Directories

Why use them?

Online Sources

Chambers of Commerce Directory
Search for Chambers of Commerce in different states and cities to contact for information on industries in their area.
http://www.clickcity.com/index2.htm
http://www.uschamber.org/Chambers

Corporate Affiliations, (Web-Based but On Campus Access Only) UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted  
A corporate affiliations directory that provides insight into 174,000 parent companies, affiliates and divisions--U.S. public, U.S. private, and international. Includes M&A activity from 1976 where available.

Corporate Information
http://www.corporateinformation.com
Covers companies worldwide, including private companies. Gives a synopsis on companies, including competitors and sales.  (Note: Registration may be required and some information is fee-based)

Kompass  UW restricted
A searchable international directory containing information about companies, products, executives' names, and trade and brand names in over 60 countries.

National Trade Data Bank Global Trade Directory
http://www.wand.com/ntdb/english/html/3_mc.asp
Detailed information on companies, products and services.

Reference USA UW restricted
Also available: UW Libraries Gateway: Reference Tools/Directories.
Public and private companies and manufacturers directory for U.S. and Canada. Search by type and size of business, by industry group and SIC code, by location (state, MSA, city, county, area code, zip code), by title of executive, by headquarters, branch or subsidiary, by employee size or sales volume, by stock exchange or all public companies. Provides address, phone, fax, number of employees, sales, credit rating, ticker symbol, toll free number, SIC code, line of business and if public company. Can be searched for companies that meet specific criteria such as all biotech companies in Bothell.

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
http://www.thomasregister.com
A comprehensive online resource for companies, products, and brand names manufactured in North America.  Free registration required. Over 170,000 manufacturers with company and product information.  Submit your Request for Quote (RFQ) for custom manufactured parts and receive quotes online from thousands of manufacturers.  Connect with companies looking for services you provide. View and download millions of Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings. View thousands of online company catalogs and websites.

Venture Capital Finance Directory
http://www.vfinance.com/  

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D&B Reference Book of Corporate Managements
REFERENCE HG 4057 A22
Officers and directors of 12,000 companies whose revenues are among the highest in the U.S. Gives brief biographical data and work history. Searchable by company, (vol. 1 & 2), as well as by location, SIC code, officers and directors, college and university, and military affiliation (vol 3).

The Directory of Business Information Resources
(Book in Reference Collection on 1st Floor of Library.  Call No:  HD2425 D46)
Contains for 98 industries: associations, newsletters, magazines & journals, trade show, directories & databases, web sites.

Directory of Mass Merchandisers
REFERENCE HF5429 P76
A guide to fast-turn, high volume retailers.  Included are profiles for over 600 companies, an annual factbook from Retail Merchandiser, a listing of top merchandisers , an overview of mass merchandising news, breakdowns of companies and market areas by region, and more.

The Directory of Venture Capital & Private Equity Firms
REFERENCE HG4751 F582
This directory Includes brief profiles and mission statements for 2,323 domestic and international venture capital & private equity firms. The profiles provide useful statistics such as industry group preferences, average investment, portfolio companies, investment criteria and key executives.  The directory contains five indexes: - College/University (for venture capital executives)   - Executive (listing by key personnel)    - Geographic (by state for domestic listings and by country for international listings)    -Industry Preference (industry segments and names of firms invested in them)    - Portfolio Companies (listing of companies that received venture capital from a listed firm).

Guide to Business-Related Organizations in Puget Sound
REFERENCE HF5065 W2 G835
Contents include Chambers of Commerce, Community Service Clubs, Economic Development Councils, Ethnic Minority & Religious Groups, General Business Associations, Industry-Specific Organizations, International Business Organizations, Neighborhood Associations, Networking Forums, University Alumni Associations, and Women's Organizations.

Washington Software Alliance Industry Directory
REFERENCE HD9696.63 U63 W28
The WSA is an alliance focused on helping Washington State software and Internet industries succeed. Their directory covers Washington's technology leaders, providing an industry overview, as well as industry member profiles.

Washington State International Trade Directory
REFERENCE HF 5065 W2 W37
Washington companies trading worldwide can be searched here. Gives Washington’s top 5 exports and imports, and the $ of exports and imports. Searchable by the following indexes: alphabetically by exporters and importers, by product and by support services (tells what the company does), and geographically (countries with which the Seattle area firms trade—export or import). Provided are addresses, phone numbers, sales, SIC codes, key individuals, type of business, year established.

