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Project Management: Company information
Company Information
Background
The type of information available on a specific company is determined by the country where it is registered and the type of ownership (such as PLC, Ltd, GmbH etc.). Some information however will always be commercially sensitive, such as the company strategy, merger, acquisition plans etc., and will not be publicly available. You may also have to consult several sources to gain the overall picture of a company.
Publicly quoted companies (PLC, Inc. etc.) are legally required to file financial information with their regulatory body, share information with the relevant stock exchange as well as inform their shareholders what is happening in the company. This means you can find quite a lot of information about a publicly quoted company.
Limited companies may have to file accounts though not necessarily the full sets of accounts required of a public company. Most companies will also have a website.
Small privately-owned ‘sole traders’ and partnerships are not legally required to publish accounts. Some businesses may have a website though tend to share limited information. Professional services tend to fall into this category such as law and accountancy firms, architectural practices, and advertising companies
Company Websites and Annual Reports
Start by reviewing the company or organisation's website. Here you may find:
- Overview of the organisation
- Ownership
- Senior management team
- Reports – annual reports as well as Sustainability, Diversity, Well-being reports etc.
- News items
Many organisations such as government departments and agencies, the NHS, and charities also publish annual reports.
You may have to explore the website to find this information. Look for sections called About us, What we do, News, Media or Investors pages. Some of this information may be accessed from links at the bottom of the home page.
Make sure you are also viewing the correct website whether it is a company, government department or a charitable organisation. Remember some companies, for example, will also have an online shopping website independent of their corporate website.
Company Profiles
Business Source Complete has MarketLine reports providing company profiles of large public and private companies. Reports include the company history, executive bibliographies, financials, SWOT analysis, and top competitors.
Search for the company name in the first line of the search box and type the word Marketline in the second line. Alternatively select More from drop down selection at the top of the screen and then Company Profiles.
MarketLine Guide: PDF
Business Market Research Collection hosted by ProQuest has Hoover reports covering similar content to the MarketLine reports. Some reports can include a key competitor comparison using employee and key financial data. It is advisable to check both as they can have slightly different content.
Hoover Reports Guide: PDF
Statista can provide company information on large global organisations. Their reports and topics cover key financials, ownership, competitor information, consumer and brand data.
Statista Guide: Video
Financial Data
FAME (Financial Analysis Made Easy) is a database of UK and Irish public and limited companies providing company financials on a 20-year rolling basis. You can search for an individual company or create a peer report based on sector, location, or specific financial data such as turnover.
FAME Guide: PDF
The Financial Times provides financial information on large publicly quoted international companies. See the attached guide for details how to search for this information. The first time you login, set up an individual account with the FT using your Coventry University email. This allows you to also use the FT app.
FT Guide: PDF
Companies House is the legal entity where all UK public and private companies file their accounts. Reports can be ordered where the information is not available on FAME or on a company's website. Limited companies are not obliged to provide extensive information unlike a public company.
Edgar is the free resource to access company filings in the USA from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Companies file annual reports (10-K) and quarterly filings (10-Q).
The Charities Commission is the official regulator of registered charities in England and Wales. Information such as income and expenditure and trustees can be found from their Register of Charities.
News
News sources can provide good background information on a company, the industry sector and its competitors.
The Financial Times is a highly respected UK newspaper covering global company, economic and current affairs news items. The first time you login, setup an individual account with the FT using your Coventry University email address.
FT Guide: PDF
Lexis+ (UK Newspapers) has coverage of UK national, regional, and local newspaper articles except for the Financial Times. Underneath the search box, there is an option to just search UK broadsheets. For a general search, this is a good option to choose limiting your search to just the UK 'quality newspapers'.
Lexis+ (UK Newspapers) Guide: PDF
The Economist is a weekly magazine covering global news and analysis on economics, business, and geopolitics. Here you can find commentary on large international companies, particularly if the organisation has recently featured in the news. Search the magazine via ABI/Inform or Proquest.
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