 million reclassified from deferred rent and other liabilities to the sublease loss accrual upon settlement of a common area maintenance obligation per the terms of the agreements with our landlord.

 

Based on the terms of the agreements with our landlord described above and actual subleases in effect on other properties, $2.7 million of the total facilities closure liability of $9.1 million has been classified as a current liability and the remaining $6.4 million has been classified as non-current with payments through 2008.

 

Operating Income (Loss)

 

Operating income of $1.2 million for the third quarter 2004 declined $0.3 million, or 21%, compared to the second quarter 2004 due primarily to rising costs of revenues in our Global Services Solutions Group and declining revenues in our Trading Community Management Solutions Group. On a year-over-year basis, operating income rose $4.7 million and $4.9 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, due primarily to a decline in operating expenses comprised of significant reductions in restructuring charges and amortization expense and the $0.6 million benefit resulting from the favorable legal settlement of a deferred acquisition payment.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities available-for-sale. Interest income of $0.1 million and $0.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 was comparable with the same periods in the prior year.

 

Merger Termination Fee

 

During the third quarter 2004, we paid $3.75 million to JDA related to QRS’ termination of its merger agreement with JDA. See Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Net Income (Loss) and Earnings (Loss) Per Share

 

Net loss for the third quarter 2004 was $2.5 million, or 16 cents per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.5 million in the second quarter 2004, or 9 cents per diluted share, resulting primarily from the $3.75 million merger termination fee described above. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2004 of $0.4 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, was also negatively impacted by the merger termination fee, but improved over the nine month period in 2003 due to the significant reduction in restructuring charges and amortization expense.

 

For information regarding the number of shares used to compute earnings (loss) per share, see Note 4 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities available-for-sale decreased to $29.3 million at September 30, 2004 from $38.1 million at December 31, 2003. The decline was due primarily to $3.6 million deposited into a restricted escrow account, $4.4 million of capitalized service and product development costs, and $3.0 million of purchased property, equipment and licensed technology, offset by positive cash flows from operations. Working capital decreased to $26.5 million at September 30, 2004 from $30.4 million at December 31, 2003 primarily due to the payment of the merger termination fee. Our days sales outstanding (DSOs) were 46 days at September 30, 2004, compared to 45 days at December 31, 2003 and 47 days at September 30, 2003.

 

Total assets of $66.4 million at September 30, 2004 decreased from $72.8 million at December 31, 2003. Total liabilities of $26.7 million at September 30, 2004 decreased from $34.3 million at December 31, 2003 due primarily to the settlement of a deferred acquisition payment and payments of corporate bonuses and other long-term obligations associated with facilities leases.

 

For the quarter ended September 30, 2004, we experienced a decline in revenue of 8% from the prior fiscal year. Our revenue may continue to decline and we may not be able to continue reducing our operating expenses in future periods. As a result, we may experience losses in future periods. During the third quarter 2004, a significant portion of our cash inflows was generated by our operations. Because our operating results may fluctuate significantly as a result of decreases in customer demand or lack of acceptance of our future products, our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations may be jeopardized. To the extent that our operating results fall below our expectations, we may need to obtain debt financing or sell additional shares of our equity securities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain debt or equity financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. Our failure to obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives.

 

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We believe that cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities available-for-sale at September 30, 2004 and cash forecasted to be generated from future operations will be sufficient to continue funding capital expenditures and our planned technology investments for the next twelve months.

 

We expect our investment in the development of new applications and improvements to QRS Catalogue to occur throughout the year. During the fourth quarter of 2003, we licensed technology utilized in our QRS IMPACT product. We made cash payments for the licensed technology of $1.3 million in the fourth quarter 2003, $0.5 million in the first quarter 2004 and $0.5 million in the third quarter 2004. To the extent we license or acquire complementary technologies or businesses, which require additional cash utilization, we may seek to sell additional debt or equity securities, which may result in additional dilution to our stockholders. However, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms or at all.

 

As discussed in Restructuring Expenses above, during January 2004, we finalized agreements with our landlord to sublet the facility to an affiliate of our landlord and reduce our total cash commitments over the remaining life of the lease by $6.4 million. The sublease agreement for full contract rent and operating expenses from October 1, 2008 through the lease termination on June 30, 2011 is collateralized by a $4.0 million Deed of Trust. The agreements with our landlord required us in the first quarter 2004 to deposit $3.6 million of base rent for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 in an escrow account for disbursement over the related rental period. The funds held in escrow are classified as restricted cash in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004. We believe that the sublease loss accrual related to this facility as of September 30, 2004, assuming certain amounts of sublease income, will cover all of our revised obligations under the final agreements.

