Business and Economics Liaison
Public vs. Private Companies
Private company information is much more difficult to gather than public company information. This is especially true as concerns financial information. Whereas public companies are required by law to disclose detailed financial information to the SEC (available from the EDGAR database listed to the right), this is not the case with private companies, which can decide for themselves how much information they wish to make available. However, there are some courses of actions which can be taken to find private company information. These include:
--Searching in Business databases (such as the ones listed to the right), which index articles from scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers.
--Searching in Newspaper databases (such as the one listed in the "Getting Started" tab).
--Looking at the company's website -- different companies divulge different amounts of information -- from none at all to quite a bit. Usually, if any information is available, it is hidden behind small print links with labels like "financial information," "investor information," or "fact sheets."
Market Share
- Market Share Reporter byCall Number: HF5410 .M35An annual report containing information on the percent of market share held by companies in a variety of industries. Industries are listed by SIC code.
Market Share Tracker: Global Market Share PlannerCall Number: HD2757.15 .G563 2008Publication Date: 2008An international report released every two years. It contains information on the percent of market share held by companies that make household products (food, beverages, appliances).
Company Resources
Company's Website - Almost all companies have websites which divulge varying amounts of information about themselves. In most cases, they will not offer detailed financial information, but sometimes, in an effort to attract investors, they will give some hints. Look for links for Public Relations, Marketing, New Products. Often the links are at the bottom of the page and in small print.
Local Newspapers - Often local newspapers will cover smaller, private, regional businesses that do not make it into the national databases - (see the "Getting Started" tab above for newspaper databases).
- Business Source Complete
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One of the largest business databases, with indexing of academic journals, trade publications, and general business magazines. A great deal of company information can be found doing a general search. Change the box to the right to "CO Company Entity" field for a more focused search. You can also search Company Profiles by clicking on the "More" button and then "Company Profiles" located on the top of the screen. - Factiva
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Indexes business news sources including newspapers, journals, magazines, newswires, and company press releases. Information on both public and private companies can be found doing a basic keyword search. For a more focused search, restrict the search terms to the Headline or Lead Paragraph by preceding your search term with "HLP=" (For example: HLP=Lexmark). Another way to search companies is to click on "Companies/Markets" and then "Company" on the link at the top of the page.
Kentucky Company Resources
Local Newspapers - the Lexington Herald-Leader and other Kentucky papers are available from Access World News; the (Louisville) Courier-Journal is available from ProQuest; other Kentucky papers are available from LexisNexis News.
- Business LexingtonOnline and print publication which covers business issues in Lexington and the surrounding areas.
- Dun and Bradstreet's Regional Business DirectoryThree volumes available.
- Kentucky Business Directory byCall Number: HF5065.K4 K46 Latest volume in Ready Reference; older volumes on the 4th Floor.Lists Kentucky Businesses by city and yellow page category. List manufacturers by city and SIC Code. Includes a section for major employers. Listings include address, phone number, name of owner/manager, credit rating, number of employees, years in business, and estimated sales.
- Kentucky Secretary of State's Office Business DatabasesIncludes several databases with listings for every business registered in Kentucky. Limited amount of information is available, including name of owner or director, address of business, date business was founded, and whether the business is active or not.
- Lane ReportBusiness and Economics news magazines (available in print or online) focusing on Kentucky business. Print coverage from 1985-2003: HC107 .K4 L360.
- Polk's Lexington City DirectoryListing of businesses and residents. Includes reverse street directory. Subscription cancelled in 2012.
Available in the Special Collections Research Center.