 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Research
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Library Home
Research
Find Books & Multimedia
Find Articles, Journals,
Library Services
About the Libraries
Help
& E-Resources Resources by Subject 
Reference & Internet
 
|
Company Information Research Guide
An Introduction to Library Research Strategy Link to company information research process guide This guide is designed to help you begin your research.
Please review it carefully. Note recommended print and electronic information
sources as well as research tips. Iona College students, faculty, administrators
and staff may also obtain specialized services below.
Questions to ask when doing company research:
If you find you are seeking information about a brand name or product rather than a company you may want to focus more on finding journal, magazine or newspaper articles.To do this, use one of the electronic databases . Of course, you may find that you are interested in researching the company responsible for the brand as well. Articles and even web pages may help you determine the company name. 2. Is my company public or private? It is helpful to know whether or not the company you are researching is public or private .Public companies sell stock to the general public.In other words, you or I can buy shares of a public company's stock. Privately held companies either do not sell stock or do not sell stock to the general public. To determine if your company is public or private, you may wish to consult the Million Dollar Directory .In this directory, if a black triangle appears in front of the company name, it is public.If a black square appears in front of the company name, it is a subsidiary and its parent company is public.(The parent company will be listed in parentheses under the company name).If neither a triangle nor a square appears in front of the company name, then it is private . Companies which appear in the SEC's Edgar database (http://edgar.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm ) (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system) or in FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent) may also be assumed to be public. In general, it is easier to find information about public companies than about private companies.For example, only public companies publish annual reports and file reports with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission(http://www.sec.gov/) which are accessible in their Edgar database ( http://edgar.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm ) . Public companies are required by law to publish these reports.
For the most part, only public companies are listed in investor-oriented
publications including those published by Mergent (formerly Moody's) and
Standard & Poor's. Information about private as well as public companies
may be found in many of the directories listed below as well as in journal,
magazine, and newspaper articles.You may use our electronic
databases or printed periodical
indexes to locate articles of interest. Inc. magazine's top 500
private companies( http://www.inc.com/500/ ) and Forbes
500 Largest Private Companies 3. Is my company a subsidiary of another company?If so, what is the parent company's name? Subsidiary companies are included in the Million Dollar Directory published by Dun & Bradstreet. .A black square appears in front of companies which are subsidiaries. The parent name is listed in parentheses underneath the subsidiary name. You may also be able to search an electronic database such as ABI-INFORM or Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe for articles about the company which may indicate whether or not it is a subsidiary of another company. Many of the web sites in this document under category HISTORY, FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT INFORMATION may help you determine if a company is a subsidiary. In most cases, annual reports are not available for subsidiaries. For example, at this writing, Lotus Development Corporation is a subsidiary of International Business Machines (IBM).Information about Lotus may be found in IBM's annual report but there is no annual report for Lotus.For more information, see Annual Reports. 4.I only need name, address, telephone number, name of CEO, date founded and other very basic information .Where should I look? Your best bet would be to look at resources listed below under Directories. 5. Where can I find more extensive information, including company history, balance sheets and financial statements, stock information and ratings, information about branches and subsidiaries, etc.? You might begin by searching your company in the FIS database. Also, try accessing various investor web sites and publications listed under HISTORY, FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT INFORMATION . In addition,Annual Reports and SEC 10-Ks contain a great deal of financial and other useful information. The library may own books about your company if it is a major corporation.Use our catalog, ORION, to find books. Try inputting company name in quotation marks using keyword relevance search. To obtain the most recent magazine and journal articles, you may wish to use our electronic databases . 6.Where can I find information about foreign (non-U.S.) companies? Begin by using the tools listed under International
Directories.Many of the investor-tools listed under HISTORY,
FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT INFORMATION also include foreign
companies. You may also look for journal, magazine or newspaper
articles using our electronic databases.Many
of the Internet web sites mentioned in this guide (these are underlined)
