Finding Company and Industry Information
Finding company data
When researching a company, it is important to know whether it is:
- public
- private
- or a subsidiary of a larger company
Public companies are the easiest to research because they are generally required to provide detailed information on a quarterly basis and must also issue annual reports.
Subsidiaries of public companies can be difficult to research because the parent company is not required to report on each of them individually.
Private companies are not required to release any information about themselves and are therefore more challenging to research.
Directories are useful sources for determining if a company is public, private, a subsidiary of a larger company, or an international company.They provide basic company information such as address, phone number, type of business, number of employees, names of key executives, and sales figures.
CQUniversity Library provides access to a range of databases which contain company profiles and other types of information about markets, industries and companies. These profiles can include market performance and forecasts, industries and company contact details, and detailed SWOT analyses.
Search these databases and sites for company related data:
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EbscohostPlatform for searching across Ebsco databases.
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FactivaNews, current affairs and research database providing access to local and international newspapers, newswires and journal sources. Extensive company information is also available.
Maximum Users: 3 concurrent users
Help: Dow Jones Factiva LibGuide -
IBISWorldComprehensive collection of Australian Industry Market Research, Industry Risk Ratings and Company Research.
Country information sources
International company profiles and statistics
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OECD iLibraryThe OECD's comprehensive online library including books, reports, papers, and statistics. Anyone can now access OECD full-text content using the Read editions, which can be read online.
Company profiles, annual reports & financial statements
An important source of information about a company can be their own website. Many companies provide access to their latest annual report (sometimes previous reports) and financial statements.
Search engines such as Google are the most effective way of finding company websites.
Look for sections labelled:
- About Us
- Investor Relations or Investors and Media
- Corporate Information
- Company Information or Our Company
- Company News
- Publications.
Note: company websites are usually designed to promote the organisaiton and its products.
Other useful links to use when searching for company information include:
Industry information
Directories are useful sources for determining if a company is public, private, a subsidiary of a larger company, or an international company.They provide basic company information such as address, phone number, type of business, number of employees, names of key executives, and sales figures.