Basic Business Information Resources

In addition to the company’s own web site and resources you find on the open Web, there are many business research resources available to you. Here are a few types of useful resources for research:

Library Guides to Resources

Milner Library offers you a variety of business research tools, such as Business and Economics subject Web pages and printed guides:  Industry and Competitor Analysis, Research a Company, and more.

Company Fast Facts

An excellent source for basic company information and more is the Business component of Academic Universe.  It provides information about both public and private companies.

In addition, print and online directories can provide basic information about a company, including legal name, stock symbol, number of employees, year founded, headquarters location, and perhaps a brief description. Two major national directories are:

Million Dollar Directory (Floor 2 Reference HC 102 .D801)

Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations (Floor 2 Desk Reference HG 4057 .A401)

Each state also has one or more business directories. For Illinois, these are:

Illinois Manufacturuers Directory (Floor 2 Reference T 12 .W5)

Illinois Services Directory (Floor 2 Reference HD 9981.7 .I3 I3)

In-depth Company Information

Comprehensive Sources

Academic Universe, the business component - provides a business description, financial information, competitors, and more for both public and private companies.

Company Profiles in Business Source Elite (online)

• Under find articles on your topic on the Milner web site, select Business Source Elite
  
• Near the top of the screen, find the blue bar and select Company Profiles
  
• In the search box, type the beginning of the company name and click on Browse
  
• Select your company and click on the link to Datamonitor Report
  
• The report will provide information about the company and may include a SWOT analysis

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage - provides company and industry information for U.S. and global companies and industries.  Includes the Industry Surveys (U.S. and Global), Stock Reports, and more.

10-K Reports - Companies with stock traded on US stock exchanges must file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  These 10-K Reports are available online and are accessed via a database called EDGAR. You can access EDGAR directly from the SEC, or for help in searching the EDGAR database, visit Searching EDGAR and Using 10-K Reports.  Note that some foreign companies file a 20-F report instead of a 10-K report.  These are also available in EDGAR.

Stock Information / Analyst's Opinions

These sources are aimed at investors in the company’s stock, and provide detailed financial information and, often, analysts’ opinions. Several important publications are:

Mergent’s Handbook of Common Stocks (Floor 2 Reference HG 4905 .M81501)

Mergent’s Handbook of NASDQ Stocks (Floor 2 Reference HG 4501 .M5801)

Standard & Poor’s Stock Reports (Floor 2 Desk Reference HG 4905 .S442 and online)

Value Line Investment Survey (Floor 2 Reference HG 4501 .V26)

Company Profiles

Company Profiles for Students  (Floor 2 Reference HG 4057 .A15644 )
Provides write-ups on hundreds of major companies - volume 3 has a master index to all 3 volumes.

International Directory of Company Histories  (Floor 2 Reference HD 2721 .I58 1988)
Over 80 volumes covering thousands of companies. Use the index in the most recent volume to find where your company is covered. Partial contents are available online.

Business News

Academic Universe links to news articles from its company profiles and also includes articles of all types, searchable from its home page.

BusinessWeek.com provides news and topical articles about companies and related business topics.

In addition to the many online sources of news, there are two newspapers focused on business:

Wall Street Journal  (Ask at Floor 2 Circulation Desk)
Published daily on weekdays when the stock markets are open, with a combined Saturday/Sunday weekend issue.  Older issues are on microfilm.

Barron's (Floor 2 Current Periodicals - HG 1 .B3)
A business and financial weekly newspaper.  Older issues are on microfilm.

In-depth Articles

Indexes help you identify and access in-depth articles on specific topics, companies, and industries.  Two major indexes for business research are:

ABI/INFORM Global

Business Source Elite

Many of the articles identified in these indexes are supplied online by the index.  For those that are not, try our citation linker, Find It, to find full-text from other suppliers.

Industry Information

It is very difficult to find good industry information and analysis on the open Web. Two major sources of industry information available to Illinois State University students are:

Industry Surveys in Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
Standard & Poor's publication providing industry analysis, trends, information sources, and financial data for selected companies in each industry.

IBISWorld
An online database available by subscription to the Illinois State University community; provides in-depth industry data and analysis, as well as information about leading companies in each industry.

Other Resources

Economic Census
Compiled every five years, in years ending in 2 and 7.  Detailed information about all aspects of business in the United States.

Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Provides market, demographic, and economic information about countries worldwide, including the U.S.

Help! My Job Interview Is Tommorow  (Floor 2 Reference HF 5381 .T26 1997) 
A guide to researching a company in the library.

Career Exploration

The Career Guide  (Floor 2 Reference HF 5382.5 .U5 D8601)
Indexed by academic majors, this is a directory of firms hiring new graduates.

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Describes each occupation and the industries in which these occupations are found.  Printed copy available on floor 2:  Documents Desk Reference L2.3/4-

O*Net Online
Describes occupations and provides salary and employment data by state.

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