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Annual Reports (Corporate)—Where to Find Them

• Mergent Online UW restricted
  Full Annual Reports for several years are integrated within the BASIC SEARCH Module and Company SEC filings are available through the EDGAR SEARCH module.

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Trade Associations:

Associations Unlimited UW restricted
Contains information for approximately 23,000 U.S. national nonprofit membership associations in all fields. Features full contact information, description, SIC codes, meetings and publications information, and more. Searchable by name, subject, keyword, location, SIC codes or SIC descriptions.

Associations on the Net

The Directory of Business Information Resources
(Book in Reference Collection on 1st Floor of Library.  Call No:  HD2425 D46)
Contains for 98 industries: associations, newsletters, magazines & journals, trade show, directories & databases, web sites.

Hoover's Online UW restricted 
Provides links to associations.  Search for an industry.  The results will include links to trade associations. For more, click on "Web Resources" in left frame.

Idealist Directory of Nonprofit Organizations
http://www.idealist.org/

Union of International Associations
International organizations selected from the Yearbook of International Organizations

Yahoo—Organizations
http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Organizations

Trade Shows:

bizTradeShows
A directory of trade fairs and business events provides coverage of exhibitions, trade shows & expositions, conferences and seminars for various industries worldwide.

EventsEye
Free Web Source dedicated to key Exhibitions & Trade Shows Worldwide.  This database features Trade Shows, Exhibitions, Conferences and Business Events Worldwide

Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
To determine which companies manage trade shows:
Select:: Sources tab above.  Then select: Find Sources tab above
Type "directories" in  keyword search box
Select: US Business Directories from the list
Click "Ok Continue" button in upper right of screen
In Search Terms box, type: trade shows.  You can also AND this with your topic.

The Directory of Business Information Resources
(Book in Reference Collection on 1st Floor of Library.  Call No:  HD2425 D46)
Contains for 98 industries: associations, newsletters, magazines & journals, trade shows, directories & databases, web sites.

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Buyers Guides

Need to find a new product or a supplier for a product or a component?  Need to locate or search by trade names?

• Try Buyers Guides on the Internet, but remember that they may be biased since suppliers need to provide their information for the portals; some portals require the supplier to pay for the entry, while some are free and some solicit the listings.

• Use a web search engine to search for "buyers guide" and your industry (e.g., energy).

• Look for special issues of a magazine in the subject area.

• Check trade association web sites to see what they offer.

• Kompass  UW restricted
  A searchable international directory containing information about companies, products, executives' names, and trade and brand names in over 60 countries.

• Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
  An online resource for finding companies and products manufactured in North America where you can submit RFQs, place orders online, viewand download Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings, and view thousands of online company catalogs and websites. Search by company, product or brand name from over 72,000 product headings and over 170,000 company listings.

• PetroPages.com Buyers Guide
  An online buyers guide available free to buyers and engineers in the energy and process industries. Searchable by product, supplier name, or all of PetroPages.  Suppliers can also be found via its hierarchical 5,000-product system

• Convenience Store News Buyer's Guide
  Browse by categories--from fuel dispensers to food services to consultants.

• See also Products and Services--Lines of Business section of the Business Web Page.

Reference USA  UW restricted
http://www.referenceusa.com
Search by SIC code or by type of business (produces SIC codes and descriptions from which to select).

Reuters Investor  (registration required)
http://www.investor.reuters.com/Home.aspx
Can search for companies by broad industry and sector.

Lexis Nexis UW restricted
Select:: Business tab above.  Then select:  Dossier Create a Company List from right frame
Search by SIC or NAIC codes (links are provided to the codes).
 

Competitors

Company Rankings

• Reference USA UW restricted
  http://www.referenceusa.com
  Also available:from UW Libraries Gateway   Select: Reference Tools. Then select: Directories.
  Public and private companies and manufacturers directory for U.S. and Canada.

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SEDAR
System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval. Used for public securities filings with Canadian Securities Administration by public Canadian companies and mutual funds. (equivalent to EDGAR for the U.S.)

Search a company’s web page for financial information.

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• 10-K Annual Report filed with the SEC.  Access from:

  •  Lexis Nexis  UW restricted   Select: Business tab above. Then select: SEC Filings in right frame. 

