Researching Companies and Nonprofits


    NOTE: The electronic databases listed on this page and marked with a * are available from the Trexler Library Home Page at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library, follow the path: Trexler Library Home PageFinding ArticlesDatabases & IndexesBusiness.

    Subscribed to by Muhlenberg College for a substantial fee, these databases can be accessed without restriction on campus, or see Accessing Databases Off-Campus (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/techhelp/wamproxy/index.html).

Researching companies

     to find whether your company is public or private, or is a subsidiary. . .
    Directory of Corporate Affiliations
    Business Reference 650.58 D598of
    One of our best directories for finding out who owns whom, and other basic information about a company.

    Hoover's Handbooks
    Business Reference 650.58 H789a
    Trexler Library owns Hoover's Handbook of Emerging Companies, Hoover's Handbook of World Business, Hoover's Handbook of American Business, and Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies. Or try the Hoover's Online service, a part of the Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe* database.

    Or try a U.S. Public/Private Companies search in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe*.

    American Business Disc
    Reference Desk
    This CD-ROM allows nationwide searching for locations of a company and all its branches. Search by company name, company size, by geography, and by industry type. A valuable resource.

    A Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com) search may yield information about the organizational status of a company.

     for company description, history, and officers. . .
    Careers: Company Research (http://bwnt.businessweek.com:/company/search.asp) via Business Week Online provides the "story" on over 4,000 companies, both for-profit and not for-profit.

    Consult Hoover's Online via Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe* for a concise description of a company, with its history and officers.

    Mergent Online* (formerly FISonline) contains balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, history, subsidiaries, business, etc. from approximately 10,000 U.S. public companies.

    International Directory of Company Histories
    Business Reference 338.7409 I61d
    Several pages devoted to each company (most leading private and public companies are represented), with a history from the company’s inception to the present. Company information is updated periodically, and new companies are added. Newer volumes include website information and the company’s motto/perspective. Check the most recent volume for a complete index.

     for company annual reports and other financial information. . .
    If a company is public (traded on the stock market), its financial reports should be available at this government-sponsored site, called EDGAR (http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html). Coverage is from as early as 1993 to the present, including 10K annual reports.

    If your company is private, try searching in Hoovers's Online via Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe*, which may offer some information on that company. Remember that private companies are under no legal obligation to provide any financial information.

    Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe*, through its Business Industry & Market Section, and Business Source Elite* provide some financial data in the form of news articles for hard-to-research private companies.

    ValueLine* is a good location for investment analysis. This publication is also available in print in Trexler Library (Business Reference 332.6305/V215L).

    Another place to find online investment analysis, together with an archive of closing stock prices, is Wall Street City (http://www.wallstreetcity.com/stocks/stocks_main.html).
     for company websites. . .
    Company websites may provide a company's financial reports, job openings, locations of branches, an insight into company culture, and information on products and services.

    One way to locate a company's website is to use Hotbot (http://www.hotbot.com), and limit your search to North America and .com sites. HINT: For nonprofits, or other types of organizations, try limiting your search to North America and .org sites. Another good bet is the Yahoo! Business Search (http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_ Economy/Business_to_Business).

    Another interesting and useful site to explore is Researching Companies Online (http://home.sprintmail.com/~debflanagan/index.html). This site offers a business research tutorial which presents a step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information on the World Wide Web. This program includes sections on locating company information, numbers and addresses, and home pages. It also provides you with links to business and financial meta-sites, help with locating professional associations, conferences and seminars, nonprofit organizations, and much more.

     for industry news and a list of competitors. . .
    Industry news can be found best in publications that specialize in research at the industry level. Researching an industry allows you to assess a company's performance in relation to its competitors.

    Business & Company ASAP* covers all aspects of business and management, including company and industry information. Profiles of more than 100,000 public and private companies both international as well as domestic are available.

    Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
    Business Reference 338.0973 S785a
    Use this source to get an overview of the industry in which your company is active.

    Hoover's Online via Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe* usually provides a list of competitors.

    Market Share Reporter
    Business Reference 338.74 M345s
    This resource excerpts and references articles published in business magazines or trade journals on a company's market share within an industry, placing that company in relation to top competitors.

    Business Rankings Annual
    Business Reference 338.74 B979r
    Lists top performance companies in an industry, based on reports from trade journals and magazines.

    Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe* contains a section on Industry news. Even better for an industry news search is the subject index in Business Source Elite*.

    You may wish to locate more general information on a business or industry on the web. If so, we recommend that you use a directory such as LookSmart (http://www.looksmart.com). You might also explore the Yahoo! Business & Economy guide (http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy). Be sure to check out the Finding Business Information (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/guides/business/index.html) webpage at Trexler Library as well.

Researching nonprofits
    The websites below are great starting places for locating a profile of a non-profit organziation. In addition, check Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe* and Business Source Elite* for articles appearing in recent magazines and newspapers. Checking the web for the organization's web page, or calling directly to request that information be mailed to you are also excellent ideas!

    Action Without Borders (http://www.idealist.org) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the sharing of ideas, information and resources to help build a world where all people can live free, dignified and productive lives. The database allows you to search for information they maintain on some 29,000 nonprofit and community organizations in 153 countries by name, and locate volunteer opportunities, programs and services, news, jobs and internships.

    The Foundation Center (http://fdncenter.org) is an independent nonprofit information clearinghouse, whose mission is to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects to grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. They maintain an Online Library, where they will answer your questions about foundations and nonprofit resources. They also maintain a nice webpage with Links to Nonprofit Resources.

    GuideStar (http://www.guidestar.org), the National Database of Nonprofit Organizations, is a free information service on the programs and finances of more than 700,000 charities and nonprofits, news on philanthropy, and resources for donors and volunteers. Profile includes mission statement, financial information, and information on leadership.

Researching School Districts
    The National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/help/sitemap.asp) provides a website that has a "Public School District Locator" as well as a "Private School Locator" listed under "On-Line Data". NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that is related to education in the U.S. and other nations.

    If you would like to visit the Department of Public Instruction or the Department of Education in another state visit this website - http://www.ed.gov/Programs/bastmp/SEA.htm#TOP.
    It is a list of State Education Agencies.

    The Pennsylania Department of Education is at http://www.pde.state.pa.us/pde_internet/site/default.asp. Click on "School Profiles" to find out about different schools in a district or "Teaching in PA" to see about employment opportunities.

Last Updated 1/27/03