Research Guides: Company Research: Overviews & Histories

What to Look For

The following factors should be considered in a complete analysis of a given company:

Market Share / Competitive Position
Capitalization / Financial Strength
Leadership / People Strength
Litigation
Technology Environment / Utilization
Products / Product Innovation
Intellectual Property
Alliances / Joint Ventures
Supply Chain Strength / Complexity
Marketing Channels
Corporate Image / Corporate Social Responsibility
Global Positioning
Industry Factors

Company Overviews & Histories

The resources below provide summaries of a company's background and/or current condition. Most of these databases contain international companies.

Within a company report, there is usually a section that summarizes the firm’s current condition. These sections give a description of the company’s main operations, threats or opportunities confronting it, and its strategy going forward. Histories, if present, can give a sense of a company’s mission and values, as well as obstacles overcome in the past.

Tip: Also review a company's website and social media accounts. If you are researching a public company, look at the company's investor relations' website.

Best Bets

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Provides information on company history and highlights, executives, ownership, financial, filings and more.
PrivCo This link opens in a new window
Contains business and financial data on major, non-publicly traded corporations.

Additional Resources

Business Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Database includes company reports from various organizations.
Tip: To access company reports, click on the "Company Profiles" link in the right-hand column of the homepage. Use the search box to search for your company's name. For SWOT analysis, from the homepage, scroll down to the "Special limiters for Business Source Complete" box. On the right, under "Publication Type", check off "SWOT Analysis" and enter your company name in the "Company/Entity" search box below.
Gale Business Insights: Global This link opens in a new window
Contains company profiles, which may include information like company histories, case studies, SWOT reports, and more
Mergent Archives This link opens in a new window
Provides historical access to The Hoover's Historical Collection of Handbooks, which includes Hoover's Handbook of American Business (1990-current), Hoover's Handbook of Emerging Companies (1995-current), Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies (1995-current), Hoover's Handbook of World Business (1994-current), and Hoover's Master List of U.S. Companies (2004-current).
NetAdvantage (Standard & Poor's) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the S&P Industry Surveys, Mutual Fund Reports, Stock Reports, Corporate Records for publicly held US and international companies and directory information.
Passport This link opens in a new window
Database includes international information. Using the "Companies" tab at the top, search for a company name.
Capital Changes U.S. This link opens in a new window
Traces the capital histories of corporations, spanning over 100 years. Provides chronological data on each company, including date of incorporation, stock rights, stock splits, dividends, and mergers.
Alternate titles: Capital changes reports
Published by: CCH
Amadeus This link opens in a new window
Amadeus contains comprehensive information on companies in Western and Eastern Europe. You can use it to research individual companies, search for companies with specific profiles and for analysis. Researchers can perform detailed financial analysis on a company, incorporate complementary information like M&A deals and rumors into their financial analysis, compare companies across borders, and create/analyze peer groups. Coverage from 1984.
Osiris This link opens in a new window
Osiris contains detailed information on listed, and major unlisted/delisted companies across the globe. It's easy to use and helps you navigate complex company information quickly. Search by hundreds of criteria - you can search by trends and over multiple years, create a detailed financial analysis on a company, access a wealth of complementary information such as M&A deals and rumors, news and market research, refer to original filings using a library of scanned images, illustrate financials with easy-to create graphs. Includes 20 years of coverage.