 

As discussed in Note 7 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, in April 2004, in order to avoid further litigation we reached a mutually satisfactory settlement agreement with the former shareholders of Image Info that resolves the lawsuit without any admission of liability and terminates all claims against the Company. The action has been dismissed. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, we paid $1.9 million during the second quarter 2004, which was less than the $2.5 million liability classified as deferred acquisition payment in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2003.

 

As discussed in Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, on September 2, 2004, we entered into a merger agreement with privately-held Inovis, pursuant to which a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inovis will merge with and into QRS. Under the terms of the agreement, QRS stockholders will receive $7.00 in cash for each share of QRS common stock. Completion of the merger is subject to the approval of QRS stockholders and other conditions. A definitive proxy statement was mailed to stockholders and the Company has set a date for a special stockholders meeting on November 12, 2004. In September 2004, the Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 applicable to our proposed merger with Inovis. Upon completion of the merger, we will be required to pay $16 to $17 million comprised of executive compensation, employee termination costs, stock compensation, legal and other professional fees and other contingent liabilities. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, we are required to maintain a balance of $15 million in cash and marketable securities as of the closing of the merger. There can be no assurance that the merger will be consummated. In the event that the merger agreement is terminated, under certain circumstances, we will be required to pay Inovis a termination fee of $3.75 million.

 

We have no plans to pay dividends with respect to our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

At September 30, 2004, future payments under contractual obligations are as follows (in thousands):

 

     Payments due by period

Contractual Obligations


   Total

   Less than 1
year


   1-3 years

   3-5 years

   More than 5
years


Capital Lease Obligations

   $ 97    $ 97    $ —      $ —      $ —  

Operating Lease Commitments(1)

     26,343      6,098      10,834      7,166      2,245

Vendor Commitments

     10,233      10,233             —        —  
    

  

  

  

  

Total

   $ 36,673    $ 16,428    $ 10,834    $ 7,166    $ 2,245
    

  

  

  

  


(1) Minimum lease commitments for vacant facilities that are available for sublease are included in these amounts. Income to be received from subleased real property is excluded from these amounts.

 

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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In March 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) reached a final consensus on Issue 03-06. Issue 03-06 addressed a number of questions regarding the computation of earnings (loss) per share (EPS) by companies that have issued securities other than common stock that contractually entitle the holder to participate in dividends and earnings of such companies when, and if, it declares dividends on its common stock. The issue also provides further guidance in applying the two-class method of calculating EPS. It clarifies what constitutes a participating security and how to apply the two-class method of computing EPS once it is determined that a security is participating, including how to allocate undistributed earnings to such a security. Issue 03-06 is effective for the first fiscal period beginning after its issuance. During the quarter ended June 30, 2004, we adopted Issue 03-06 and the adoption did not have any material effect on our calculation of EPS.

 

On March 31, 2004, the FASB issued an exposure draft entitled “Share-Based Payment” to amend FAS 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” and FAS 95, “Statement of Cash Flows.” The proposed standard’s effective date will apply to awards that are granted, modified, or settled in cash in interim or annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005. This proposed standard would eliminate the ability to account for share-based compensation using the intrinsic value-based method under APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” This exposure draft would require us to calculate equity-based compensation expense for stock options and employee stock purchase plan rights granted to employees based on the fair value of the equity instrument at the time of grant. The equity-based compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting period beginning with the grant date. Currently, we disclose the pro forma net income (loss) and related pro forma earnings (loss) per share information in accordance with FAS 123 and FAS 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Costs-Transition and Disclosure.” We continue to evaluate the impact that the exposure draft will have on our financial position and results of operations.

 

RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS

 

Set forth below and elsewhere in this report are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report.

