"These" or "those"?

Dear natives,

Which, in your opinion, sounds better?

(1)
This segment includes 500 companies from the Fortune 500 list published in the fall of 2003. Our promotional activities will be directed at IT directors in these companies.

(2)
This segment includes 500 companies from the Fortune 500 list published in the fall of 2003. Our promotional activities will be directed at IT directors in those companies.

Thanks a lot for your input.

ThESE will be apt for two reasons:
1. You began your sentence with THIS
2.THOSE gives a sense of you being distant form what you are talking about and

Either word is correct, so this ismostly a matter of taste.

I would use `those'. When I read `these' I expect you to refer to the companies _after_ the word these. With the word `those' I immediately see that the word refers back to the previous sentence.

"These" would be most appropriate if you were going to make a list beneath the sentence

Our promotional activities will be directed at IT directors in these companies:

ICI
Shell etc

Its really a question of proximity, but to be honest I don't think it really matters too much!

Well, ''these'' is the plural of ''this'' and ''those'' is the plural of ''that''.

This also sounds good:

Thanks a lot in advance for your input.

"1. You began your sentence with THIS "

And it refers to "segment" not "companies."

I would use Those if I talk about companies that I was refering to previously.

Goldflake,
"You began your sentence with THIS"

The initial "this" doesn't have anything to do with "those" in the end.

I prefer "these", but I think it is a matter of opinion, not right or wrong.

Use both

It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.