include information about foreign as well as U.S. companies. ANNUAL REPORTS AND SEC 10-Ks ANNUAL REPORTS Annual reports are available through the Library's Mergent database subscription. You may also find annual reports for selected companies at the Annual Report Gallery A-Z ( http://www.reportgallery.com/ ), Barron's Online Annual Report Service ( http://barronsonline.ar.wilink.com/cgi-bin/start.pl ), Annual Report Service, PRARS (Public Register's Annual Report Service) ( http://www.annualreportservice.com/ ), and the PRNewswire ( http://www.prnewswire.com/investors/ ) web sites. (At PRNewswire, click on "Investors", then click on "Annual Reports"). Many companies will make their annual reports available on their corporate web sites. You can often intelligently guess the address of a corporate web site because of common rules of web syntax.For example, most addresses for corporations begin with "www" and end with ".com". The middle part is usually the company name. For example, the web address for Microsoft is http://www.microsoft.com A good source for selected historical annual reports (as far back as the 1930's) is the UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY / Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text & Image corporate annual reports ( http://www.library.upenn.edu). Older hardcopy annual reports for companies traded on the New York and American Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ are available on microfiche (ask at Main Desk). Use the looseleaf index SEC File to locate these. Look up the company name in this alphabetic list. Annual reports are indicated by the abbreviation "AR", or "ARK" and include a microfiche number which begins with a 2-digit year code, e.g. 96-12345. The microfiche are filed in a cabinet in microfiche number
order. SEC FORM 10-K 10-K reports are annual reports which companies
file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. They do not contain
photographs or graphics. Because the information is actually placed on
a form provided by the SEC, the information may be more complete, comprehensive,
and probably more objective than information contained in a company-produced
annual report which is an investor and public relations tool as well as
an information source. The EDGAR
Database ( http://edgar.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm ), 10-K
Wizard ( http://www.10kwizard.com/ ), Print SEC Form 10-Ks for the most recent year are kept in the filing cabinets (together with annual reports) located in the rear of the Reference Room. Older 10-K reports for companies traded on the New York and American Stock Exchange (but not NASDAQ) are available on microfiche in the Periodical Room on the 1st floor.Use the looseleaf index SEC File to locate these. Look up the company name in this alphabetic list.10-K reports are indicated by the abbreviation "10K" and include a microfiche number which begins with a 2-digit year code, e.g. 96-56789. The microfiche are filed in a cabinet in microfiche number order. Each entry for 10-Ks lists a microfiche number which begins with a year, e.g. 96-12345.The microfiche are filed in cabinet in microfiche number order. All BOOKS listed below are in the Ryan Library Reference Room unless otherwise noted. DIRECTORIES GENERAL DIRECTORIES 1Jump - The Ultimate Company
Research & Business Information Tool BizWeb"Companies are categorized and listed
by the goods or services they provide. Click on the key term ... that best
describes the company or product you are searching for." Brands and their companies. Detroit, MI : Gale Research, c1990- Use this directory if you're not sure if you're dealing with
a company or a brand name. Companies and their brands. Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research. Companion volume to Brands and their companies. Company profiles for students Detroit, MI :
Gale Group, c1999. Corporate
Entities - 123World GSI Public
Company Websites Levering, Robert. The 100 best companies to work for
in America. New York : Plume Book, 1994. Million Dollar
Directory: America's Leading Public and Private Companies.
Parsippany, NJ: Dun's Marketing Services. Library owns latest ed. Back to Public vs. Private Companies MyWay.com Small Business Directory - AllBusiness | Champions of Small Business( http://www.allbusiness.com ) Standard directory of advertisers. Skokie,
Ill. : National Register Pub. Co. SuperPages.com("Better
pages for better decisions" "Search US Yellow Pages" and
more!) Switchboard:
Business: Search By Name Switchboard:
Search By Category Telephone Directories
on the Web, Phone Books, White Pages, Yellow Pages Thomas Register of American Manufacturer's ...New York: Thomas Pub. Co.29 volumes. Library has 87th ed. (1997) Standard and Poor's Corporation. The ticker symbol book 1990 ed. New York : McGraw-Hill, 1999. Alphabetical list of all the companies found in the three
major US stock exchanges--the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE); the American
Stock Exchange (AMEX); and the NasdaqExchanges: NASDAQ National Market
(NNM) and NASDAQ Small Cap (NSC)--and their corresponding ticker symbols
along with selected stocks from some regional and international exchanges. Web
Central - Major Corporations on the Web Book of Business Lists. 2001 edition. Published
by Westchester County Business Journal. Business
Web (Westchester County Business Journal). Directory of companies
with links to their web sites. Harris ... <name of state manufacturers directory.Twinsburg,
Ohio : Harris Pub. Co. New York(call no.: R 338.025 H 313) Connecticut (call no.:R 338.025 H 313-3) New Jersey(call no.:R 338.025 H 313-1) Delaware (call no.:R 338.025 H 313-2) Rockland Business
Association Rockland County Association. List of major Rockland
employers. West Nyack, N.Y. : The Association, 1994. Westchester County Association Westchester
County Business Journal Yahoo!
