Business Resources: Researching a Company

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The first step in resarching a company is to determine whether a company is public (publicly traded) or private (privately held), parent or subsidiary.  These sources will help you determine the status of a company:

• The Million Dollar Database (limited to one user at a time): Search by company name.   

• LexisNexis Academic:  Select the Business tab, then search by company name.
  

• LexisNexis Corporate Affiliations (HG4057 .A219; located in the 2nd floor reference area) : Search the index volume for the company name.
  

Not all companies are covered in these sources (especially smaller private companies), but checking these directories is a good first step. Usually, a subsidiary's financial information is not available separately from the parent company. 

Once you determine the status of a company, click the Company Research Databases button for a list of databases to search for additional information.

About Industry Classification:

To find information about a company's competitors it is useful to know the company's industry classification code so that you can identify companies within the same industry. The current standard is the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code.  Many sources continue to use the older Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, so it is a good idea to be familiar with both. These codes describe a company's line of business using a 4-digit (SIC) or 6-digit (NAICS) number.

Searchable online NAICS: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html

Searchable online SIC Manual: http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html