 

Our business and results of operations may be affected by our announced merger agreement with Inovis

 

On September 2, 2004, we entered into a merger agreement with privately-held Inovis. The announcement of the merger agreement could cause our customers to delay, defer, or cancel purchases of our services and software pending consummation of the planned merger with Inovis. While we are attempting to mitigate this risk through communications with our customers, current and prospective customers could be reluctant to purchase our services and software due to potential uncertainty about the future of our business or the direction of the combined company’s product offerings and its support and service of existing products. If our customers delay or cancel purchases of our services and software as a result of the announcement of the merger agreement with Inovis, our results of operations would be negatively affected.

 

In addition, planning for the merger with Inovis has and may continue to divert some of our management’s attention away from the day-to-day operation of the business. The diversion of management’s attention may adversely affect our financial results.

 

The announcement of the merger has distracted our employees and may also cause them to seek other employment opportunities. Since the announcement of the merger agreement, our employee attrition rate has exceeded our historical rates. To the extent our employees are less focused and we are not able to retain our key employees, employee productivity may decline and our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

If the proposed merger with Inovis is not consummated, our stock price and future business and operations could be harmed.

 

There are many conditions to Inovis’ and QRS’ obligations to complete the merger, many of which are beyond Inovis’ and our control. In addition, each party has the right to terminate the merger agreement under various circumstances, which includes our right to terminate the merger agreement, upon payment to Inovis of a termination fee, to accept an acquisition proposal that our Board of Directors has determined is superior to the merger with Inovis.

 

If the proposed merger with Inovis is not consummated, QRS may be subject to the following risks:

 

  the price of our common stock may change to the extent that the current market prices of our common stock reflect an assumption that the merger will be completed, or in response to other factors;

 

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  our costs related to the merger, such as legal, accounting and financial advisor fees, must be paid even if the merger is not completed;

 

  under some circumstances, we may be required to pay Inovis a termination fee of $3.75 million in connection with the termination of the merger agreement;

 

  there may be substantial disruption to our business and distraction of our workforce and management team, and some of our employees may have already left QRS in response to the pending merger;

 

  we would fail to derive the benefits expected to result from the merger; and

 

  we may be subject to litigation related to the merger.

 

Changes in the retail industry make our future operating results uncertain.

 

Historically, we have generated all of our revenue from the sale of products and services to the retail industry. We believe that current economic conditions and increased competition in the retail industry negatively affect our customers’ ability and willingness to pay for our products and services and our ability to sell certain of our products and services to existing and potential customers in the retail industry. The department store sector of the general merchandise and apparel segment, which is an important part of our customer base for our Trading Community Management and QRS Catalogue products and services, has been and continues to be particularly affected by these adverse conditions, and our products and services are less well established in other sectors of the general merchandise and apparel segment. If the department store sector continues to experience greater challenges or adversity than other sectors, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

We believe that the retail industry is consolidating. Moreover, retailers are reorganizing and consolidating their operations in attempts to improve operating efficiencies. During the third quarter of 2002, one of our major retail customers consolidated certain of its retail operations, which caused us to lose expected revenue. If such consolidations and reorganizations reduce the number of retailers, reduce retail operations, or reduce the number of our trading partnerships, this may reduce our revenue in future periods and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we are dependent on key retailers and vendors and their trading partners. The loss of any large retail or vendor customer may also result in our loss of all of the trading partners of that retailer or vendor that are also our customers, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We have experienced losses and revenue declines in recent fiscal periods and may experience losses and revenue declines in future periods.

 

We have recently incurred losses, including net losses of $6.7 million, $4.1 million and $173.3 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. A substantial amount of these losses in 2003 and 2001 were in connection with non-cash charges relating to the impairment of remaining intangible assets, including technology and goodwill, acquired through our acquisitions in recent years of RockPort, Image Info, and RDS, as well as our acquisition of the outstanding minority interest of Tradeweave. We have incurred, and may continue to incur, non-cash charges related to the impairment of intangible assets, as well as non-cash charges related to stock compensation. Further impairment of intangible assets could occur since the revenue and income potential of some of our services and products are unproven, and some of the markets we are addressing are in the early stages of development. There can be no assurance that new services and products introduced by us will gain market acceptance, or that new technologies or business methods will not be developed that replace or reduce the importance of our current offerings, and thus there can be no assurance that we will not need to take additional impairment charges.

 

In addition, we have experienced sequential quarterly declines in revenue since the third quarter of 2003. Our revenue may continue to decline and we may not be able to continue reducing our operating expenses sufficiently or quickly enough in future periods to offset such revenue reductions. We may also incur additional restructuring charges in future periods. As a result, we may experience losses in future periods.

