company and industry research

Company and Industry Research

http://www.bellarmine.edu/library/company_and_industry.htm

 How to Research Companies

Three things you need to know before you start

1. It is usually easier to find information about publicly owned companies than privately owned ones.

2. Generally, it’s easier to find information about corporations as a whole than their subsidiaries or divisions.

3. It is usually easier to find information about large, nationally known corporations than about local or regional ones.

Special Considerations

If your company is privately owned:

There may be very little information on your company if it is a small private company, especially a local company.  Private companies are not required to report their financial information to the public.  The best source of information might be articles in news sources for the city in which the company is located.  These will usually be feature stories but probably will not offer much in the way of financial information.  The company web site will only highlight what they want you to know so it cannot be considered a complete picture of the company.

If your company is a subsidiary:

If your company is a subsidiary or a division of a publicly owned corporation, you’ll find information less readily available. For example, the parent corporation is not required to divulge financial information for the separate divisions; therefore, details of the financial status of the subsidiary will be difficult to verify.

If your company is foreign owned:

An increasing number of foreign companies have established a U.S. division or subsidiary.  You may encounter many of the same difficulties as you would in researching a private company.

If your company is local, regional, or otherwise small in scope:

When seeking information about companies of this kind, the best approach is usually the direct one—talk to the company itself. In this case, however, you’ll want to learn about the company before you speak directly to its representative at your interview.  Look for articles in local publications like Business First, The Courier Journal or Louisville Magazine. 

Electronic Sources on Library Web site

Financial Information

One page summary of company performance

Mergent Online (Enter company name, click “tear sheets” tab)

Lexis Nexis Academic (Click “Business” tab, enter company name)

Annual reports to stock holders and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports

Lexis Nexis Academic (Click “Business” tab, Select “SEC Filings” at left of page, enter company name, next to “Sources” drop-down box, selects either “SEC form 10K” or “SEC Annual Report to Shareholders”)

Mergent (enter company name, select “Annual Reports” tab)

Company Reports

Datamonitor Reports - Business Source Premie (Select “Company Profiles”, enter your company’s name)

Hoover’s Company Reports - Lexis Nexis Academic, Click “Business”, Click “Company Profiles”, enter company name, in “Search Terms” box, enter “Hoovers”.

Articles in news and business publications
(for each database, click on database name and enter company name into search box)

ABI Inform
Business Source Premier
Lexis-Nexis Academic

Other Sources of Information

Company Histories

Company Histories– International Directory of Company Histories (enter company name and click “Go”, click “Company History” on the left side of the screen)

Industry Reports

Datamonitor Industry Profiles - Industry reports present information on the entire industry in which you company operates. (Enter company name in first box, then the phrase “industry profile” in the second box).

Mergent Online - Mergent Online includes U.S. company data, archives, annual reports, fact sheets and North American Industry Reports. (Load page and click on Enter Mergent Online, then click Industry Reports near bottom center of page

Encyclopedia of American Industries (Thomson Gale)Business reference encyclopedia providing detailed, comprehensive information on a wide range of industries in every realm of American business.  It is available through the Gale Virtual Reference Library. (Enter an industry name into the search box.)

Litigation

Lexis/Nexis – Information on any legal issues the company is facing. (Select “Business”, enter company name and search, from left column, select “Legal Information”.

Print Resources in Library

Standard and Poor’s Industry Surveys – Reference Room Call # Ref 326.6 S785i
Provides industry overviews of 50 major industries

RMA Annual Statement Studies – Reference Room Call # Ref 338 R596f
Provides financial ratio benchmarks for over 700 industries

Almanac of Business and Financial Ratios – Reference Room Call # Ref 338.5 A445
Provides 50 performance indicators on 200 industries

Kevin Peers
Research Librarian
kpeers@bellarmine.edu
502-452-8315

Reference Desk: 502-452-8317