LibGuides: Human Resource Management: Company Research

Company Reports/Analysis - Selected Key Resources

Hoover's
Useful when you need to do research on private companies, though publicly traded companies are also included. In-depth coverage of 40,000 companies globally. Includes an overview, history, products, competitors, financials, links to SEC filings and added features such as CEOs on Camera.
Mergent Online
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This database provides coverage of some Canadian and internationally publicly-traded companies. Information about companies includes a profile, officers and directors, history, subsidiaries, news reports, competitors as well as fifteen years of financial data.
Marketline Advantage
Includes information for some 30,000 companies globally (primarily publicly-traded). Includes profiles, executive biographies, competitor listings, major products and services, locations and subsidiaries and SWOT analyses for larger companies.
SEDAR
A free government database which provides access to full-text Canadian public securities filings. Very useful if you want to find annual reports for Canadian companies that are publicly-traded. Search tips
PrivCo
Business and financial data on major, non-publicly traded corporations, including family owned, private equity owned, venture backed, and international unlisted companies. PrivCo also provides information on private investors, private M&A deals, and venture capital funding rounds. Note: Users will have to create an account and log-in to Privco if they wish to go into an actual company, investor or deal profile, or download or export information. Click on "Venture capital fundings" to see which companies are receiving funding in specific locations or industries, meaning that those companies are growing and most likely HIRING.
EDGAR
The US Security and Exchange Commission’s database of public company information including 10k reports for public traded companies. Search tips

Company Websites

Company websites are recommended when doing research on specific employers.

It is usually best to find the company website using Google.

Examples of useful information on a company website include:

About Us section
Careers section
Investor Relations section

This will apply when a company is publicly-traded and will give you access to the company's recent annual and quarterly reports.

Be aware the a company website is a tool a company uses to promote its services and products. You should use additional resources when researching a company.

Trade Journals/Publications

ABI Inform Trade and Industry
Covers more than 700 publications. It's designed to help researchers study and compare specific trades and industries, including telecommunications, computing, transportation, construction, petrochemicals, and many others.
Proquest Business
Simultaneously search all business & industry periodicals available through Proquest Central, including the ABI/Inform databases, concentrated publications on the pharmaceutical, banking, computing and telecommunications industries and Canadian, Asian and European business news.
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Specific databases included in the Proquest suite of business databases at York University are: ABI Inform Global, ABI/Inform Trade & Industry, Asian & European Business Collection, and Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database.
Business Source Complete
Offers premium content including peer-reviewed and business-related journals, magazines and newspapers, including scholarly, trade, and popular titles. Other content includes business e-books, case studies, company profiles, country economic reports, faculty seminar videos, industry reports, executive and analyst interviews, market research reports, SWOT analyses, and working paper collections.

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Job Search Engines

Job search engines can sometimes be useful resources for better understanding the types of qualifications and experience companies are looking for.