Company Research Hints
When researching a company, keep in mind the following:
- Do you know the exact name of the company? For example, the drug store chain is called Walgreen’s, but the actual company name is Walgreen Co. Also, make sure you are searching for a company, not a brand name. For example, Crest is a brand of toothpaste produced by the company Proctor & Gamble.
- Is the company public or private? Private, or closely-held companies, do not sell stock to the public, and are not obligated to disclose information about themselves. For this reason it may be more difficult to obtain information about private companies. Articles and the company’s own web site may be the best sources of information for private companies. More on public vs. private companies.
- Your company may be part of more than one industry, and it is very helpful to do some industry research to see how your company is doing in its industry and sector, and among its competitors. Try our industry research guide.
Company Overviews
Start with your company's web site: Press releases, media, products, company history, and other information.
Then try:
- ProQuest One Business
A comprehensive business database containing millions of full-text items across scholarly and popular periodicals, newspapers, market research reports, dissertations, books, videos and more. Includes the full text of the Wall Street Journal. Formerly called ABI/INFORM Collection - Mergent Online
Detailed company information including 15 years of financial statements. Note: This database will be retired June 30, 2025 and replaced by Mergent Market Atlas. We will offer links to both resources until that date.
- PrivCo
Private company information! PrivCo.com is the premiere source for business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed and international unlisted companies.
Registration Required! The first time you access PrivCo, you will be asked to create an account. Register with your academic email address (@usfca.edu). With your own account, you will be able to save your searches and track companies in your personalized watchlist. Your account provides 1,000 profile views, 1,000 exported records, and 500 deal views per year. - Nexis Uni
Use the Menu pull down in the upper left corner to select Company Dossier, which allows you to search for company reports that include financials, news, analysts' reports, and other company information. Public companies: lots of information. Private companies: Very limited.
- EDGAR Company FilingsThis is the web site of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In the US, public companies must file information with the SEC. A 10-K is the annual filing a company must make. Search by company name (or part of a name), ticker symbol, or search by industry to create a list of companies. If you find reports in EDGAR, that means the company is public.
- Statista
Easy to use statistics search engine with access to more than a million statistics and facts. - Business Source Complete
You can use Business Source Complete to find company profiles and company SWOT analyses. When you are on the main search page, look to the right of the screen for Company Profiles and SWOT Analyses. Click on the one that you want, then search for your company by name or with the alphabetical list. - Ignacio: Library Catalog
There may be a book about your company that can give great overviews. Give it a try!
Company Rankings
- CSRHubThe free information on this site is a ranking for each company, along with a chart that compares the company's corporate social responsibility efforts with the industry at large.
- KnowESGProvides ESG ratings for companies based on scores from three rating companies: Sustainalytics, MSCII, and Refinitiv. Also includes sustainability news for each company.
- KnowTheChainProvides rankings of individual companies, and competitors within industries, on labor rights and worker issues.
- S&P Global ESG ScoresESG scores based on the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), along with publicly available sustainability information.
ESG, Sustainability, and Corporate Social Responsibility
First, what is ESG, and what does it stand for?
E is Environmental
S is Social
G is Governance
For a longer explanation, see What is ESG? Definition and Meaning
And another explanation from Investopedia, with a short video
How can you find out about a company's ESG ratings, corporate responsibility, and sustainability information?
- Mergent OnlineTo find ESG for companies, follow these steps:
1. Log on to Mergent Online, and click the Industry Analysis tab.
2. Click the Reports tab
3. Click on the ESG tab on the right side of the screen
4. Download the report for your industry (note, these are large industry categories, so if you are not sure where your industry falls, Ask a Librarian!) - StatistaTo find ESG information:
1. search ESG, or ESG ratings, or ESG scores OR
2. search for a specific company or industry and add ESG to your search OR
3. search your company name with words like sustainability, environment, human rights, hiring, diversity, etc. - Nexis UniTo find ESG information:
1. on the main search screen, click on Advanced Search
2. In Advanced Search, scroll down to Source, and type in: CSRHub ESG Ratings
3. Back up under Searching All, type in your company name and click the red Search button.
4. If there is a report available, it will be shown in results.
Company News and Articles
- Fusion
Fusion allows you to search, in one place, the majority of the library’s books, articles, videos, etc. It includes all the materials in our library catalog Ignacio, as well as the content of the majority of our many databases. - ProQuest One BusinessIncludes citations and summaries and full text from about 1000 business periodicals that contain company and industry information, as well as articles on many other business topics. Includes the full text of the Wall Street Journal.
- Business Source CompleteFocuses on facts, figures, events and market information about companies, industries, products and markets. It covers all industries and is international in scope. Also provides SWOT analyses for companies and industries. Includes the full text of the Harvard Business Review.
- Access World News
Through nearly 7000 news sources, find diverse global, local, regional, and national perspectives on topics related to controversial issues, the environment, health, education, science, the arts, literature, business, economics, criminal justice, and more. - Nexis UniUnder Guided Search select News, and then put your company or topic in the search box to find business news from national and international sources.
This guide outlines the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and provides information on understanding and tracking them
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Note especially the section called The SDGs in Business to see how to evaluate the SDGs as they relate to a company.
Getting Help!
There are several ways to obtain assistance with your research. Read on!
The School of Management has a library liaison named Penny Scott, and you can contact her for help.
Her contact information is: email: plscott@usfca.edu * phone: 415-422-5389
It is best to call or email ahead, or make an appointment, to make sure she is available!
If Penny is not available, or any time you need help, you can always get help, just Ask a Librarian!