When researching a business, there are many places you can get information from. You can search for local, regional, national or international businesses and gather a great deal of data. Depending on what type of business you're looking at will determine how and where you search. For example, a small business you would look in their local newspapers and local government websites for information about them and necessary mandates, possibly state and federal laws depending on the type of business and what laws they would need to follow (a restaurant would need to follow Food and Drug Administration mandates).
This page will introduce you to several places you can get information on business from and provide areas for further exploration into business research.
Public companies have stock shares that are traded, which are regulated in the United States by the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) - this requires these companies to publicly disclose information regarding their financial performance and governing structure. This makes information on these companies easier to find. Using the ticker symbol for a company will help your searching dramatically to ensure you are researching the correct company. You can find company ticker symbols by searching the company name below:
Private companies are typically not required to disclose information publicly, and can be more difficult to research.
Multiple resources are recommended for searching for both types of companies, and this guide lists several. However, there are more tools available.
Start by searching the company! The company website itself will help you start your search. Where are they located? How big are they? Are the private or public? Check out their press releases, mission, management, etc.
Then search for the company + "news" or company + "business news" and see what you can find about the business. Is it all local? National? International?
Example:
Newspapers are a great source of information about businesses. They help you get a sense of public opinion and how the business is fairing, and give you an outside opinion of the business.
If searching for an international company don't forget to search for newspapers in that business' home country - for example BBC News is the top news provider in the UK so if you were to be examining Unilever, a major British-Dutch company (you have probably used some of their goods), BBC News would be a great source of information.
Also check papers like The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, local newspapers, Forbes, etc. We have The New York Times archive in the NexisUni database (see below for instructions).
Mergent is one of the premier sources for business data. Kemp Library has subscriptions to several Mergent databases, but MergentOnline is likely where you will start. See details on each of the databases below, and check out tutorial videos on how to search in it. MergentOnline is great for company details, financials, reports, filings, news, etc.
Learn more about what's in MergentOnline here.
You may also be interested in FirstResearch with gives profiles on over 900 industry segments. To access, click "continue" through a couple of screens to access the database. FirstResearch includes:
Dislike video tutorials? See picture walkthroughs on the Find Company Information page for MergentOnline and go to the Find Industry Information for First Research.
Nexis Uni has a ton of business information in it. This contains information similar to MergentOnline, but may have different content depending on the company. It also contains a bunch of newspapers, and is the source for any legal information you may be curious about.
Check out their "how to" guide. There is a tutorial video as well that is helpful.
Dislike video tutorials? See a picture walkthrough on the Find Company Information page of this guide.
Business Source Complete is an EBSCO database with oodles of business information in a familiar database format. It's also great for market research.
Dislike video tutorials? See a picture walkthrough on the Market Research page of this guide.
These websites are some websites that may prove useful in your company searches. Don't forget to check out other pages in this guide, such as Find Company Information, Find Industry Information, Market Research, and HRM Statistics, depending on your topic.
These video tutorials are meant to assist in the use of the provided databases. There are many tutorials out there! If you don't see what you are looking for you can look for another tutorial or contact me for help.