- Business and Economy:Companies:Directories:Regional:US States Yahoo!
New York(Links to New York State businesses including links
by county, city, town) ADRs (American depositary receipts),
global shares and foreign shares from J.P. Morgan AME Info - The ultimate
Middle East business resource Directory of foreign firms operating in the United
States. Arpan, Jeffrey S. Directory of foreign manufacturers
in the United States Directory of American firms operating in foreign countries. EUROPAGES : THE EUROPEAN
BUSINESS DIRECTORY Forbes International 800 Forbes Lists (including "The
Private 500" and more!) Fortune Lists (including
Fortune 500 and more!) Global
Edge (Michigan State University - Center for International
Business Education and Research (MSU-CIBER). INTERNATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGES - Global Trade Information
Portal Kompass(businesses
in 61 countries) Pagell, Ruth A. International business information
: how to find it, how to use it RUSMARKET.com "The
premier Russian business guide to commerce, technology and recreation in
Russia and other Newly Independent States" Welcome to the SEDAR Web
Site / Bienvenue au Site Web SEDAR (System for Electronic Document Analysis
and Retrieval. Site of Canadian Securities Administrators, the Canadian
equivalent of the SEC) VIBES:
Virtual International Business & Economics Sources SPECIALIZED DIRECTORIES The libraries own many directories which list companies in specific industries only. A few of these are listed below. Consult the librarian at the reference desk or search the online catalog (ORION) to locate additional publications. Encyclopedia of associations. Detroit, Gale
Research Co. The Job Bank guide to computer & high-tech companies. Holbrook,
Mass. : Adams Media Corp., c1997- Literary market place. New York, R. R. Bowker
Co. Standard directory of advertising agencies.New
York NY : National Register Pub. Co ZDNet Company Finder (Technology
Companies) INFORMATION
GUIDES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES Daniells, Lorna M. Business information sources.3rd
ed. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1993. CEOExpress: Business
portal for executives created by a CEO Company
Research Encyclopedia of business information sources. How
to Learn About an Industry or a Specific Company Maier, Ernest L. et al. The business library and how
to use it : a guide to sources and research strategies for information
on business and management Detroit, Mich. : Omnigraphics, c1996. Konn, Tania. Guide to business information on Central
and Eastern Europe Pagell, Ruth A. International business information
: how to find it, how to use it The New York Public Library business desk reference. SIBL
How To Find US Company Information Strauss, Diane Wheeler. Vandivier, Elizabeth L. Business A to Z source finder. The
Virtual Chase: Company Information on the Web: 8 Step Guide Wasny, Garrett. World business resources.com : a directory
of 8,000+ business resources on the Internet. HISTORY, FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT INFORMATION BigCharts - Charting
a World of Investment Information Not just charts! Also, this
site includes historical as well as current stock prices.Date
coverage varies from company to company but many go back 10 years or
longer. CBS
MarketWatch - CBS.MarketWatch.com Corporate Financials
Online DailyStocks.com EF Moody, Financial
Planner, Investment Instructor, Expert Witness" THE
INTERNET'S LARGEST (OVER 1,000 PAGES AND 668 LINKS) ANDMOST COMPREHENSIVE
INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL PLANNINGSITEDESIGNED FOR CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE AND
PROTECTION. " Hoover's handbook of world business. Austin,
TX : Reference Press, c1991- FIS Online (Financial
Information Services, Mergent) electronic database. A guide to understanding mutual funds. Washington,
D.C. : Investment Company Institute, c2000. Handbook of common stocks.New York, NY : Mergent
FIS, Inc., 1999- Handbook of Internet stocks. New York, NY :
Mergent, 1999. Handbook of NASDAQ stocks.New York : Moody's
Investors Service. Former title:Moody's handbook of OTC stocks. Hoover's Online INTERNATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGES - Global Trade Information Portal (links to stock exchanges listed by continent or region, e.g. Africa, Asia, Middle East) InvestorGuide - The Leading
Guide to Investing on the Web InvestorLinks.com IPO Central Lehmann, Michael B. The Irwin guide to using the Wall