 

During the first nine months of 2004, a significant portion of our cash inflows was generated by our operations. Because our operating results may fluctuate significantly as a result of decreases in customer demand, pricing pressures, lack of acceptance of our future products, or additional restructuring expenses, our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations may be jeopardized. As a result, we may need to obtain debt financing or sell additional shares of our equity securities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain debt or equity financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. Our failure to obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives.

 

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We have recently experienced significant changes in our senior management team.

 

In recent years, we have experienced significant turnover in our management team. Our current Chief Financial Officer joined us in November 2003. Other members of management have also joined us in the last few years, and the management team as a whole has had a limited time to work together. A number of executives have also left the Company. Our success depends on the performance of our executive officers and other key employees and the ability of our management team to work together effectively. There can be no assurance that the management team will be able to work together effectively, that we can continue to retain or recruit necessary additional personnel, or that such new personnel will be efficiently integrated or be adequate for our current or future operations.

 

Our industry is characterized by rapid technological change, and our business is marked by substantial price competition, which may cause our revenue to decline.

 

The supply chain management industry is characterized by rapid technological innovation and a long-term trend towards internet-based communications instead of proprietary VAN-based communications. While we offer solutions that take advantage of the internet’s potential, we expect the majority of our Trading Community Management revenue for the foreseeable future to be derived from our traditional VAN-based services. Also, the increased commercial use of the internet could require substantial modification and customization of our services and products and the introduction of new services and products, which services and products may not produce as much revenue or be as profitable as our traditional VAN-based services. If customers adopt internet-based communication more quickly than expected, that may also have a significant negative impact on our revenue. Our competitors and potential competitors may develop competing technologies that are more effective or more effectively marketed than the services and products marketed by us or that render our services or products obsolete or noncompetitive.

 

In addition, the markets for our Software Applications are subject to rapid technological change, changing client needs, frequent new product introductions and evolving industry standards that may render existing products and services obsolete. Our growth and future operating results will depend, in part, on our ability to enhance existing applications and develop and introduce new applications or capabilities, such as product information management.

 

We are subject to continuing price competition, particularly for our Data Exchange product. This competition has caused us to reduce prices on these services. We expect that as the retail industry continues to adopt existing and new information technologies, competition and pricing pressures will increase further, and our competitors may adopt new pricing and sales models to which we are unable to adapt or adequately respond. If we have to make further price reductions in connection with such increased competition, such reductions would reduce revenue in future periods to the extent not offset by increased unit sales or other factors and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be successful in introducing new products in order to maintain or grow our revenue, and there are risks associated with new product development.

 

To maintain and grow our revenue, part of our strategy is to introduce new products and services. Our product development and testing efforts have required, and are expected to continue to require, substantial investments. We may not generate from operations or raise from third parties sufficient funds to continue to make the necessary investments in technology. For instance, at the end of 2003, we stopped selling QRS Insight due to a lack of sales. QRS Insight was launched in January 2003 and allowed companies to monitor, escalate and resolve supply chain problems in real-time. While we launched QRS IMPACT, QRS QuickSync and QRS Reveal during the first nine months of this year, and to date four customers have signed contracts for these products, there is no assurance that these new products will be commercially successful or that the potential customer leads will result in actual sales. In addition, we may not successfully identify new software applications, or bring new software to market in a timely and efficient manner. If we are unable to develop or introduce new and enhanced software in a timely manner, we may lose existing customers to our competitors and fail to attract new customers, which may adversely affect our performance and results of operations.

 

The licensing of our enterprise software applications may involve substantial capital expenditures by our retail customers. We believe that our current and potential retailer customers are currently less likely to make such capital expenditures and as a result, our revenue could decline or fail to grow.

 

We may not successfully complete improvements to QRS Catalogue and QRS IMPACT and development and enhancement of additional collaborative applications for transaction outsourcing and transaction lifecycle visibility as part of an Intelligent Transaction Management technology framework. In addition, the conversion of customers, products and services to these new applications may experience problems or be unsuccessful.

