1. Identify the Company - Is it public, private, a subsidiary or nonprofit? - BUS 1100 Introduction to Business

Step 1: Identify your company - Is it publicly-traded, private, a subsidiary or nonprofit?

Start with the company's web site.
Use Google or other search engine to find the company's web site(s) and note the following:

Are there variations of the company name?
Different research resources may use alternative spellings or abbreviations of a company name. Some databases require a ticker symbol to find company information.

Is the company public or private? An International company or nonprofit?
It is usually easier to find info on publicly-held companies.
See the tab above for "Types of Companies".
If it's public, be on the lookout for the ticker symbol (see tab above), an abbreviation that can be used in some websites.

What about the company's "family tree"?
Is it a parent company? Division of another? Foreign-owned? Family-owned?
More information about the company will be at the parent company's site.

Is the company newsworthy?
Companies tend to be in the news when they want the publicity. For smaller companies you may need to search local newspapers. Smaller companies may be promoted in local news.

Warning: Just remember websites are produced by the company's marketing department, and will most likely present information portraying the company in a positive light, hiding information they don't want competitors to see

Tip: Look at the bottom or top of the web site for:

About Us
Corporate Information
Investor Relations
Governance

Next you will be looking for Key Company Reports.

Capital IQ NetAdvantage - S&P Global This link opens in a new window
Having trouble identifying the status of your company? Check NetAdvantage which covers a wide range of public, private and non-profit organizations. In the introductory tearsheet, watch for references to Parent Company.

Tip: Look at the bottom or top of the web site for:

About Us
Corporate Information
Investor Relations

Information on companies varies greatly depending on the type of company.

Public - There is a great deal of information available on companies which trade on the stock market - SEC filings, annual reports, analysts' reports, news stories, books and case studies.

Private - Information on private companies is usually limited to brief information in directories, news stories, and sometimes books. See private company sources on our Company Research guide.

International - The amount of information on international companies varies. If the company trades on the U.S. exchanges it must file annual reports (20-F) with the SEC. Start with sources on this guide.

Non-Profit - Finances and other general information can be found in Form 990 which nonprofits must file with the IRS annually. Many are posted on the web at Guidestar.org. Some information can also be found in newspaper and journal articles. See the Company Research guide for recommended sources.

Ticker symbols are letters used as shorthand to uniquely identify a public company, such as AAPL for Apple.
Knowing a company's ticker helps you retrieve company info quickly.

The ticker symbol can be found in any of these sites:

Capital IQ NetAdvantage - S&P Global This link opens in a new window
Find company reports, market news, downloadable 5-year financials, S&P analysts reports & Industry Surveys, Argus Industry Reviews and SEC filings. Create charts and link to calculations and data sources.
Visit our Capital IQ (S&P) Guide for more details

Yahoo Finance
Morningstar Investment Research Center - free site
Provides investment information on mutual funds, stocks, exchange-traded funds, and more with some basic tools at the free site.

Having trouble pinpointing your company? Try these sites, and search the article databases as well.

Capital IQ NetAdvantage - S&P Global This link opens in a new window
S&P can be helpful when companies have been bought by other companies.
Hoover's Company Profiles This link opens in a new window
Hoover's profiles are particularly helpful for private and small companies with overview and history that provide insights into strategy. Click Link to Fulltext for full record!
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Use Get Company Info for quick links to private & public company info from a wide range of sources including news, Hoover's reports, legal and intellectual property.
Vault.com This link opens in a new window
Vault writes about industries and professions and their top companies, many of which are private companies. Industries covered include accounting, law, investment management, and real estate.
Gale Business Insights Global This link opens in a new window
For US and global business, find company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and articles plus industry reports and news. For complete listing of SWOT reports, choose Companies at the top menu.

BUS 1100 Introduction to Business

Step 1: Identify your company - Is it publicly-traded, private, a subsidiary or nonprofit?

Start with the company's web site. Use Google or other search engine to find the company's web site(s) and note the following:

Are there variations of the company name? Different research resources may use alternative spellings or abbreviations of a company name. Some databases require a ticker symbol to find company information.

What about the company's "family tree"? Is it a parent company? Division of another? Foreign-owned? Family-owned? More information about the company will be at the parent company's site.

Is the company newsworthy? Companies tend to be in the news when they want the publicity. For smaller companies you may need to search local newspapers. Smaller companies may be promoted in local news.

Warning: Just remember websites are produced by the company's marketing department, and will most likely present information portraying the company in a positive light, hiding information they don't want competitors to see

Tip: Look at the bottom or top of the web site for:

Next you will be looking for Key Company Reports.

Start with the company's web site.
Use Google or other search engine to find the company's web site(s) and note the following:

Are there variations of the company name?
Different research resources may use alternative spellings or abbreviations of a company name. Some databases require a ticker symbol to find company information.

What about the company's "family tree"?
Is it a parent company? Division of another? Foreign-owned? Family-owned?
More information about the company will be at the parent company's site.

Is the company newsworthy?
Companies tend to be in the news when they want the publicity. For smaller companies you may need to search local newspapers. Smaller companies may be promoted in local news.