Response to widespread rumor, sale of company

From Executive Office, Human Resources, or department head to employees

(NOTE: Check with your legal department or investor relations department before sending a letter of this type.)
A small item in this morning’s Lumbertown Gazette has caused some concern amongst employees about a possible sale of the company.
Although it is not our usual practice to respond to rumors, we do feel it necessary to make an exception in this case: The article is incorrect, and we have no plans to make any substantial changes to the ownership or operation of the company.
The article notes than an outside investor has increased its ownership of shares in the company. That is correct, and we always welcome investments; our share price has risen by 5 percent in the past several months, which is a benefit to all investors.
However, even with this new investment, no single outside entity will own more than about 8 percent of the shares of the company. The biggest single owner of shares in Consolidated Intergalactic will continue to be employees and executives who participate in our ESOP (employee stock ownership program). These shares currently represent about 62 percent of the investment in the company and that proportion is likely to increase over time.