  •  SEC Web Site

  •  Edgarscan.

• Mergent Online UW restricted
  Mergent Online provides access to 15 years of financial data for U.S. and international public companies. Full Annual Reports for several years are integrated within the BASIC SEARCH Module and Company SEC filings are available through the EDGAR SEARCH module.  Other information provided includes business profiles, histories, lists of subsidiaries, company officers and directors. An archive section provides U.S. and international public companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1996.

• Mint Global   UW restricted
  Mint global, also known as Orbis (which is the earlier interface), contains information on over 35 million companies worldwide, including banks and insurance companies, providing descriptive information, company financials, news, market research, ownership, M&A data and more.

• Hoover's Online
  Search for a company.  From "Browse Company Record" in left frame, select Financials and then Historical Financials

• Disclosure Reports or Worldscope International Company Profiles (Lexis Nexis) UW restricted
  Select: Business tab above.
  Then select: Company Profiles from left frame. 
  Then select source wanted from drop down source menu.

• Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage 
  Provides global industry reports; in depth company profiles with Compustat excel analytics; as well as stock, bond and mutual fund reports, economic insight, and more.  Exportable to Excel spreadsheets.
   

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Projected Earnings/Revenues:

• Search for Newswires  in Lexis-Nexis and Factiva UW restricted   

  • Example search:  (forecast or projection) and (earnings or revenue)
     

• Search the company web page

Edgarscan
http://edgarscan.pwcglobal.com/
From Price Waterhouse Coopers Technology Center. Search by company for SEC reports or a list of some companies in the field. Generates background information on those companies, including for their lines of business and does a financial comparison of them. Can also search by industry (SIC codes) to obtain a list of some companies in an industry and a financial comparison of them.

Search Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
Access under Business tab and then SEC Filings (in left frame). 
Enter company name or ticker symbol
Select filing wanted from the "Select Sources" drop down menu
 

Where to find Proxy Statements:

Search Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
Access under Business tab and then SEC Filings.
Enter company name or ticker symbol
Select "Proxy Statement"  from "Select Sources" drop down menu

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• Descriptions of SEC forms can be found on the SEC web site http://www.sec.gov/edaux/forms.htm

• Usually, only publicly traded companies must file SEC reports. However, under some circumstances, private companies must file certain SEC reports.  

• If companies are regulated (e.g., banks, insurance companies, utilities--both publicly held and private), they are exempt from filing reports with the SEC. Instead, they must file reports with their principal regulatory agency (e.g., FDIC, FRB, FHLBB, insurance commission, state auditor). In which case, check sources such as Moody's, NTIS, Disclosure, or check with the regulatory agency or the company itself for these reports.  You may also want to check with the Secretary of State, where companies usually need to register and describe their company and its activities. Their filings, depending on state requirements,  may include articles of incorporation, names of directors, an annual report of some kind, info on corporate name changes and operating locations.

• Not all SEC reports are filed by all companies.

• Check with state securities offices. If a company only sells stock in one state, it needs to file information with that securities office, but not with the U.S. SEC.

• The Annual Report to Shareholders is not required to be filed with the SEC, but the 10-K must be filed.

• All information in the Annual Report to Shareholders is not necessarily in the 10-K.

• If there is a parent company, the Annual Report to Shareholders may be issued under the parent company name.

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Some widely used SEC forms:

• How the company does business.

• Information on its products, markets, distribution channels, and business alliances

• Segment reporting and degree of competition

• Research and development

• Patent ownership

• Subsidiaries and major properties owned

• Extent of foreign operations

• Raw material used & where it's from

• Seasonal sales variations

• Areas of vulnerability such as environmental safety problems, legal proceedings, dependence on a few large customers 

• Ownership and management of the company (may refer to other disclosure reports)

• Exhibits such as government contracts, joint ventures, amendment to corporate bylaws.

