Company Info - FASM 245 - Retail Buying Simulation - Research Guides at Savannah College of Art and Design

Using Company Websites

Official web presences for your selected company can be useful sources:

Corporate website -- find business facts, announcements, reports, etc.
Web store -- analyze product offerings and how they are presented
Social media - analyze how is the company engaging with its customers

However, be sure to review this information with a critical eye. Naturally companies want to present themselves as positively as possible, so will gloss over shortcomings or problems.

When reviewing company websites, consider:

How factual is this information?
What are the sources for their facts?
Is the company legally obligated to provide this information?
Who is the information intended for? (Customers, investors, etc.)
What is the purpose or intent of this information? (To report, to advertise, etc.)
What message is being conveyed?

External news articles and reports about your company can provide alternative viewpoints, which will help you develop a well-rounded analysis.

Locating Annual Reports

Public companies are required by law to openly share some of their financial and business records. Annual reports are an especially useful source of this information. These are also known as 10-K reports. (Private companies do not provide annual reports to the public.)

Two places to find them:

The company's investor/corporate website
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website (linked below)

SEC.gov - Company Filings

Business Source Premier: Companies

Want to learn more about a company and their products?

Select "Browse: Company Profiles" on the Business Source Premier home page. Clicking on a company will give you articles about them as well as a Market Line Report, detailing the company's products, services, and other key information.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
EBSCO database containing full-text journals, magazines, newspapers, and case studies as well as company, industry, market, and country reports.
Business Source Premier provides full-text articles back to 1886 for more than 2,000 journals, including full text for more than 500 peer-reviewed business publications. The database includes resources from the world's top management and marketing journals including Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Marketing Management, Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), Journal of Marketing, Journal of International Marketing and more. The database also includes other information sources such as country economic reports from the EIU, Global Insight, ICON Group, and CountryWatch as well as detailed company profiles for the world's 10,000 largest companies and Associate Press (AP) video content. For help using EBSCO databases, search SCAD Libraries' FAQ, or use the chat feature to contact library staff.

Nexis Uni

Search within "Company Info" to locate profiles of publicly traded US-based and some international companies.

Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Database of newspaper articles, magazine articles, legal documents, and company financial information from around the world.
Nexus Uni provides both historical and current news from publications around the world. U.S. government, legal, and financial documents are also available through Nexus Uni. The platform can be searched in a variety of ways, including by keyword, publication, and time period. For help using Nexus Uni, search SCAD Libraries' FAQ, or use the chat feature to contact library staff.

D&B Hoovers: Company Search

This database will provide detailed information on US and international businesses. (Link is at the bottom of this box.)

In the list of results, locate the "Public Parent" record for your company. (TIP: If you are researching a company that belongs to a larger parent company, you may want to look at both records.)

Click the company name to review their report.

D&B Hoovers This link opens in a new window
Global business database containing company profiles; current news; industry analysis; financial and technology reports; and market and consumer reports.
D&B Hoovers leverages 120 million business records to provide real time predictive indicators, news alerts, industry analysis, and extensive market research reports. D&B Hoovers covers over 129 million companies from more than 190 countries. For help using D&B Hoovers, search SCAD Libraries' FAQ, or use the chat feature to contact library staff.

Data Axle - U.S. Business Search

Data Axle This link opens in a new window
Business directory containing detailed company and financial information for U.S. and global businesses as well as job postings.
Data Axle, formerly Reference USA, consists of two databases covering business information and career resources. U.S. Businessess provides financial information and contacts for millions of businesses operating in the United States. U.S. Jobs lists current job and internship postings as well as career tools, including resume writing tips, cover letter examples, interview tips, salary estimates, and more.

To locate info about local and small U.S. businesses:

Start at the Data Axle link above

Then go to