This document provides an introduction and overview of resources for researching company information. It begins by introducing the librarian and contact information. It then describes the libraries at Ohio Northern University and explains how to use the university ID card as a library card. The rest of the document outlines various research tools and databases for finding company information, including catalogs, periodicals, and subject-specific databases. It provides guidance on citation styles and bibliographic management software. Finally, it discusses specific resources for company reports, histories, financial data, and international business directories.

1. Introduction to Public Relations
Dr. Kathie Fleck, CAMS 1201
Prof. Jenny Donley
Catalog and Serials Librarian
Heterick Memorial Library

2. Introduction
● Welcome!
● Jenny Donley, j-
donley.1@onu.edu
● Feel free to visit or email
● Librarians on duty:
● 8-4:30, 6-9 Mon – Thurs
● 8-4 Friday
● reference@onu.edu

3. Libraries at ONU
Taggart Law Library
Law School Library:
accessible to all
Heterick Memorial
Library
Undergraduate Library:
accessible to all

4. ONU card = Library ID
Remember to
always use all 11
digits!

5. How am I supposed to
remember all of this stuff?

6. Research Guides

7. Finding Background
Information

8. Research Tools: Catalogs
POLAR: Accessing physical and electronic
items located at HML (Heterick Memorial
Library) as well as LAW (Taggart Law Library).
OhioLINK: Next step if you can’t find what you
want in the HML or LAW collections.
ILL: Option of last resort for books and articles.

9. Research Tools:
Periodicals and Articles

10. Research Tools:
Databases
Tools for locating journal and
newspaper articles
Most are subject-specific, but
some are multi-disciplinary
Many give access to full text
articles
Heterick has 240+ databases

11. Research Tools: Databases

12. Research Tools: Databases
Helpful databases to jump start your
research:
BizMiner
Business Source Complete
GMID (more international)
Hoover’s
Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage
Search by subject/discipline to find
subject specific databases

13. SEARCH

14. Research Tools: SEARCH
What is included in SEARCH?
POLAR catalog
OhioLINK catalog
Article-level searching for all EBSCO
databases
Article-level searching for a variety of other
databases: JSTOR, Hoover’s,
AccessPharmacy, etc.
Title-level searching for most other databases:
IEEE, CIAO, Proquest Nursing & Allied Health

15. Facets: Limit your results
and focus your topic

16. How to do research: Cite what
you find using standard formats
These are the three citation styles that
are most frequently used at ONU:
● MLA (Modern Language
Association)
● APA (American Psychological
Association)
● CMS (Chicago Manual of Style)
Always ask your professors which
citation style you should use for their
particular class.

17. Bibliographic Citation Software:
RefWorks

18. Bibliographic Citation
Software: RefWorks
See “RefWorks” tab on the Research Guide

19. Things to consider:
 Not all company information is readily available
 Proprietary information
 Trade secrets
 Possible to get an overview and enough information so you can
prepare for a job interview
 Resources shown today may not be available once you leave
ONU
 Alternative resources may be available at your place of business
or through your local public library

20. Things you’ll need to know:
Private or Public
Parent or Subsidiary
United States or International company

21. Glossary of Terms
 Ticker “modern letter-only ticker symbols were developed by Standard & Poor's
(S&P) to bring a national standard to investing”
 CIK --
Central Index Key, number given to an individual or company by the SEC
 SIC --standard industrial classification system,
classification of businesses and
business units by type of economic activity
 NAICS --
 DUNS --
North American Industry Classification System, replaces SIC
industry standard for keeping track of the world's businesses
 Private Company --
ownership is private
 Public Company --
company that has permission to offer its registered
securities (stock, bonds, etc.) for sale to the general public, typically through a stock
exchange
 Subsidiary --
Controlled/owned by a “parent” company

22. Tools for Company
Information reports
Annual
Overview
Histories
Competitors
Revenues, cash
flow
SWOT
News and Views

23. International Directory of Company
Histories
HML Oversized
Reference
338.7409 I61
•Immediate access to more than 8,500
companies
•Learn the complete background and
history of a company
• Research merger and acquisition activity
over time
•Determine the impact of particular sales
and marketing campaigns
•Ascertain the effectiveness of executive
Leadership
23

24. International Directory of Company
Histories
 Each 3-5 page entry is meticulously crafted with
facts gathered from popular magazines, academic
periodicals, books, annual reports, archives of the
companies themselves and much more. Peppered
with statistics, dates and names of key players,
entries contain information on:
 Founders
 Expansions and strategies
 Labor/management actions
 Stock exchanges, ticker symbols and industries
 Principal subsidiaries, divisions, operating units and
competitors
24

25. Business Source Complete
Articles for latest company news, reviews of
company, commentaries
Non-journal content
Industry reports
 financial data
Country reports
 case studies
Company profiles
 investment research reports
SWOT analyses
 market research reports

26. Thomson Research
 Provides access to real-time and historical SEC EDGAR filings,
including as-filed HTML documents, and foreign exchange filings.
 Includes more than 3.4 million research reports, with an average
of 3,000 new reports added each business day.
 Provides full-text keyword searching of SEC EDGAR filings and
spreadsheet-ready financials..
 Must know company name or ticker

27. Hoover’s Online
Good place to check if public or private,
parent or subsidiary
Company reports
Industry information
Market intelligence on both public and
private companies
Some free information available at
Hoovers.com

28. Standard & Poor's Net
Advantage
http://www.bus.umich.edu/kresgelibrary/downloads/instruction
/standard_and_poors_netadvantage_guide.pdf
Company
information:
Economic insight
Market snapshot
Mutual funds
Company quote
S&P industry surveys
Equity indexes page
S & P stock report
Economic calendar
for the US, Europe,
Asia and Latin
America

29. Company News:
Lexis Nexis Academic (fee)
PR Newswire Company News On-
Call
CNNMoney.com
Business Wire
AJR NewsLink

30. Other types of company
information:
Print Resources:
 D&B Directory of Service
Companies
 HML Oversized Reference
 338.7610002573 D111
 D&B million dollar directory
 HML Oversized Reference
 338.740973 D11
 Foundation Directory:
 HML Oversized Reference
 061 F771

Company philanthropy
Stock information
 Value Line Investment
Survey
Company rankings
 Fortune
 Forbes