• Sales by major lines of business

• Financial reports (2-3 years of operating results, income statements, balance sheets, cash flow)

• Advertising expenses

• Company's opinion of future performance

• Corporate events

• Other matters affecting company operations such as discontinued operations, restructuring and other changes

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• Risk factors such as operation risks, new business area risks, international expansion risks, business combinations risks & strategic alliances, dependence on key personnel, importation risks, economic cycles, debt

• Company history

• Goal and marketing strategy

• Advertising and promotion

• Product and services

• Financial Reports (hint: if this is a private company raising equity, this may be a rare find of financials)

• Management's Analysis of financial condition and results of operation

• Operating history, including accumulated deficit, anticipated losses

• Predictability of future revenues

• Who their competition is

• Who their customers are

• Management of potential growth

• Impact of technological change or trends

• Their reliance on suppliers and/or manufacturers and who they are

• Their distribution channels

• Governmental regulation and legal uncertainty

• Restrictions on payment of dividends

• What their success depends upon

• Trademarks

• Seasonality and backlog

• Social responsibility

• Employee information 

• Principal stock holders

• Properties owned/leased and their location and primary use

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• Advanced Technology in the Pacific Northwest
  REFERENCE HD 9696 A3 P33
  Data on over 3,600 firms/divisions in the Silicon Forest.

• InfoTech Trends UW restricted
  Market data from over 65 industry journals on peripherals, software, storage, Internet, communications, etc.  Covers revenue, shipment forecasts, market share, usage, etc.   Data is up to the most recent quarter, comes in table format, and can be downloaded into Excel spreadsheets.

• Washington Software Alliance Industry Directory
  REFERENCE HD9696.63 U63
  Provides industry member profiles and an overview of the software and computer-related industry in Washington state.

• Silicon Investor
  http://www.techstocks.com
  Provides information on over 1,000 technology companies, including market profiles and charts, 52 weeks of historical market data, some SEC filings, financial overviews, recent company news, and broad industry groups. 

• For industry information and data on key players, search Analyst Reports in databases such as Investext, Plunkett, and S&P Net Advantage.

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• Hoover's Online.  UW restricted
  Search for a company.  Browse Company Record (left frame) to link to history, overview, financials, etc.
   

• Factiva  UW restricted
  Select tab at top:  Company/Markets
  Select from top of screen:  Company
  Type in a company name to get a company snapshot.

• Lexis-Nexis 
  Select: Business tab
  Select: Company Profiles (left frame)

• Business Source Premier (Ebsco Host extended trial)  UW restricted
  Covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, accounting, finance, international business, econometrics and economics. Contains full text of the Harvard Business Review, California Management Review and other important journals and databases. Also contains SWOT analysis and company profiles for thousands of companies.

• Mergent Online UW restricted
  In addition to 15 years of financial data for U.S. and international public companies, Mergent Online includes business profiles, histories, lists of subsidiaries, company officers and directors. An archive section provides U.S. and international public companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1996. Full Annual Reports for several years are integrated within the BASIC SEARCH Module and Company SEC filings are available through the EDGAR SEARCH module.

• Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage 
  Provides global industry reports; in depth company profiles with Compustat excel analytics; as well as stock, bond and mutual fund reports, economic insight, and more.  Exportable to Excel spreadsheets.

• Try industry analyst reports such as Investext UW restricted

• Use MarketGuide.com to search for a public company.  Then, from the left frame, select "Significant Developments," which covers the last 3-18 months.  Note: Registration may be required.

• Try Advertising--Campaigns resources for background information on an organization's marketing strategy and more.

• Was the company recently acquired or did it acquire another business? Reports filed to do so can be quite revealing.
  Trace Ownership.   Check SEC Reports. such as 10-Ks and Registration Statements.

• Use the UW Libraries Online Catalog to search  for books about the company.
  Search the company name as a Subject. You can limit to items at just UWB.
  You can also search the company as a keyword.

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IPOs
(Initial Public Offerings)

• Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
  Select:  Business;  Select: SEC Filing
  Then select: SEC Registration Statement from the dropdown menu.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  http://www.sec.gov
  Use EDGAR Database.

• Free EDGAR    (requires registration)
  http://www.freeedgar.com

• Financial Web
  http://www.financialweb.com

• IPO Central
  http://www.ipocentral.com

• IPO Data Systems
  http://www.ipodata.com

• Hoover's Online UW restricted
  Under Pro Tools, use Targeting IPO Companies

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• Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
  SBA, OMB, GSA and DOD Work Together to Integrate PRO-Net and CCR Database and Simplify Contracting Process for Small Businesses.   Company TIN number (Taxpayer Identification number) is required.

• Federal Reserve
  http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/mob/
  Publishes a list of minority-owned banks.

• Directory of Certified Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises
  Book in Reference Collection on 1st floor of Library.  Call No: HD 2346 U52 W385

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GuideStar
http://www.guidestar.org/
A national database of nonprofit organizations.

