Public vs Private Companies
Information on private companies is much more difficult to gather than it is for public companies. While public companies are required by law to disclose detailed financial information to the SEC (available from the EDGAR database), this is not the case with private companies, who can decide for themselves how much they wish to make available.
To find information on private companies, try:
- Searching in business databases that index articles from scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers.
- Searching in newspaper databases.
- Looking at the company's website: companies provide deferring amounts of information, from none to quite a bit. The information may be under small print links with labels like "financial information," "investor information," "public information," "new products," or "fact sheets."
Databases
- Business Source Complete
Provides full-text for thousands of business journals and other sources, peer-reviewed business publications, trade journals/general business magazines, books (most indexed by chapter), industry reports and market research reports.
- EDGAR (SEC.gov)SEC Filings and Forms. The Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- FactivaNOTE: There have been some issues with Factiva in Chrome. Please use another browser.
Full-text global news sources, including newspapers, newswires, television and radio transcripts, numerous regional and industry publications, and images from Reuters. Content comes from ~160 countries in 22 languages. Please note: Limited to three simultaneous users. - First Research Industry IntelligenceProvides access to: Over 900 Industry Segments, updated regularly with monthly statistics and indicators as well as quarterly trend updates; Call Prep Sheets for preparation for sales calls when time is limited; State Profiles to monitor monthly employment, business and real estate trends in each of the 50 US states.
- IBISWorldIBISWorld reports contain key statistics and analysis for over 700 U.S. industries, including industry performance and outlook, competitive landscape, market share and characteristics, and more. Browse by industry or search by keyword to access these comprehensive reports.
- Mintel Academic
More than 600 report titles dealing with consumer and market reports covering U.K., European, U.S. and international consumer markets are added to Mintel every year. Also includes daily news articles on corporate, product and advertising activity; market share and drivers; forecasts; and leading company information.
- Nexis UniNexis Uni provides full-text access to over 15,000 news, business, and legal sources. The outstanding news coverage includes deep archives and up-to-the-minute stories in national and regional newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, international news, and non-English language news services.
- StatistaStatista integrates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from over 22,000 sources onto a single platform, providing researchers direct access to quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and a wide variety of other areas of interest or markets. It also provides data on market forecasts, white paper studies, dossiers, industry reports, digital market outlooks and consumer market outlooks.
- ThomasNet Industrial Search (Thomas Register)Searchable directory of North American manufacturers; access by company name, product, service, or brand name. Includes links to catalogs and websites. (Not as complete as the paper copy.)
- Value LineSelective material from this source of information and advice on approximately 1,700 stocks, more than 90 industries, the stock market, and the economy. Please note: Limited to three simultaneous users.
New York Times
Interested in accessing the New York Times online? UK provides access to students, faculty, and staff. Sign up below with the first link, and use the second link to access it after registering.
- New York Times Digital Edition (New Users)You must register for an account through this link. Once you register, you have access to the New York Times website through the University of Kentucky.
- New York Times Digital Edition (Registered Users)Once you have registered for an account through the new user link, you have an basic digital access subscription to the New York Times through the University of Kentucky. This subscription includes unlimited access on NYTimes.com, archives (dating back to 1851) (5 PDF article downloads from Times Machine per user per day); augmented reality/virtual reality (found in the App), daily 360 content, podcasts, all multimedia, newsletters, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese versions of NYTimes.com, and unlimited access to The New York Times in Education website and The Learning Network.
Wall Street Journal
Interested in accessing the Wall Street Journal online? UK provides access to students, faculty, and staff. Sign up below and use the link for access.
- Wall Street Journal (Digital Edition)UK Libraries and the Student Government Association (SGA) have partnered with the Wall Street Journal to provide school-sponsored memberships to all students, faculty and staff. Through the partnership, members have full digital access to WSJ.com and through the app. Additionally, curated career content can be found at students.wsj.com. Activate your membership through this link.
Potential Sources of Company Information
- The company website
- Social media
- Product reviews