 

We are investing significant resources and capital in the improvement to our QRS Catalogue and QRS IMPACT and development and enhancement of additional collaborative applications within an Intelligent Transaction Management technology framework for transaction outsourcing and transaction lifecycle visibility, in order to address the needs of our current and future

 

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customers. In addition, we regularly evaluate opportunities to accelerate our technology development, including through alliances and licensing. We believe that the successful improvements to QRS Catalogue and QRS IMPACT and additional collaborative applications within a new technology framework are important to our future success in continuing to sell products and services to our existing customers and expanding our presence in new retail sectors and geographies.

 

We do not have experience in developing a technology framework of the magnitude and complexity we are planning. If the complexity is greater than anticipated or we are unable to recruit and retain individuals with the necessary skills, we may be unable to build the technology framework in the time expected or at an appropriate cost. Delays or a failure in the development of our value-added applications may have an adverse effect on our performance and operating results.

 

We may not be able to convert our customers from existing technologies to these new applications quickly or without problems.

 

The market for business-to-business electronic commerce services in the retail industry is intensely competitive.

 

Many other companies participate in the general supply chain management industry. Some of our competitors and potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger customer bases and greater financial and other resources with which to improve and aggressively market their products. In addition, new competitors, such as standards-based organizations or consortia, may enter the market. Our competitors and potential competitors may market, develop or adapt to competing technologies more effectively than we do. A number of our competitors are now under new ownership. We cannot predict the impact of such changed ownership on how these entities may compete with us in the future. In addition, some larger potential customers have chosen to develop their own supply chain management systems internally rather than to utilize the service and product offerings of external providers. All of these competitive factors may adversely affect our business.

 

If we are unable to successfully integrate or manage other acquired companies and their products, or licensed technologies, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be harmed.

 

We have experienced difficulty in effectively integrating and managing acquired companies and their products. In 2000, we acquired Image Info and RockPort, companies whose products included software applications. In early 2001, we acquired the minority interest of our subsidiary, Tradeweave, and integrated its operations into ours. In September 2001, we discontinued our Tradeweave Digital Photography service, which had been acquired through our acquisition of Image Info in January 2000. We have limited experience in integrating and managing acquired companies and selling products such as enterprise software applications and related services, such as those acquired from RockPort. Moreover, certain of these acquired services and products do not fit in our traditional network-based recurring revenue business model. Revenue to date from products obtained through these acquisitions has been below our expectations at the times of the acquisitions resulting in the recognition of a significant impairment loss at the end of 2001 and 2003. We continue to evaluate the recoverability of the remaining intangible asset. We may experience additional impairment losses in the future. If we are unable to successfully integrate or manage other acquired companies and their products, or licensed technologies that we use in new products and services, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be harmed.

 

We may choose to continue to acquire new solutions or to expand our market presence through mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures or other strategic alliances with, or investments in, third parties.

 

We may choose to continue to acquire new solutions or to expand our market presence through mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures or other strategic alliances with, or investments in, third parties. There are a number of risks associated with such transactions, such as the difficulty of assimilating the operations, technology and personnel of the combined companies; the potential disruption of our ongoing business; the potential disruption or discontinuance of the third party’s business; the diversion of attention of management; the inability to retain key technical and managerial personnel; additional expenses associated with the amortization or impairment of acquired intangible assets; the potential use of cash or assumption of additional debt, and/or a potential issuance of equity that could be dilutive to existing stockholders; the maintenance of uniform standards, controls and policies; and the impairment of relationships with existing employees and customers. We may not succeed in overcoming these risks or any other potential problems encountered in connection with such mergers or other transactions, and such transactions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter.

 

We anticipate that our results of operations may fluctuate for the foreseeable future due to several factors, including changes in the demand for our services and the use of our existing services; changes in customer buying patterns; changes in our pricing policies or those of our competitors; market acceptance of new and enhanced versions of our services and products; customer willingness to purchase products or services offered through or in conjunction with third parties; changes in operating expenses; changes in our strategy; introduction of alternative technologies by our competitors; effect of potential acquisitions and the integration and management of acquired products; and global and economic factors generally and in the industry. In addition, these factors and our

 

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limited operating history with enterprise software application licensing make accurate prediction of future operating results difficult or impossible. We have experienced, and may experience in one or more future quarters, operating results that are below our expectations or the expectations of public market analysts and investors. In such an event, the price of our common stock has been, and would likely be, materially and adversely affected.