The Better Business Bureaus Philanthropic Advisory Service
http://www.give.org/reports/index.asp
This page lists the current BBB Wise Giving Alliance reports on charities and other soliciting organizations.  The list is regularly updated with new charities added on a regular basis.

About.Com: Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
http://nonprofit.about.com/index.htm
Provides links to articles and other web sites on Nonprofit Organizations.

Associations Unlimited  UW restricted
Contains information for approximately 23,000 U.S. national nonprofit membership associations in all fields. Features full contact information, description, SIC codes, meetings and publications information, and more. Searchable by name, subject, keyword, location, SIC codes or SIC descriptions.

Idealist Directory of Nonprofit Organizations
http://www.idealist.org/

Also search newspapers, magazines and journals for articles on nonprofit organizations

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ReferenceUSA UW restricted
When results are listed, click on up arrow to determine parent company, or click on down arrow to see subsidiaries. 
Use back arrow to return to where you were.

Hoover's Online  UW restricted
Provides subsidiaries.  Search for a company.  Then look under Browse Company Record (left frame) to link to Subsidiaries/Affiliates, etc.  Link to the History and Overview for further information about the mergers and acquisitions as they occurred in the company

Check the company 10-K Annual Reports filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

Check the company web site.

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Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
Search: News. Then from the dropdown menu select:  Wire Service Stories

Search for Mergers and Acquisition reports in Conference Board Business Knowledge Research UW restricted

Corporate Affiliations (Web-Based but On Campus Access Only) UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted
Provides insight into 174,000 parent companies, affiliates and divisions for U.S. public, U.S. private, and international companies. Includes M&A activity from 1976 where available. Searchable by multiple criteria such as company, parent company, subsidiary, personnel (i.e., executive name or job title), responsibility, city, state, zip code, country, product/brand name, outside service firm name or type, area code, number of employees, sales, stock exchange, SIC code and SIC keyword, year founded,  ticker symbol, keyword..  Advanced searches can be limited by public, private or international companies, as well as parent, subsidiaries or both.

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InsiderTrader.com
http://www.insidertrader.com
Trades made by corporate executives and directors of companies and reported on SEC Form 4s and Form 144s. Also gives top institutional holders.

Mergent Online UW restricted
Mergent Online includes institutional and insider holdings, insider trading and an archive section on U.S. and international public companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1996.

Reuters Investor
http://www.investor.reuters.com/Home.aspx
Provides top institutional ownership and insider trading, as well as financial and stock market info., etc.  Note: free but registration required.

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Stock Ownership:

SEC Filing   See if these SEC forms were filed:

• SEC Form 5, Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership of Securities
  Every director, officer or owner of more than 10% of a class of equity securities must file with the Commission a statement of ownership regarding such security. The initial filing is on Form 3 and changes are reported on Form 4. The Annual Statement of beneficial ownership of securities is on Form 5. The forms contain information on the reporting person's relationship to the company and on purchases and sales of such equity securities.

• SEC Form 13D, a Williams Act Filing
  This Schedule discloses beneficial ownership of certain registered equity securities. Any person or group of persons who acquire a beneficial ownership of more than 5% of a class of registered equity securities of certain issuers must file a Schedule 13D reporting such acquisition together with certain other information within ten days after such acquisition.

Proxy Statements
See Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
Select Business tab and then SEC Filings (left frame). 
From drop-down menu, select SEC Filings - Proxy Statements
 

See also: Insider Trading

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Patents and Trademarks

U.S. Patent and Trade Mark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
U.S. Patents and Trademarks since 1976.  Includes international and ebusiness links as well.

The European Patent Office
http://www.epo.org
Search for European, World (WIPO), and Japanese patents.

The Patent Information User Group
http://www.piug.org/
Listing of patent and intellectual property.

Patent Database on the internet
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/swain/patent/patdbases.html
Metasite for patents. Some sites are free.

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Try searching an electronic database such as:

• Lexis-Nexis UW restricted
  Select People tab.  Then select a source from dropdown menu such as Biographies Plus News.

• Hoover's has bios on some of the key officers and people in companies.    UW restricted
  Either:  1) search for a company and then look under Browse Company Record in left frame for People
  OR  2) choose "People" from the drop down menu on main page and type person's name in the search box.

