Skip to Main Content

Business Research Guide: Company Profiles & Competitors

This guide highlights core print and electronic Library resources in the area of Business and it links to relevant web resources. Use this guide as your starting point, come to the library or Ask a Librarian for more resources and further help.

Where to Start

The number of companies and the depth of information vary in those resources.

The databases with the more exhaustive information and greatest number of companies are listed first.

COMPANY PROFILE

Company profile may be a brief directory listing or a lengthy report. Information includes firm’s history, resources, structure, financial performance and more.

Public companies are obliged to disclose corporate financial information; however private companies do not have to answer to stockholders and are not required to file disclosure statements with the SEC. Hence, private companies are usually limited in content.

Forbes - Listing of private companies in the U.S.

BUSINESS SOURCE COMPLETE

Business Source Complete

Select Company Profile

Type the name of your company and click browse. A PDF report will be displayed which contains key facts, history, SWOT analysis, top competitors, locations and subsidiaries, and other details.

 

Tip: to retrieve the company profile click on the PDF file and not the title of the company.

HOOVER'S COMPANY PROFILES

Hoover's Company Profiles

Select Browse

Type the name of your company and click Go.

The report includes detailed information such as company overview, company history, officers and board members, competitors and top competitors, products and operations, and historical financials.

 

Tip: Click on Link to full text to access the company profile.

BUSINESS & COMPANY RESOURCE CENTER

Business & Company Resource Center

In the Company Search type the name of your company. (Entries include company profile financial data, legal issues, rankings, products and services; SWOT analyses and more)

LexisNexis ACADEMIC

In LexisNexis Academic select Companies from the left tab. Type your company name and change “In Everywhere” to “Company Name”.