## 4.2 Company information

The most common form of business research is the search for company information. You may search for company information for several reasons, including:

- Obtaining contact information and/or a description of a company
- Researching company news
- Researching competitors
- Retrieving financial data to decide whether or not to invest in or do business with a company
- Preparing for a job interview

Company information can be found in a variety of sources, depending on the type of information you are looking for. E.g. company news in news sources; subsidiaries, branches and locations in official registries; company financials in sources containing annual reports.

Keep in mind that:

- All companies are registered with an official registry / chamber of commerce. Reporting and filing requirements for companies differ from country to country and also vary depending on company size and legal form.
- Information about public companies (publicly traded on various stock exchanges) is often the easiest to retrieve since they have an obligation to file. Information about private companies is more difficult as they are not held to the same reporting standards as public companies.

To search strategically for company information we suggest the following sources:

The Company Website

Sometimes, it's simple – just type the company name in the search bar of a browser (E.g. Google).

On a company website, look for Links to:

- Investors' information – for annual reports / financial statements
- About the company – for mission, product description
- Corporate/company overview – for a brief history of the corporation
- Company news – for press releases, earnings announcements

Keep in mind that both the company website and the annuals reports are partly written from a promotional perspective by the company itself. This is also true for company responsibility reports.

Databases

- Company.info
  Database containing company information relating to Dutch organisations and foreign organisations with Dutch branches. This information originates from the Dutch Chambers of Commerce and other sources. Includes the following: Annual results and ratios, Annual reports, Address and organisation details, Management details, Press reports, Details of the most important competitors and > 2,000 full text market reports.
- EMIS
  Emerging Markets Information System. EMIS contains country analysis, company analysis, market analysis and news on emerging markets.
- MarketLine
  Marketline provides market, branch and country reports – to be consulted by region or country – and often includes prognoses. In addition, this source includes SWOT, 5-forces and PESTLE analyses.
  - Look for Company Case Studies for an in-depth analysis of successful and unsuccessful company strategies.
  - Look for Top Companies Chartbooks for a benchmark of leading companies through a variety of financial metrics.
- One Business
  With One Business you search multiple business databases through one central interface. It contains articles as well as e-books, video's, (market) reports and various news sources.
- Statista
  Statista's Company DB provides insights into over 15 million companies.

External Sources

- Annual Reports
  Boasting the most complete and up-to-date listings of annual reports on the internet, AnnualReports.com provides instant access to annual reports in their actual format in one single location.
- EDGAR
  The SEC’s EDGAR database provides free public access to company information (listed companies only), allowing you to research a company’s financial information and operations by reviewing registration statements, prospectuses and periodic reports.
  The database contains 10-K, 20-F, proxy statements, some annual reports, and other financial statements of public companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Available form types can be found via the link on the website.

- Register of financial reporting (Authority for the Financial Markets – NL)
  Annual and semi-annual financial reports of listed companies whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market and whose home Member State is the Netherlands. All AFM registers can be found via: https://www.afm.nl/en/professionals/registers

- ResponsibilityReports
  Boasting the most complete and up-to-date listings of responsibility reports on the internet, ResponsibilityReports.com provides instant access to responsibility reports in their actual format in one single location.

- SEDAR (Canadian Securities Administrators)
  "All Canadian public companies and investment funds are generally required to file their documents in the SEDAR system.

For additional information on a company’s environment, check under 4.3 Searching for Country and regional information.

Tips!

- Be sure to use the official name of the company
- If the company is a personal name or includes initials, e.g. Walt Disney or H. J. Heinz, look under each part of the name. Not all sources are consistent in how names are treated
- If you are researching a subsidiary, expand your research to include the parent corporation
- Very small or very new companies may not appear in the standard sources. Look for news articles and a company website.