• Mergent Online
  Provides brief bios of company officers.
  To access: Search for a company. From the company profile that results, select Executives tab.
   

• Business Source Complete
  Search:  CEO interview and <last name> to find Wall Street interviews.
  Example: ceo interview and brown

• Investext UW restricted
  Has Wall Street interviews with some CEO''s
  Search by keyword:  ceo interview and <last name>
  Example:  ceo interview and brown

• Newspaper articles  UW restricted

• UW Libraries Online Catalog (for books or multimedia about someone).
  Search by Subject. Type the lastname, firstname of the person being searched.
  or
  Search by Keyword (the person may be entered as a chapter), e.g., bill gates

• 10-K SEC Reports and Proxy Statements contain some information on company officials
  Try searching Lexis-Nexis UW restricted or Edgarscan

• Reuters Investor provides brief bios on executives (registration may be required)

Print Sources

• Biographical Dictionary of Management
  Book on 1st floor of library in Reference Collection.  Call No. HD30.15 B43  (2 volumes)

• African-American Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
  (Book on 1st floor of library in Reference Collection.  Call No. HC102.5  A2 H36)

• Corporate Eponymy : A Biographical Dictionary of the Persons Behind the Names of Major American, British, European, and Asian Businesses
  (Book on 1st floor of library in Reference Collection.  Call No. HC29 R66 1992)

• Encyclopedia of American Women in Business
  From Colonial Times to the Present: two volumes
  (Book on 1st floor of library in Reference Collection.  Call No HD6054.4 U6 K753)

  Encyclopedia of African American Business
  Book on 1st floor of library in Reference Collection. Call no. HD2358.5 U6 E53 (2 volumes)
  The encyclopedia contains information on a variety of topics pertaining to African American business developments and includes brief profiles of well-known African American women and men business leaders who are listed by name and by occupation. While this source provides a historical perspective, it is restricted in size and coverage to two volumes, and gives an overview of the black business community and black business leaders in America from the first quarter of the eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century.

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Online Sources

Print Sources

• 101 Mission Statements from Top Companies: Plus Guidelines for Writing Your Own Mission Statement
  (Book in Reference Collection on 1st Floor of Library.  Call No: HD30.285 A267)

• Corporate Statements
  REFERENCE HD 30.285 H37
  The official missions, goals, principles and philosophies of over 900 companies
  
  

• The Mission Statement Book
  REFERENCE HD 30.285 A27
  301 corporate mission statements from some of America's top companies.
  
  

• Check the company web site
  
  

• Check the online catalog for books about the company or about the CEO (Search as a subject)
  Did the CEO write a book about the company or was he/she interviewed by the press? 

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Print Sources

• Organization Charts: Structures of 230 Businesses, Government Agencies, and Non-Profit Organizations
  REFERENCE HD 38 0738

Online Sources

• Search the Online Catalog by subject:  organization charts
  
  

• Search business databases such as Business Source Complete UW restricted
      Example:  organizational structure and IBM
      

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Hoover's  UW restricted
Search for a company.  Then look under Browse Company Record in left frame to select Product/Opeations.

Kompass  UW restricted
A searchable international directory containing information about companies, products, executives' names, and trade and brand names in over 60 countries.

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
An online resource for finding companies and products manufactured in North America where you can submit RFQs, place orders online, viewand download Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings, and view thousands of online company catalogs and websites. Search by company, product or brand name from over 72,000 product headings and over 170,000 company listings.

Reference USA  UW restricted
http://www.referenceusa.com
Directory of Public and private companies and manufacturers for U.S. and Canada. Searchable by company, SIC/NAIC codes, Yellow Pages subjects, and industry.  Can be limited by type and size of business (employee size or sales volume),  location (state, MSA, city, county, area code, zip code), executive title, headquarters, branch or subsidiary, stock exchange or all public companies. Provides address, phone, fax, number of employees, sales, credit rating, ticker symbol, toll free number, SIC code, line of business and if public company. Can also be searched for companies that meet specific criteria such as all biotech companies

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage 
Provides global industry reports; in depth company profiles with Compustat excel analytics; as well as stock, bond and mutual fund reports, economic insight, and more.  Exportable to Excel spreadsheets.   Lines of Business are included in the company Register (Select: Company Profile.  Select: Register in left frame).