 

In addition, the period between initial contact and the implementation of our enterprise software application products is often lengthy and subject to a number of factors that may cause significant delays. These factors include the size and complexity of the overall project and delays in our customers’ implementation of the required software and hardware environments. As a result, the timing of any enterprise software license revenue is difficult to predict, and we are subject to significant variations in license revenue. Delays or cancellations of sales or implementations of any software licenses have had, and may have, a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition, and have caused, and may continue to cause, our operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter.

 

Because our products and services are complex and perform mission-critical functions, we are vulnerable to product defect and product-related claims.

 

Our software products are complex and perform critical functions for our customers, and consequently carry inherent risks. For example, our software products may contain undetected errors or failures when first introduced or as new versions are released. The possibility for program errors and failures may increase due to factors including the use of new technologies, the integration of third-party software, or the need for more rapid product development that is characteristic of the software market. We undergo pre-release product testing by our current and potential customers to minimize risks, and our customer license agreements typically contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to potential product-related claims. Nevertheless, such provisions may not always be enforced or enforceable in the various legal jurisdictions in which we operate. There can be no assurance that any errors or failures by our products and services will not subject us to substantial product-related claims. Also, the implementation involves a significant commitment of resources by prospective customers and commonly occurs in tandem with changes in customer business processes. If a customer is unable or unwilling to implement our software products or to adequately change their business process, or if we are unable to adequately support our customers’ implementations or develop our products as quickly as customers expect, our existing and future revenue may be adversely affected and we may be subject to product-related claims by customers.

 

We are dependent on the IBM value-added network and the BES-IT (formerly IDDX) service.

 

Pursuant to a contract with IBM that expires on June 30, 2005, we use IBM Information Exchange as the VAN over which we provide customers with most of our QRS Exchange products and services. We depend on IBM Information Exchange for a substantial part of our revenue. Under this contract we also offer a real-time IP-based transaction network product, ITX, through the use of IBM’s Business Exchange Services – Internet Transfer (BES-IT). When our contract with IBM expires, should IBM decide to increase the prices that it charges us or reduce the amount of discounts or allowances we currently receive, and we are not able to pass along such increased costs to our customers, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, pursuant to the IBM contract, we will pay fees to IBM based on the amount of our use of its network services subject to specified minimum payment amounts. If our use of the network services declines, our gross margin will decrease, thereby also adversely affecting our business and operating results.

 

Because we have no right to control the maintenance and operation of either IBM Information Exchange or BES-IT, we are subject to factors outside of our control that may adversely affect the operation of IBM Information Exchange and BES-IT services, such as network outages and an inability to obtain usage information for billing purposes, and thus may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, if IBM becomes unable or unwilling to provide or continue to support IBM Information Exchange or BES-IT services, we would either have to provide these services directly or arrange for another third party to provide such services. We cannot provide assurance that we would be able to do so on a timely basis, if at all, or that the costs of any such arrangements would not materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. Disruption or unavailability of IBM Information Exchange or BES-IT services may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

While we purchase network connectivity and electronic commerce-related services from IBM, a portion of the connectivity services purchased under our agreement with IBM are actually provided by AT&T. IBM and AT&T are free to compete against us, and either of them may compete with us now or in the future. If IBM, AT&T or any other entity markets IBM Information Exchange or BES-IT services to the retail industry or directly to our customers, or permits one or more of our competitors to use and remarket IBM’s Information Exchange or BES-IT services to the retail industry, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Recently a majority shareholder of Global eXchange Services (GXS), one of our competitors, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the IBM Information Exchange and BES-IT services. If such acquisition is consummated, this may adversely affect existing and potential customers’ decisions in the future to use our services.

 

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We license technologies from third parties for certain of our products and services. If we are unable to continue to license such technologies, or if such third parties do not adequately support these technologies, our business may be harmed.

 

We license and integrate technologies from third parties in certain of our products and services. If we are unable to continue to license any of this third party software, or if the third party licensors do not adequately maintain or update their products for any reason, do not support us as expected or revoke our licenses, we may face delays in the releases of the affected products and services until equivalent technologies can be identified, licensed or developed, and integrated into our products and services. Any such delays or lack of expected revenue could harm our business, operating results and financial condition. Also, if the third party licensors do not support us as expected, revoke our licenses or violate agreed terms and conditions with the effect that they are better able to compete with us, we may experience a loss of revenue or an inability to gain new revenue.

