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GRDS 395 - Graphic Design Entrepreneurship

Market, Consumer, and Company Research Tips for Graphic Design Entrepreneurship Courses

Finding Company Information

Nexis Uni

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

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)

Data Axle - U.S. Business Search

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

Start at the Data Axle link above

Then go to 

and use the Custom Search to search by general location, business size, and other factors.

Click Update Count, then View Results when you're done building the search.

Click the company name to review their report.

Business Source Premier: Companies

Want to learn more about a company and their products?

Select "Advanced Search" on the Business Source Premier home page and expand the filters and use the "Publication Type" drop down menu and select "Company Profile" to look for articles and reports, such as a Marketline Report, which details the company's products, services, and other key information.

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.)

 

company search result list

Click the company name to review their report.