Business and Company Research
This guide is designed to provide an overview of Company Information available in the library and on the web. Ask a Reference Librarian if you need help in locating these materials.
When doing your research, it helps to know if the company is a publicly-owned or private company, a subsidiary of a larger multi-company conglomerate, or an international company.
Publicly held companies must file financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (e.g. 10K Reports) available through LexisNexis, ReferenceUSA Global Seaerch or EDGAR. These mandated reports and the websites of these companies can provide a wealth of information.
Privately held companies provide financial information at their own discretion, and the smaller the company or business, the less information there may be available.
The sources below will provide authoritative information on companies.
Contents:
Online Indexes and Databases | Websites | Reference Books
Online Indexes and Databases |
 About off-campus access |
Business Source Premier
Provides full text for nearly 3,800 scholarly business journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed business publications. Coverage includes virtually all subject areas related to business, including management, economics, finance, accounting, international business, indistry research and more. The database also includes other sources of full-text information, such as country economic reports from the EIU, DRI-WEFA, ICON Group and CountryWatch, and detailed company profiles for the world's 10,000 largest companies.
ReferenceUSA
US Businesses provides extensive data on more than 14 million U.S. businesses. Data includes business type, sales volume, employee size, executives, products, competitors, nearby businesses, public filings, news articles, and much more.
International Businesses: Find in-depth company profiles on 3 million international companies, including key executives and detailed financial information. Great for research on large companies and their foreign parents and subsidiaries. This module also includes industry reviews/data, RMA ratios, STAT-USA, and other important business data sets.
US New Businesses: More than 50,000 new businesses are added to this database each week. Use it to research hot areas of economic development.
LexisNexis Academic
This database provides information in five areas: News, Business, Legal Research, Medical and Reference. With a few exceptions, all information in the database is full-text. For business information search using the News Form and search using the Business Form. In the Reference Section, the World Almanac and Book of Facts provide information on company affiliations and brands. Helpful guides to researching companies and industries.
Financial & historical information on thousands of companies & selected industries.
Websites
EDGAR http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
EDGAR is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission database of 10-K reports filed annually by all publicly traded companies.
Public Register Online Annual Report Service http://www.annualreportservice.com
Direct links to annual reports for thousands of companies.
Reference Books
Encyclopedia of Associations Ready Reference AS 22.E5 2002
This guide provides contact information for thousands of US and international trade and professional associations and provides their areas of interest, membership size, services and publications.
North American Industry Classification System Manual Ref HF 1042.N67
NAICS codes, which are replacing SIC codes, are used by many indexes, directories and statistical sources to organize information. This manual is a good place to start an industry search.
Standard Industrial Classification Ref HF 1042 .A55 1987
Government classification of industries. Replaced by the NAICS codes.
Minnesota Companies
Minnesota Business-to-Business: Sales & Marketing Directory Ref HC107.M6 M613
Businesses by city, yellow page category; Manufacturers by SIC & City
Minnesota Directory of Manufacturers Ref HF5065.M6H37
Geographic, alphabetical and product listings.
All Companies
Brands and Their Companies Ref T223 .V4 A25 yr.
U.S. brand and trade names including those not registered with the U.s. Patent and Trademark Office.
Hoover's Handbook of American Business Ref HG 4057.A28617 2002
Offers in-depth profiles of 750 major companies, including the 500 largest American businesses in terms of sales and employees. Updated annually.
International Directory of Company Histories Ref HD 2721.D36
This directory profiles both public and large private companies. It is the first major reference source to bring together histories of companies that are a leading influence in a particular industry or geographic location.
Market Share Reporter Ref HF 5410.M35
This publication presents comparative business statistics in a clear, straightforward manner with entries featuring a descriptive title, data and market description, and a list of producers/products along with their market share.
Mergent Banking and Financial Manuals Ref HG 4961.M65
This manual includes financial information, business descriptions and directory information on publicly held companies and in the banking and finance industry. Mergent manuals are helpful for the historic information the provide.
Mergent Industrial Manual Ref HG 4961.M67
This manual provides financial information, business descriptions and directory information on publicly held companies involved in a wide range of manufacturing environments.
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers Ref T12.T6
Three multi-volume parts: a directory of products and services, company profiles, and products catalog file. An limited online version is available at http://www.thomasregister.com
Wards Business Directory of US Private and Public Companies Ref HG 4057.A57
This multi-volume guide provides information on over 114,500 companies in alphabetic, geographic and industry arrangements. It ranks companies by sales within 4-digit SIC and 6-digit NAICS codes as provides rankings and analyses of the industry activity of leading companies.
Industry Resources - For more information - go to Industry Research
Encyclopedia of American Industries Ref HC 102.E53 2001
This work provides detailed information on 461 manufacturing industries and 544 service and non-manufacturing industries. It is especially helpful for individual essays on industry overviews, which cover current conditions, industry leaders, employment and the global market.
US Market Trends and Forecasts Ref HF 5415.1.U7
This annual publication offers market analysis and forecasting reports based on aggregated statistical data. It is well regarded for its graphs and charts.
Valueline Investment Survey Online - See above.
Statistical Abstract of the United States Ref HA 202
This annual publication from the US Government is also available online at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ offering a wealth of industry statistics.