Companies and Corporations

Berkman, Robert I. The skeptical business searcher : the information advisor’s guide to evaluating Web data, sites, and sources. MAIN: HF54.56 .B4685 2004
Farr, Rick C. Business research: an informal guide Menlo Park, Calif. : Crisp Publications, 1994 (e-book)
Foundation Directory
MAIN REFERENCE AS 911 .A2 F65
Modern methods for business Mahwah, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum, 1998. (e-book)
Shelly, Susan. Search smart and get ahead: find all the information you need. New York : Learning Express, 2000. (e-book)
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
MAIN REFERENCE HC 106.6 .S74
Super Searchers Do Business: the Online Secrets of Top Business Researchers
MAIN: HD 30.4 .B377 1999
The Value line investment survey.
MAIN RESERVE HG4501.V26

Finding Information on Companies

Tracking down information on businesses can be a tedious and time-consuming process. The TWU Libraries have many resources to aid you in your search. The vast amount of information on the Internet has made this task easier, but information from the web requires more evaluation than library resources. With so many resources at your disposal, it is important that you keep accurate records of which items you have used during your search.

Basic information about a business is helpful in determining what information you will find and which resources to use. The most important two pieces of information about a company that have a direct impact on the availability of information about it are:

Is the company publicly or privately owned?
Is the company a subsidiary of a larger corporation?
Many resources only provide information about publicly-owned companies: those companies listed on one of the major stock exchanges. Public companies are required to submit reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports often are used as the basis for company descriptions in business reference sources. The full SEC reports themselves are available separately.

Privately-owned companies are not required to submit reports to the SEC and information about their financial and operational conditions is often difficult to find. Few business reference sources provide company profiles of privately-owned businesses beyond basic information. Information often must be pieced together from various news sources. Information from the Internet, used with careful evaluation, is often the best source for information about privately-owned companies.

Subsidiaries pose additional problems. It may be necessary to search for information on the larger corporation to find information about the subsidiary.

Financial information about the subsidiary many not be separated from its parent company.

There are many types of information available about companies including:

Directories which provide basic contact information [addresses, telephone numbers, lists of executives] about companies. Some directories may add a little information about the nature of the business, the number of employees, subsidiaries, and net worth. Databases like Business Source Complete (Enhanced Search Interface), LexisNexis Academic - Company Profiles and Mergent Online provide this information. Much of this information is also available on the Internet.

Company Profiles provide summary information about the financial and corporate health of companies. These often include information about a company's historical development, its subsidiaries, its branch corporate offices, its stock performance [for publicly-held corporations], its corporate structure, and its finances. LexisNexis Academic - Company Profiles and Mergent Online provide company profiles that include current financial information. Business Source Complete (Enhanced Search Interface) provides company profiles also.

Corporate Annual Reports are important sources of information about companies. Many company web sites provide their annual report. Look for investor information. Databases like LexisNexis Academic - Company Profiles and Mergent Online provide access to the SEC Edgar Database that includes SEC filings. These are companies that are required to file and most are US public companies. This is the authoritative source for these documents.

Databases for Company Information

Business Source Complete and Business Source Complete (Enhanced Search Interface)
Use the Enhanced Search Interface to retrieve Company Profiles, Industry Profiles and Market Research Reports.
Plus – Best source for full text articles; SWOT analysis.
Minus – Financial information limited
LexisNexis Academic - Company Profiles
Plus – Wide coverage, especially International and news sources
Minus – Too much data and too many sources, although the Company Dossier via Business Search helps
Newspaper sources
Regional Business News

Print and Other Library Sources
Berkman, Robert I. The skeptical business searcher : the information advisor’s guide to evaluating Web data, sites, and sources. MAIN: HF54.56 .B4685 2004
Farr, Rick C. Business research: an informal guide Menlo Park, Calif. : Crisp Publications, 1994 (e-book)
Foundation Directory
MAIN REFERENCE AS 911 .A2 F65
Modern methods for business Mahwah, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum, 1998. (e-book)
Shelly, Susan. Search smart and get ahead: find all the information you need. New York : Learning Express, 2000. (e-book)
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
MAIN REFERENCE HC 106.6 .S74
Super Searchers Do Business: the Online Secrets of Top Business Researchers
MAIN: HD 30.4 .B377 1999
The Value line investment survey.
MAIN RESERVE HG4501.V26

page last updated 5/16/2013 10:06 AM

Libraries

Quick Guide to Business Databases

Company Resources on the Internet

Finding Information on Companies

Databases for Company Information

Print and Other Library Sources

TWU Libraries

Library Suggestion Box