Where to Find Information About Companies
For GUIDES and "how to" sources on company research,
consult:
For GUIDES and other sources on Industry research, consult:
For SIC or NAICS CODES useful in locating information for an industry, product or company, consult:
- Standard Industrial Classification Manual. 1987. (Ref. Desk HF
1042 A55) & Emerald Coast Library
- http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
- Provides the Stardard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes created to gather and organize data by industry.
Developed in the 1930's and updated periodically since, this code is being replaced in many resources by the NAICS
system.
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (Ref. Desk U.S.
Doc. PREX 2.6/2:IN 27/2002) & (Emerald Coast Library HF 1042 .N677 2002)
- http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
- The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes are gradually replacing SIC codes to gather and organize data by industry. The NAICS system was developed in the 1990's to provide more detail within industries, address the growth of new industries, and provide a classification for data gathering universal to Canada, Mexico and the United States.
For addresses, names of officers, etc., consult
DIRECTORIES such as:
- Brands and Their Companies. 1996. (Ref. T 223 V4 A25)
- [Business and Company Resource Center]
- Lists manufacturers, addresses and phone numbers and the consumer products
they produce. To locate a brand or product using Business and Company Resource Center
click on "Advanced Search." Then select "Company Profiles/Products" from the
dropdown menu for "Content Area." The screen will refresh, and you can then enter
the name of a brand, company, or product type and select the corresponding index from
the dropdown menu. See also Companies and Their Brands (Ref. T 223 V4 A253 2000)
and Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands (Ref. HF 5415.3 E527 1994).
- Business Phone Book USA. 2000. (Ref. Desk E 154.5 N37)
- Listing over 400,000 establishments, this directory gives addresses and
telephone numbers for the most popular companies, agencies and institutions.
- CorporateInformation
http://www.corporateinformation.com
- The place to start for locating information on public or private companies
around the world. Arranged by country, this is a resource list of sites. Data
can include links to market research reports, laws, court decisions, the CIA
World FactBook, currency rates, and population. An excellent source of hard-to-find
corporate resources on countries
- Directory of Foreign Manufacturers in the United States. 1993.
(Ref. HD 9723 A76)
- Arranged by country, this lists over 1300 firms which have substantial
investments in American firms. See also Directory of American Firms Operating
in Foreign Countries (Ref. HG 4538 A1 D5 2002) & Emerald Coast Library.
- Franchise Annual. Annual. (Ref. HF 5429.3 F69) & Emerald Coast Library
- Lists over 4,000 franchises in the U.S. Canada and overseas. For more details
on selected franchises see Bond's Franchise Guide (Ref. HF
5429.235 U5 S6 2001). See also the UWF ELi Page:
Small Business Resources.
- Harris Florida Manufacturers Directory. Annual. (Ref. Desk T 12 F6) &
Emerald Coast Library
- Published in cooperation with the National Association of Manufacturers, this lists major
Florida industries by geographic areas, SIC codes, alphabetic by company name, and product.
See also the Florida Business Directory 2005/2006, (Ref. HF 5065 F6 F56). Similar
directories exist for other states. For companies that have registered with the Florida
Department of State Corporations, use Corporations Online
http://ccfcorp.dos.state.fl.us/corpweb/inquiry/corinam.html
- Hoover's Handbook of American Business. 2000. (Ref. HG 4057 A28617)
- [ProQuest,
LexisNexis Academic,
http://www.hoovers.com]
- Gives concise, one-page profiles of major American Companies. To use Hoover's in LexisNexis
Academic, select Business from the list of search forms in the left frame. Then select company profiles.
At the Company Profile search form, select "Hoover Company Reports" from the Source dropdown menu. See
also Hoover's Handbook of Emerging Companies (Ref. HG 4057 A28618 1994) & Emerald Coast Library,
and Hoover's Guide To Private Companies 1994/95, (Ref. HG 4057 A28616).
- Million Dollar Directory. Annual. (Ref. Desk HC 102 D8)
- Published by Dun and Bradstreet, this directory lists over 39,000 U.S. companies
with an indicated worth of $1 million or more.
- Principal International Businesses. Biennial. 2003/2004. (Ref. HF
54 U5 P74)
- Lists over 44,000 companies arranged alphabetically by country and for
each gives the chief officer, line of business, SIC number, approximate sales and
number of employees. Published by Dun and Bradstreet. See also UWF Library ELi
Page: International Business.
- Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives
- [Netadvantage].
- Lists over 36,000 U.S. and Canadian companies. For each company it gives officers,
products, SIC numbers, sales range and number of employees. See also
D&B Reference Book of Corporate Managements (Dun & Bradstreet) 2004,
(Ref. HD 2745 D85).
- Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. Annual. (Ref. T 12 T6)
& Emerald Coast Library
- [ThomasNet]
- Comprehensive listing of American manufacturing firms. this is useful
as a source for locating manufacturers of a certain product. It also has trade
name listings and addresses of companies.
- U.S. Business Directory. Current.
- [LexisNexis Academic]
- In-depth directory information on virtually every business in the United States. To use this
resource in LexisNexis Academic, select "Business" from the list of "Academic Search Forms" in the left frame.