SEC Reports
Check the 10-K or 20-F (if a foreign company doing business in the U.S.), or Registration Statement (if filed to raise capital).

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Private and Small Companies  
(also applicable to large companies)

• Use Directories for basic information on a small or private company
  Examples:

  • ReferenceUSA, UW restricted

  • Corporate Affiliations, (On Campus Access Only) UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted  

  • Privately-held companies may file some SEC reports depending on their circumstances.  For example, if they want to raise equity, they would need to file Registration Statements (usually S Forms) and sometimes 10-Q Reports.

• Search Lexis-Nexis for latest news on acquisitions UW restricted
  Select: News tab.   Then select from drop down menu:  Wires Service Stories

• Did it release any newswires? Lexis-Nexis and Factiva   UW restricted

• Trade Journals report on small and private companies.  For articles on the company, search Electronic Databases:
    Lexis-Nexis, Business Source Complete  or Factiva.  UW restricted

• Search local newspapers in Washington State Newsstand and Access World News (Includes regional newspapers. Click on map for location) UW restricted

• Search magazines and journals for information.  UW restricted

• Hoover's Online UW restricted
  Provides information for some private companies:  company factsheet, latest news and commentary, their primary SIC code, competitors, and links to information on companies in their primary and secondary industries.

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• The federal government regulates and investigates various company activities. Some of this data is available to the public.  Examples: 

  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (e.g., square footage of a plant, number of employees in the plant, types of machines used, etc., may be given from an investigation)

  • Environmental Protection Agency (e.g., plant inspection reports, filings for permits)

  • Consumer Product Safety Commission (has files on some products, firms and recalls).
    You may want to use the U.S. Government Manual to locate agency contact information.

• You may want to contact the state's office of economic development, e.g., its "marketing office" which aims to keep existing companies in the state happy and to persuade companies to locate in the state (in Washington, it's the Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development in Olympia 360-753-2200). They tend to be knowledgeable about companies in their state and may be able to provide information such as construction or expansion plans, major employment changes, operation or production process; what information is public varies in different states. They may also be able to suggest someone else to talk with inside or outside the company. 

• Companies must file various data in the state they are registered or incorporated, as well as where they are headquartered and each state where they have operations.  Try the state's home page to find out what kind of information to which they give access; they may give access to company filings or industry information.

• The office of the Secretary of State is where companies usually register and provide information about their operations such as articles of incorporation, a form of annual report, corporate name changes, location of operations, etc.  Information available will vary in each state.  For the state of Washington: http://www.secstate.wa.gov

• Look for local government reports.  Municipal and County governments keep track of  what companies do in their area. Examples are tax assessors, pollution control boards, county clerk which has records of property owned.

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• Consider contacting special interest groups that relate to your industry such as industry focused Political Action Committees (PACs) which promote a specific industry, as well as watchdogs that monitor adversaries.

• Has the company made an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?  If so, you can find information on these companies.

• Tax returns are available to the public for non-profit organizations (Form 990).  Contact the regional IRS office of the company's location.

• Chambers of Commerce Directory
  Search for Chambers of Commerce in different states and cities to contact for information on industries in their area.
  http://www.clickcity.com/index2.htm
  http://www.uschamber.org/Chambers

• Trade Associations can be a source of information on companies in their industry.  

• Inc magazine's annual list of America's fastest-growing private companies gives summary information on latest winners.
  http://www.inc.com/500/

• Forbes 500 Top Private Companies
  http://www.forbes.com/private500/

• Forbes 200 Best Small Companies
  http://www.forbes.com/200best/

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• See if the company filed any Registration Statements or 10-K Annual Reports with the SEC  (Search Lexis-Nexis UW restricted  or Edgarscan). The company  may reveal governmental regulation and legal uncertainty in these filings.

• Check the company web site.

• Check Industry Surveys (Analyst Reports) to see if they mention industry regulations.

• Search  Business Source Complete by subject and your industry or company or product.  UW restricted
  (To determine appropriate subjects, select Thesaurus tab above ). 
  Use subjects such as: CFR, customs regulations, environmental regulations, price regulations, import restrictions, environmental tax, legislation, federal legislation, federal regulation, state regulation, state laws, tax legislation, government mandates, regulation of financial institutions, regulatory agencies, regulated industries, deregulation.
  
