Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Andersons Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE) lifted its outlook on improved performance of its Plant Nutrient Group.
• BP Plc (NYSE: BP) was upgraded by Societe Generale due in part to its earnings prospects.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) has developed an earnings improvement plan based on collective bonuses.
• Corel Corp. (NASDAQ: CREL) solid Q2 results did not address a buyout offer from Vector Capital.
• Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) Q2 earnings were boosted by dumping its Goldfish card division.
• Fortune Brands Inc. (NYSE: FO) lowered its earnings outlook on challenging consumer environment.
• Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE) blamed dismal results on floods and smoking bans.
• MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MXB) strong Q2 results didn't save it from being dumped by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS).
• PAREXEL International Corp. (NASDAQ: PRXL) lifted its Q4 and full-year guidance, leading to an upgrade.
• Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI) was downgraded due to fears about its earnings prospects.
• Taleo Corp. (NASDAQ: TLEO) reaffirmed its outlook as an acquisition would boost results.
• WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC) posted solid Q3 results and offered conservative guidance.

More highlights from this past week: Apollo Group, Family Dollar, Kroger, Deutsche Bank and others

Also, while Jim Cramer ponders what will signal the bottom, many investors will be looking at next week's earnings results for General Electric (NYSE: GE), the world's largest conglomerate, as a sign of the direction of the global market. And BusinessWeek reminds us that cheap stocks -- even with big names such as Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) -- are no bargain if they have no earnings.

Upcoming results to watch for include Alcoa (NYSE: AA), Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG), Marriott International (NYSE: MAR), and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Anybody who does much in the way of graphics or design knows Corel Corp. (NASDAQ: CREL) and its products -- Corel DRAW and Corel Paint Shop. No question they are good products. But that does not mask the fact that 2Q 2008 numbers do paint paint a pretty picture. Interim CEO Kris Hagerman states that "Corel performed well in the second quarter." Given that revenues were up less than 3% and GAAP net income, another word for earnings, dropped 60% to $930,000, what would qualify in Hagerman's book as a bad quarter? It isn't necessarily how much a company makes that is most important, it is how much of that amount it gets to keep.

EBITDA is heading south and Hagerman admits the company needs to pursue "opportunities in faster growing markets." The company issued 3Q 2008 guidance of GAAP earnings per share of zero to $0.06, in line with 2Q results. Time for senior management to paint a prettier picture.

Shares closed Thursday at $10.75. The stock is up about 4% year to date.

See also: What's going on with the Corel buyout?

Back in late March, Corel Corporation (NASDAQ: CREL), a provider of productivity software, received a buyout offer from its largest investor, Vector Capital, which owns 69%.

What has happened since then? Well, on Corel's Q2 conference call, the company talked about the outstanding offer. The board has formed a special committee and is evaluating matters. Unfortunately, there was no more information on the matter (and no indication when there might be some more details).

Yet, in the meantime, Corel continues to focus on the business. Revenues in the quarter increased from $65 million to $67 million. Net income was $930,000, or $0.04 per share. What's more, adjusted EBITDA was $14.9 million.

Corel has been successful with a variety of drivers. For example, the company has been savvy with its M&A, such as with its deals for JASC, WinZip and InterVideo. What's more, Corel is getting lots of traction in emerging markets. There is also growth in the company's new Blu-Ray graphics offerings.

As for fiscal 2008, Corel expects revenues of $263-$275 million, with net income of $8.5-$13.5 million.

On news of the quarterly results, there was a nice rally in the stock as it spiked 15% to $10.75.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Corel Corporation (Nasdaq: CREL) is a long-term player in the software business. It has products like WinZip, CorelDRAW, iGrafx, WordPerfect, and so on. However, with competitors like Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) and even Google, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG), it's been particularly tough.

Well, Corel's largest investor (owning 69%), Vector Capital, has expressed interest in taking the company private. Keep in mind that Vector took Corel private back in 2003 (at $1.05 per share).

As for the current proposal, it's for $11 per share (the 52-week high on Corel is $14.37). And, Corel has now hired a financial advisor, Genuity Capital Markets, to evaluate the proposal as well as look at other alternatives.

Corel Corp. (NASDAQ: CREL) is a veteran of the tech world. One of its main products, WordPerfect, was one of the first word processors for the PC and despite the onslaught from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), is still selling.

But there are a flood of alternatives now – especially online versions. In fact, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has been piecing together an Office-like suite of productivity applications, which it plans to sell for $50 per year.

According to an announcement today, Corel is about to fight back, launching a free online version of WordPerfect, called Lightning. It's currently in the beta phase.This looks like it is just the beginning and I'd expect more applications to be bundled to the Lightning.

Corel is taking a freemium approach, meaning that after users download the free version and use it, they might be more inclined to eventually buy the premium version.

On its face, it doesn't seem like it will get traction. However, Corel plans to partner with other companies so as to share revenues. And, over the years, Corel has put together a massive ecosystem of partnerships.

You can check Lightning out at the Corel Web site.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.