Street journal Mergent municipal & government manual. Moody's .... manual. New York : Moody's Investors Service. Moody's bank and finance manual. (Call no.:R 332 M 8ba) Library has: 1996; use FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent). for current information. Moody's industrial manual. (Call no.:R 332 M 8i) Library has: 1996; use FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent). for current information. Moody's international manual. (Call no.:R 332 M 8int) Library has: 1994-1998; News Reports for 1999 in binder. Mergent International News Reports Monthly 7/99 issue; use FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent). for current information. Moody's municipal & government manual. (Call no.: R 332 M 8m) Library has: 1996-1999. Continued by: Mergent Municipal & Government Manual Moody's public utility manual.(Call no.:R 332 M 8p) Library has:1996; use FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent). for current information. Moody's transportation manual(call no.: R 332 M 8t) Library has:1996; use FIS Online (Financial Information Services, Mergent). for current information. Moody's handbook of common stocks.New York
: Moody's Investors Service. Moody's handbook of NASDAQ stocks.New York
: Moody's Investors Service. Multex Investor (From
MultexInvestor.com) S&P Index
Information (Standard & Poor's web site). Includes listing
of companies comprising the S&P 500 and other S&P indexes,
statistical information and more!) Standard
corporation descriptions. Standard & Poor's stock reports. ... American Stock Exchange. American Stock Exchange web
site NASDAQ and regional exchanges. Related publication also of interest: The NASDAQ Stock Market
Home Page web site New York Stock Exchange. New York Stock Exchange web
site INTERNATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGES - Global Trade Information Portal Value Line investment survey. New York : Value
Line. Zacks equity research
center, portfolio tracking and investment advice The library owns many books which explain what ratios are and formulas used to calculate them. An example of such a book appears below: Gates, Sheldon. 101 business ratios : a manager's
handbook of definitions,equations, and computer algorithms : how to
select, compute,present, and understand measures of sales, profit,
debt,capital, efficiency, marketing, and investment. 1st ed.
Scottsdale, Ariz. : McLane Publications, c1993. Company Ratios Figures needed to calculate company ratios may be obtained from company financial statements available in ANNUAL REPORTS AND SEC 10-Ks and information sources listed in HISTORY, FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT INFORMATION . Many of the sources listed in this category also provide selected ratios for individual companies, such as P/E ratio, beta Relative P/E ratio and Assets/Liabilities ratios. Industry Ratios Once you've obtained ratios for your company, you may want to compare them to ratios for one or more related industries. For example, after you've calculated or obtained ratios for IBM, you may wish to obtain ratios for the computer industry so that you may compare and evaluate your company to others in the same industry. In order to research industry ratios, you must obtain at least one SIC code number (Standard Industrial Classification number) or NAICS number (North American Industry Classification System) which represents the industry you are interested in. The U. S. government has assigned an SIC/NAICS code number to every industry. Industry ratio books are arranged numerically by SIC code numbers. (Note:In December 1997, a new classification system, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was published and will eventually replace the Standard Industrial Classification system. However, as of summer 2001, publishers listed in step #2 below still seem to use SIC codes.) STEP #1:Locate at least one SIC code number related to your company by consulting the following A. Use the Library's Mergent database. Enter the name of your company to retreive SIC/NAICS codes. B. Million Dollar Directory: America's Leading Public and Private
Companies. Parsippany, NJ: Dun's Marketing Services. Library
owns latest ed. Or search for a NAICS/SIC code that matches your company's industry. Standard Industrial
Classification Search web site North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) web site (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html) North American industry classification system : United States,
1997. [Washington, D.C.] : Executive Office of the President, Office
of Management and Budget ; Lanham, MD : Bernan Press, 1998. STEP #2: Once you have your SIC code numbers, you may consult any of the 3 publications listed below.Each of these books is arranged by SIC code numbers: Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios.
Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice-Hall. Dun & Bradstreet Information Services. Industry
norms and key business ratios, desk-top edition. <New York
: Dun & Bradstreet Credit Services Robert Morris Associates. Annual statement studies. <Philadelphia
Robert Morris Associates. While it is best to check the ORION online catalog to locate
materials of interest, it may also be helpful to browse the library shelves
under certain frequently used call number areas. Below are just a few call
number areas you may wish to browse. Books with call numbers listed below
may be found in the Reference Room, 1st floor; and also in the 3rd floor
South Wing.
