FINDING
INFORMATION ON COMPANIES AND INDUSTRIES WORKSHOP
LIBRARY RESOURCE PAGE
LIBRARIAN: Dr. Darlene Ann Parrish
The selected
sources listed below are useful for finding information about public
and private companies and the industries in which they operate.
ELECTRONIC
DATABASES
Electronic databases are available from the FAU Libraries
home page at (http://www.fau.edu/library)
by selecting “Indexes/Databases" under the heading "Quick Links."
Remember to select the
link "Off
Campus Connect" for the EZproxy server when accessing the databases
remotely.
ABI/INFORM Dateline
Contains information on local and regional business news topics, public
and privately held companies, and industries.
ABI/INFORM Complete
Gives references to journal articles on private and public companies,
industries and various business topics from several ABI/INFORM databases
including Dateline, Global, Archive and Trade & Industry. It contains some
full text articles.
Business & Company Resource Center
This is an excellent starting point for conducting a SWOT analysis of a
private or public company. This database includes detailed information about
companies, such as the history and financial data. There is also a list of
articles on legal and management issues.
Hoover’s Company Capsules & Profiles
Provides basic facts on 15,000 companies including some private companies.
The names of the “top competitors” and any rankings (e.g. S&P 500) are also
given.
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic
Includes current articles from newspapers, newswires, magazines and
journals. Most effective way of searching for company information is
via the "Business" or "General" sections in the database.
MarketLine Business Information Centre (MBIC)
This database
is helpful for finding information on global issues that would impact
companies. It gives access to current business information about companies
(including those that are foreign owned) and industries in 50 countries.
Mergent Online
This database is especially useful for locating detailed financial
information on public companies. There is also a section of the database
that includes the SEC filings.
Newsbank
(Access World News)
Provides access to articles in national, regional, local and international
newspapers and can be a useful tool for finding information about private
companies.
Plunket Research
The most useful feature of this database is the access to reports dealing
with “Marketing Research and Trends.” These reports include information on
domestic and international markets for various industries. Another useful
feature is the glossary of business terms.
ProQuest Newspapers
In addition to the Wall Street Journal, this electronic resource gives
access to articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post
and the Christian Science Monitor.
Standard & Poor’s (S & P) Netadvantage
Provides reports on public companies and the industries in which they
operate. Information includes industry trends, company rankings within an
industry, and industry statistics.
Wall Street Journal
1984-Present
Provides full text access to articles, which can be searched by company
name or keywords.
WEB SITES AND OTHER
RESOURCES
EDGAR Database of Corporate Information (SEC)
This is the official WEB site of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. The latest and historical filings can be located by selecting
the link “Search for Company Filings.”
Million Dollar Directory
(REF HF5036.D82)
This paper directory is located on Reserve and contains basic information on
both private and public companies.
EVALUATING
INFORMATION
If you are not using one of
the “Electronic Databases” listed above or other databases via the
FAU Libraries Electronic Collection, you need to consider some
of the following questions when evaluating information from the Internet:
1. How authoritative is the source of the information?
2. How accurate is the information?
3. How reliable is the information?
4. How current is the information?
5. How relevant is the information to my topic?
CITING REFERENCES
BF76.7.P83 2001
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
5th ed. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2001.
FINDING ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE
Ask-A-Librarian
email reference help
Reference desk phone number:
561-297-3785
Make an appointment with a
librarian:
One-on-one reference consultation