 

We are currently reviewing and testing our material internal control systems, processes and procedures in compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. If the proposed merger with Inovis is not consummated, we may not be able to comply with all of the requirements imposed by Section 404.

 

Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requires us to review and test our material internal control systems, processes and procedures to ensure compliance. Due to the proposed merger with Inovis, among other reasons, we have recently experienced a loss of employees and have realigned job responsibilities. These events are changing how transactions are processed and/or the functional areas or locations responsible for the transaction processing. If the proposed merger with Inovis is not consummated, we will need to continue to expend significant resources in developing the necessary documentation and testing procedures required by Section 404, and there is a risk that we will not be able to comply with all of the requirements imposed by Section 404 on a timely basis. There can be no assurance that our review and testing of material internal control systems, processes and procedures will not result in the identification of significant control deficiencies or result in an adverse opinion from our independent auditors.

 

We may not be successful in achieving or maintaining acceptance of our products and services in segments adjacent to the general merchandise and apparel segment, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

We have less expertise and experience with the non-general merchandise and apparel (non-GMA) retail segments, which could lead to difficulty obtaining market acceptance of our products and services. Customers in these non-GMA target segments may have different requirements than our traditional customers in the general merchandise and apparel segment for which many of our products and services were initially developed. In addition, we may need to adopt or adapt to new technologies in order to address the requirements of customers in these non-GMA target segments, and we may be unable to do so. Many of our competitors and potential competitors in these non-GMA target segments have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition and larger customer bases in these segments. We do not know if customers in these segments will prefer our products and services to other products and services available to them. If we are unable to establish a sufficient base of customers in these non-GMA target segments, our efforts may not result in expected or any revenue from these segments, and our ability to sell our products and services to additional customers in those segments may be significantly reduced.

 

Damage to our data center facility could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

Our main data center is located in a single facility in Richmond, California. Notwithstanding the precautions that we have taken to protect ourselves and our customers from delivery interruption events, a fire, earthquake or other natural disaster, a virus attack or an accident affecting the data center could disable our computer system. Any significant damage to our data center, or disruption of its connectivity to IBM Information Exchange, BES-IT services or the AT&T network, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be able to adequately protect our proprietary technology and information, and we may be subject to claims of infringement.

 

Intellectual property laws, including copyright and trade secret laws, and contractual provisions afford only limited protection. We may not be able to police unauthorized use of our technologies, software applications, product information database, experience, processes, company and product identifiers, documents or information or enforce intellectual property laws or contractual provisions. In addition, the laws of certain countries in which our products and services may be distributed may not protect our proprietary rights in the same way as the laws of the United States. If unauthorized third parties obtain or use our proprietary technologies, software applications, product information database, experience, processes, company and product identifiers, documents or information, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.

 

Claims by third parties regarding the infringement of alleged intellectual property rights are common in our industry. Although we do not believe that we are infringing or misappropriating any proprietary rights or information of others, we cannot be certain that our products or services do not infringe. Any claims alleging infringement or misappropriation of proprietary rights or information of others, with or without merit, may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

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Certain anti-takeover provisions could discourage attempts to acquire control of us.

 

We are a Delaware corporation. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains certain provisions that may make a change in control of our company more difficult or prevent the removal of incumbent directors. In addition, our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and our stockholders rights plan contain provisions that may have the same effect. These provisions may have a negative impact on the price of our common stock, may discourage third-party bidders from making a bid for our company or may reduce any premiums paid to stockholders for their common stock.

 

Our stock price may fluctuate substantially.

 

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly since the initial public offering of our common stock in August 1993 and could be subject to significant fluctuations in the future based on any number of factors, such as announcements of new services by us or by our competitors; fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or our competitors’; failure to meet guidance we provide to the market; changes in categorization of our stock (e.g., value vs. growth) by third parties; conditions in the Internet commerce, retail information service and high technology industries generally; and conditions in the financial markets generally. The low trading volume of our common stock may adversely affect its liquidity and reduce the number of market makers and/or large investors willing to trade in our common stock, making wider fluctuations in the quoted price of our common stock more likely to occur. The market price of our common stock may continue to experience significant fluctuations in the future.