USING
THE ONLINE CATALOG TO LOCATE BOOKS To access ORION, click on the ORION link above or go to any of the Iona College Libraries web pages and click on any of the ORION links there. Then click on "Library Catalog". 1) ORION contains records for: Books 2) There are many types of searches available in ORION, including
keyword relevance (this is the default search) 3) If you wish to search by topic, it is helpful to begin with a keyword search. As you view records (look at detailed view) you will see subject headings. If any of the subject headings you see is of interest, you may click on it to find more publications on the topic. 4)Tips for finding books about a specific company. (Note: you are most likely to find such books if they are about major corporations) 1.Try doing a subject search under the name of the company, e.g. texaco e.g.
general motors LOCATING PERIODICALS 2)To determine if Iona's libraries own a particular journal,
magazine, or newspaper in paper copy or microform, consult the IONA COLLEGE
LIBRARIES PERIODICALS LIST which is available in gray looseleaf binders
in the Reference Room and the Periodicals Room. Look up the title of the
journal, magazine, or newspaper you are interested in, to see if the library
owns it. The list also indicates what dates the library owns for each periodical
(holdings information).Note: If a periodical title is preceded by two asterisks
(**) that periodical is kept at the Helen Arrigoni Library. 3) Many journals
are now available in electronic full-text or even full-image.
The electronic databases mentioned below are accessible from
any computer connected to the Internet. ABI/INFORM (via ProQuest) business database has citations, abstracts and often the full-text and/or full-image of articles from business journals and periodicals. Academic
Search Elite (via Ebsco). Regional
Business News (via Ebsco). Business
Source Elite (via Ebsco). Mergent Online (Financial Information Service, Mergent, formerly Moody's FIS Online). This database includes detailed company financial information as well as name, address, telephone number, SIC code(s), company history and more. In basic search mode, you may search by company name or ticker symbol.In advanced search mode, you may search for companies meeting specified criteria such as selected SIC code(s), geographical area(s), revenues, profits, specified words in descriptive text, and more! Company financial data may be imported into spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. Full-text of EDGAR documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (e.g. annual reports on Form 10-K) are also available. You may search EDGAR documents by company name or ticker symbol and may specify filing date ranges, and particular type of filing document (e.g. Form 10-K). Lexis-Nexis Academic This database includes full-text of articles from most journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, wire services covering company and industry news,financial information, and such subjects as business, management, accounting, economics, marketing and advertising.Also included are company reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (e.g. annual reports on Form 10-K) and business directories. ProQuest Newspapers (via ProQuest) contains citations, abstracts and some full-text and/or full-image for many newspapers, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Research Library (via ProQuest) is a multidisciplinary database which includes topics of interest to company researchers. Scholarly journals and popular magazines are included. Citations plus abstracts are included for articles. Many articles are also available full-text and/or full-image. ProQuest databases. Click HERE to search all ProQuest databases. SEC Edgar Database.( http://edgar.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm )This database provides the full-text of company documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. These include annual reports filed on SEC Form 10K, quarterly reports filed on SEC Form 10Q and many others.An excellent source of financial data, product information and corporate activities and accomplishments. Edgar is also available at commercial sites, including EDGAR-Online the Source for Today's SEC Filings( http://www.edgar-online.com/ ) When searching for older articles, particularly those published before the mid-1980s, you may also use print periodical indexes which are listed below and kept in the Periodicals Room.The Serials/Reference Librarian or other Reference Librarian can assist you in using printed periodical indexes. Please note that these print indexes are not all being updated. Examples of useful periodical indexes which index articles about companies are listed below: Business Periodicals Index Readers Guide to Periodical Literature Social Sciences Index 1Jump - The Ultimate
Company Research & Business Information Tool BusinessJeeves.Com: Companies and Industries Reports Business Resources
on the Web (Foster Business Library, University of Washington) Corporate Information (includes
links to many international sites) EF Moody, Financial Planner, Investment
Instructor, Expert Witness"THE INTERNET'S LARGEST (OVER 1,000 PAGES
AND 668 LINKS) ANDMOST COMPREHENSIVE INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL PLANNINGSITEDESIGNED
FOR CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE AND PROTECTION." Forbes Lists (including "The
Private 500" and more!) Fortune Lists (including Fortune
500 and more!) Global Edge (Michigan State University - Center for International Business Education and Research (MSU-CIBER). ( http://globaledge.msu.edu/ibrd/ibrd.asp ) GuideStar - The National Database
of Nonprofit Organizations Investor Relations Information Network(IRIN) Locating
US Corporation Records Online : A Directory of State Web Sites and
Secretaries of State Contact Information (Internet
Prospector) PR Newswire Home Page Click on "Investors",
scroll down and then click on "Company News" to access Company
News On Call. SIBL
How To Find US Company Information(Science, Industry and Business
Library, NY Public Library) The Virtual
Chase: Company Information on the Web: 8 Step Guide The Web 100 Yahoo! - Business
and Economy:Companies |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subject
Research Guides