Then select "Company profiles." At the "Company Profile Search Form," enter the name of the company,
select the state in which the company is located if the company has numerous locations, and leave
the Source selection as "All Sources."
- Who Owns Whom: North & South America. 2004/2005.
(Ref. HG 4081 Z65 W48)
- A directory of U.S. parent companies and their subsidiaries outside
the U.S. and Canada.
See also Who Owns Whom: United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
(Ref. HG 4135 Z5 W5 2002/2003) and
LexisNexis Corporate Affiliations (Ref. HG
4057 A219 2004) & Emerald Coast Library.
- Databases that provide ownership information are:
- Business & Company Resource Center
- Factiva
- LexisNexis Academic
- Web sites that list or link to businesses:
- Europages, the European Business Directory
http://www.europages.com
- Locating U.S. Corporation Records Online
http://www.internet-prospector.org/secstate.html
(Note: The sources listed above may be supplemented with information provided in Dialog and DataStar databases. Please see a Reference Staff member for assistance.)
For comprehensive FINANCIAL DATA for companies, consult:
- Annual Report File. 1968-1990 (Reference)
-
- [Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe]
- Historical annual reports of approximately 800 companies are located
in filing cabinets and microfiche cabinets in the Reference Area of the Pace Library.
An historical collection of 10-K reports for some companies filing between 1968 and 1990
is also available on microfiche in the Reference Area of the Pace Library. For current
reports consult Company Internet sites. To locate annual reports in LexisNexis, select "Business"
from the list of "Academic Search Forms" on the left of the page. Next select "Company Financial
Reports" and then use the source dropdown menu to locate historical annual reports.
- Business and Company Resource Center
- Searchable by company name or ticker number, this databank provides financial data, ranking, and company histories.
Also included here are investment reports and articles on companies and industries
- Disclosure Reports
- [Factiva,
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe]
- Each comprehensive report for over 12,000 publicly held companies is
based on the annual reports and SEC filings of the most recent five years.
- Factiva
- This comprehensive electronic library contains thousands of financial
and news reports of U.S. and international companies. The menu selection "Company
and Industries" allows the searcher to compare company performance with another company
or with the industry. Comprehensive financial, as well as brief, reports can be retrieved
for publicly held companies. Limited to 4 concurrent users.
- Edgar Plus
- [http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml]
- Collections of SEC filings required of publicly held companies in the
United States.
- Hoover's
- [ProQuest,
Factiva,
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe,
http://www.hoovers.com]
- Database of information on more than 50,000 of the largest or
fastest-growing public and private U.S. companies. Information provided
includes company address, number of employees, key people, financial data,
news items and selected Web links to company Web site, SEC filings, and
current stock prices. To locate Hoover's data in LexisNexis, select "Business" from
the list of "Academic Search Forms" on the left of the page. Next select
"Company Profiles" and then use the source dropdown menu to locate
"Hoover Company Reports". In Factiva, Hoover's data is incorparated into company
profiles and reports available from the database.
- Investext Plus
- Collection of market research reports produced by investment firms and trade associations.
- LexisNexis Academic
- Full text comprehensive financial databases can be accessed for information on
companies and industries. Also included are full-text newspaper and journal articles,
news wires, company directories, and investment reports.
- Mergent Online
- This database provides comprehensive financial data as well as narrative data about
properties and histories of publicly held companies. Limited to 2 concurrent users.
Microfilm copies of these files back to 1909 are located in the UWF Reference Department.
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
- Provides online access to the investment printed sources including
Stock Guides, Bond Guides, Industry Surveys, Corporation Descriptions
and offers in-depth strategic and financial information on more than 11,000 publicly
held corporations. It includes company profiles, earnings statements, financial ratios,
and detailed stock and bond data.
- Web sites that list or link to company annual reports:
- Annual Reports Library http://www.zpub.com/sf/arl/arl-more.html
- AnnualReports.com http://www.reportgallery.com
- Public Register's Annual Report Service
http://www.prars.com
(Note: The sources listed above may be supplemented with information provided in Dialog and DataStar databases. Please see a Reference Staff member for assistance.)
For STOCK MARKET data on individual companies, consult:
For COMPANY RANKINGS, consult:
For HISTORICAL information on companies, consult:
- Directory of Obsolete Securities. 1991 (Ref. HG. 4961 D56)
- Useful for tracking past changes in securities due to closures, mergers, etc.
See also Mergent Company Archives Manual (Ref. HG 4028 M4 M43 2001)
which contains the final statistical record of over 2700 companies, and
Moody's(Mergent) Manuals on Microfiche 1909-
(Ref. Microfiche 1st Floor).
- Everybody's Business, A Field Guide to the 400 Leading Companies in
America. 1990. (Ref. HD 2741 M65) Emerald Coast Library
-
Factiva
- International Directory of Company Histories. 1988. (Ref. HD 2721
D36) & Emerald Coast Library
- Mergent Online
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
For journal and magazine articles about companies and industries, consult INDEXES such as:
Maintained by:
Shari Johnson
Business/Government Documents Librarian
University of West Florida Libraries
Date Last Updated: June 2005
Links Maintained by Bryan Reingruber: May 2006