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Our exposure to market risk associated with changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio of marketable securities. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. The stated objectives of our investment guidelines are to preserve principal, meet liquidity needs and deliver maximum yield subject to the previous conditions. The guidelines limit maturity, concentration, and eligible investments to high credit quality U.S. issuers, such as the U.S. Treasury and other federal, state and local government agencies and highly rated banks and corporations. Our marketable securities profile includes only those securities with active secondary or resale markets to ensure portfolio liquidity.

 

The table below presents principal amounts and related weighted-average interest rates due by date of maturity for the marketable securities. Our guidelines do not permit investments with maturities in excess of 24 months. At September 30, 2004, the weighted-average maturity of the marketable securities portfolio was 167 days.

 

(in thousands)


   Maturity
2004


    Maturity
2005


    Total

    Fair Value at
September 30,
2004


 

Governmental Agencies

   $ 230     $ 1,471     $ 1,701     $ 1,695  

Corporations

     206       —         206       259  
    


 


 


 


Total

   $ 436     $ 1,471     $ 1,907     $ 1,954  
    


 


 


 


Weighted-average interest rate

     1.23 %     1.69 %     1.59 %     1.59 %
    


 


 


 


 

Foreign Currency Risk

 

We have no significant investments outside the United States of America and do not have material transactional foreign currency risk because less than 5% of our billings are in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. We have no significant hedging activity.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

(a) Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report have been designed and are functioning effectively to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms. We believe that a control system, no matter how well designed and operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the control system are met, and no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected.

 

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(b) Changes in internal controls. No change in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

(c) Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Compliance

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require us to include an internal control report from management in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and in subsequent Annual Reports thereafter. The internal control report must include the following: (1) a statement of management’s responsibility for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, (2) a statement identifying the framework used by management to conduct the required evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, (3) management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, including a statement as to whether or not internal control over financial reporting is effective, and (4) a statement that our independent auditors have issued an attestation report on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting.

 

Management acknowledges its responsibility for establishing and maintaining internal controls over financial reporting and seeks to continually improve those controls. In order to achieve compliance with Section 404 of the Act within the required timeframe, we have been conducting a process to document and evaluate our internal controls over financial reporting since 2003. In this regard, we have dedicated internal resources, engaged outside consultants and adopted a detailed work plan to: (i) assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting; (ii) take steps to improve control processes where required; (iii) validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented; and (iv) implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. We believe our process for documenting, evaluating and monitoring our internal control over financial reporting is consistent with the objectives of Section 404 of the Act.

 

To date, we have identified certain gaps in the documentation and design of internal controls with respect to specific operations processes which we are currently remediating.

 

If the proposed merger with Inovis is consummated, we will not be obligated to comply with the requirements of Section 404 by the December 31, 2004 deadline.

 

Due to the proposed merger with Inovis, among other reasons, we have recently experienced a loss of employees and have realigned job responsibilities. These events are changing how transactions are processed and/or the functional areas or locations responsible for the transaction processing. If the proposed Inovis merger is not consummated, given the risks inherent in the design and operation of internal controls over financial reporting as well as the recent organizational and procedural changes resulting from the proposed Inovis merger, we can provide no assurance as to our ability to comply with all of the requirements of Section 404 by the December 31, 2004 deadline, nor can we provide assurance as to our, or our independent auditor’s, conclusions on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting at December 31, 2004.

 

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

None

 

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

None

 

Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities

 

None

 

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Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

None

 

Item 5. Other Information

 

None

 

Item 6. Exhibits

 

 

Exhibit
Number


 

Description


  2.1   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 2, 2004, by and among the Company, Inovis International, Inc. and EDI Merger Corp., including the form of Voting Agreement attached as Exhibits A (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K dated September 3, 2004).
  4.5   Third Amendment to the Rights Agreement, dated as of September 2, 2004, between the Company and Mellon Investor Services LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Amendment No. 3 to Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on September 3, 2004 – Commission file number 000-21958).
31.1   Form of Rule 13a-14(a) Certification
31.2   Form of Rule 13a-14(a) Certification
32.1   Section 1350 Certification

 

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SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

    QRS CORPORATION

Date: November 9, 2004

 

/s/ ELIZABETH A. FETTER


   

Elizabeth A. Fetter

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

Date: November 9, 2004

 

/s/ DAVID B. COOPER, JR.


   

David B. Cooper, Jr.

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer and Principal

Financial Officer)

 

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