Private Companies
Researching industries that are dominated by private companies can be more difficult than those dominated by public companies. Unlike the public sector, private companies are not required to disclose their company financials, annual reports, employee information, and do not have to file with the SEC.
For more information see the Library of Congresses guide on Researching Private Companies and this SEC explanation of public companies that turn private.
Competitive Intelligence Strategies
Definition of CI: the process of monitoring the competitive environment and analyzing the findings in the context of internal issues, for the purpose of decision support. CI enables senior managers in companies of all sizes to make more-informed decisions about everything from marketing, R&D, and investing tactics to long-term business strategies. (From Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals Basic FAQs)
Key Resources — Companies
- Anderson School Companies Databases ListLook for items on this list with "UCLA" in red next to their names. Those with "Anderson" are accessible to business school students only.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
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Current and historical (up to 30 years) balance sheet and income statement data for 15,000+ US and 30,000+ international public companies. Includes links to annual reports to shareholders, and other SEC filings. Also included (access from tabs): "Supply Chain" (formerly "Horizon"), for analysis of public company customers and suppliers, and "Investext," which provides current and historical equity analyst reports from leading investment banks, brokerage houses, and consulting firms, as well as "non-brokerage house" analyses of companies and industries.Limited to 500 simultaneous users. - AtoZdatabases: Target Company Lists This link opens in a new window
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Creates custom lists from more than 30 million US business profiles filtered by geography, industry, SIC and or NAICS codes, public/private ownership, employee size, annual revenue, and more. Then export search results to Excel. The database also includes more than 2.3 million job listings, 1.1. million healthcare professionals, 2 million new businesses, and much more.
- Business Insights: Essentials via LAPLUse of this database requires that you have a current Los Angeles Public Library card and pin.
- ReferenceUSA Business DatabaseUse of this database requires that you have a current Los Angeles Public Library card and pin.
- S&P Capital IQ NetAdvantage(Standard & Poor's) Use of this database requires that you have a current Los Angeles Public Library card and pin. Use the Companies Advanced Search to find information on Private Companies.
- LinkedInA professional social networking site that can provide company information.
- ThomasNet.comDirectory for locating companies
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
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Full-text news (including broadcast transcripts), business, legal, and reference information. Useful for finding full-text of current performing arts and media industry news in major newspapers. Includes biographical information from Who's Who titles. Formerly LexisNexis Academic.
- Library of Congress Guide to Company ResearchUse the tabs on the left-hand side to navigate subtopics.
Private Companies
Due to not being publicly traded, private companies have fewer requirements for reporting financial and other information. Please see the list of databases above. Some general information, such as location of incorporation, board composition, etc. can be found in databases like Mergent Online and/or AtoZdatabases: Target Company Lists, which include the ability to search by location. You may also be able to find information about some companies by searching for them by name (try searching with and without quotes around the company name) or by name of known executives, in news and press releases, which can be found in Nexis Uni and/or Business Source Complete. You can also find industry reports from databases like IBISWorld, which often include names of major public companies in a sector, which can be beneficial for comparison. Sort by annual income and other fields in Mergent Online to find public companies comparable to the size of the private company you wish to research.
- Library of Congress, U.S. Private CompaniesA guide to researching private companies, some links included.
Directories
- Gale Directory Library This link opens in a new window
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Searches Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S., Encyclopedia of Associations: International Associations, Research Centers Directory, Market Share Reporter and more. Entries provide addresses (virtual and earthbound), other contact information, and detailed descriptions for more than 135,000 industry and trade associations, professional societies, research centers and more. Some titles include several editions.
- ThomasNet.comDirectory for locating companies
- Washington Information Directory
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A guide to National Organizations and Government Agencies. Restricted to UCLA - Library of Congress Company Research GuideScroll to Internet Resources section for more company directories.
Ownership Profiles
- firm-related unique information
- owners, background [f]
- board membership [f]
- managers, background [f]
- investment in other companies, holding companies [f]
- trade names [f]
- business plan [f]
[f] = individual firm or company