  

• Search Lexis-Nexis. UW restricted

Select: Legal tab above  Then select source wanted from drop down menu or from the left frame
- for articles from newspapers magazines and newsletters
- for actual legal cases--state and federal
- for codes and regulations--state, federal, European, and tax
- for patent research

OR

Look for Policy Papers.
Select:  Source tab above.  Then select Find Sources tab above. 
Type Policy Paper in keyword search box and click on Find Sources

Search trade journals in Lexis Nexis for regulatory information affecting an industry.
 

• Congressional Universe
  Full text of bills from 1989, public laws from 1988, committee reports from 1990, House and Senate documents from 1995, Congressional Record from 1985, Federal Register from 1980, National Journal from 1977, and other government information. Updated daily.

• Thomas--U.S. Congress on the Internet
  Domestic legislative information. Search current congressional bills by bill number, word or phrase. Also find out what's happening in congressional committees, view roll-call votes to 1989, see up-to-date schedules of proceedings in the House and Senate.   Links to historical documents, the House and Senate home pages, and other government departments.

• Consider which government agencies regulate the company, based on what the company does and where it operates. Have there been  news reports about investigations, law suites, penalties, allegations for your target company?  What government agency would be interested in this reporting and liable to take action?  Where might the company need to file reports with federal, state, municipal, county governments based on its activities?
   

• FirstGov
  http://www.firstgov.gov/
  Searches federal government web sites. 
  (Note: searches all federal government domains. Also allows searching for both state and federal, all states, or selected states.)

  Google Uncle Sam
  http://www.google.com/unclesam
  Searches U.S. Government and state government web pages.
  (Note:  The .gov and .mil domains covered by Google Uncle Sam cover most information the federal government puts online, but not all. For example, it does not cover the USDA’s Forest Service .fed.us domain at http://www.fs.fed.us or the Postal Service dotcom domain at http://www.usps.com or the National Defense University at http://www.ndu.edu)
   

Company Web Page

SEC Reports

Market Share

Company/Industry Comparisons

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• Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage 
  Provides global industry reports; in depth company profiles with Compustat excel analytics; as well as stock, bond and mutual fund reports, economic insight, and more.  Exportable to Excel spreadsheets.
  Also available in book format:
  Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys
  (3 volume set in Reference Collection on 1st floor of library.   HC 106.6 S74)
   

• Forrester  UW restricted
  Forrester is an independent research firm that analyzes the future of technology change and its impact on businesses, consumers, and society and analyzes such technology areas as new media, computing, software, networking, telecommunications, and the Internet. Access is provided to some reports in this database.
   

• Plunkett Research Online  (Web-Based but On Campus Access Only)  UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted
  An industry center providing market research, trends and analysis, industry stats, profiles of industry-leading companies (both public and private), industry associations, and company contact export features. 

• SEC Registration Statements, 10-Ks and Prospectuses.  Some places where you can find them: 
  Lexis Nexis (from Business tab at top and then SEC Filings in left frame)  UW restricted
  Edgarscan
  Link to SEC Reports for more information.

• Search local newspapers in Washington State Newsstand and Access World News (Includes regional newspapers. Click on map for location) UW restricted

• Search magazines and journals for information about the company.
   UW restricted

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Subsidiaries

Corporate Affiliations (Web-Based but On Campus Access Only) UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted
Provides insight into 174,000 parent companies, affiliates and divisions for U.S. public, U.S. private, and international companies. Includes M&A activity from 1976 where available. Searchable by multiple criteria such as company, parent company, subsidiary, personnel (i.e., executive name or job title), responsibility, city, state, zip code, country, product/brand name, outside service firm name or type, area code, number of employees, sales, stock exchange, SIC code and SIC keyword, year founded,  ticker symbol, keyword..  Advanced searches can be limited by public, private or international companies, as well as parent, subsidiaries or both.

SEC Reports:  10-Ks (Annual Reports), 20-F (if foreign company doing business in U.S.) , Registration Statements (if raising capital)
Note: Lexis-Nexis provides easy searching for these reports from a drop down menu.  UW restricted
To access, select Business tab. Then select SEC Reports in left frame.  Then choose the type of report from the drop down menu and set for one year or more.

Disclosure Reports in Lexis-Nexis  UW restricted
Select:  Business tab at top of page
Select:  Company Profiles in left frame
From drop down source menu, select: Disclosure Online Database
Select at least one or two years to search