Company Information

Company Profiles and Histories

first page of a mergent company profile

There are many places you can find information about a company and its history. Try the following approaches:

Company's website
- Websites often include an "about us" section that sometimes detail their history. Remember, the company will explain its history the way it wants to be seen.
Annual report
- Public companies are required to file an annual report to the U.S. government, known as a 10-K. These reports will often include a section on the company's history. Again, remember this is a self-reported history.
Find books/ebooks that contain corporate histories
- Books about a company often include historical background.
- Do a keyword search in PittCat to find any books in the University Library System which cover your company's history.
Search for articles
- Newspaper, trade/magazine, and scholarly articles that mention or are about specific companies might provide some historical information.

Accompanying image is from a company report in the Mergent Online database.

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Mergent Online is made up of company profiles.
1. In the Company Search bar, type in your company. (Note: if it is a private company, select the D&B Private Company Database box above).
2. To find the company history, start in the Company Details tab, and select the History sub-tab.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Formerly Lexis-Nexis Academic, it contains company profiles and articles.
1. On the homepage, under Discover topics select Business
2. Select Company Dossier. Search for the company by name or ticker.
3. Select the correct company, and once in the dossier, navigate throughout using the menu on the left.
Capital IQ This link opens in a new window
Capital IQ provides very rich company profiles, specifically on financials and people.
NOTE: Please review the FAQ for information on terminal/workstation access in the library and individual accounts.
1. Search for your company in the main search box
2. Once in the company's report, navigate using the menu on the left
Mergent Archives This link opens in a new window
Mergent Archives is best for historical information on companies.
1. To enter the database, click the Search Mergent Archives link on the right.
2. Use the tabs on the top right to search for the company either in the corporate manuals, annual reports, industry reports, equity reports, or ratios sections of the database, depending on what you are after.
Note: To find company histories, you'll likely want to focus on the corporate manuals or the annual reports.

Although it might take some digging and persistence, searching for articles that refer to your company can prove helpful. Try the below databases, along with Google and Google Scholar.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
1. Type in your company in the first search box. You can chose to narrow the search further by changing the drop-down menu to list CO Company Entity.
2. Depending on the results, you may wish to filter by SourceType, an option on the left of the results list.
National Newspapers (Current) (Full Text) This link opens in a new window
1. Enter your company in the first search box. The default drop-down menu will search for that company anywhere in the article or record of the article.
2. If you find you get too many irrelevant results, you can change the drop-down option so the database will only search for the company in the article title (Document Title - TI), or when the company is listed as a subject heading, which is a way databases try and describe and categorize items (Subject heading (all) - SU).
Wall Street Journal (Historical) This link opens in a new window
If you're looking for historical information, or a company that no longer exists, try searching old issues of the Wall Street Journal. This database covers issues from 1889-1999. You can do a basic search by entering the company and pressing search.

International Directory of Company Histories
Location: Hillman Library: (Storage Unit) HD2721.I63
Provides extensive histories on over 6,850 companies. Most companies included have a minimum of $25 million in annual sales and are leading influences in their industries or geographical locations. Most are public companies, but some private and non-profit corporations are included. Use the cumulative index in the latest volume available to see if your company is profiled or mentioned anywhere in the series.
Note: This content is also available in the Business Insights: Global database.
Mergent/Moody's Manuals
Location: Hillman Library: (Storage Unit) HG4961.M67
This multi-volume set includes a brief history in each entry. Some histories, however, are extremely brief. Public companies only.
Note: Current and historic Moody's Manuals are available online through the database Mergent Archives. These volumes are an excellent resource for historical facts and figures. Historic print volumes are located in our storage facility.
Notable Corporate Chronologies
Location: Hillman Library (Storage Unit) HG4009.N68
A collection of chronologies for over 1,500 corporations. Each timeline lists and briefly describes 30 or more key dates that mark major events in a corporation's life story. Included are dates for founding, major product introductions, tenures of pivotal executives, major scandals, mergers and acquisitions, and major stock offerings.

The following databases are great places to find SWOT reports, which provide additional insight into a company. SWOT Analysis chart

SWOT : Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

"...A framework for identifying the internal strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) of a firm, and the external opportunities (O) open to it and the threats (T) it faces, which can be used by corporate planners in formulating the firm's competitive strategy and marketing strategy in individual product markets and its overall business strategy." - Collins Dictionary of Business

Use the information found in SWOT reports to search for additional articles that might go into more depth.

Image by Xhienne, CC-BY.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
1. Search for your company.
2. In the results page, refine the search on the left. Under the Publication Type section, select SWOT Analysis.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Formerly Lexis-Nexis Academic, you can find SWOT analyses and more.
1. On the homepage, click Advanced Search (right underneath the big search box).
2. Under the search box click Select a specific content type.
3. Under Company and Financial select Company Profiles.
4. Scroll down the screen and enter the company name in the Company Name field. To limit to only SWOT reports, under the Publication box enter SWOT.
5. Click Search
6. View the results (you can sort by date if you would like, along with more options on the left).

Michael Porter claims that "the state of competition in an industry depends on five basic competitive forces" (1980, p.3). The five forces are: threat of new entry, threat of substitution, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and competitive rivarly.

*Porter, Michael E. 1980. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. The Free Press. New York.

While you will often need to conduct your own Five Forces Analysis, you can find some pre-made reports in the following databases.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window

You can sometimes find Five Force Analysis Reports in journal and magazine articles.

1. Type your industry in the first search box, and "five forces" in the second.

University of Pittsburgh Library System

Course & Subject Guides

Strategic Management of Acquisition & Divestment - Oakland Campus

Company Profiles and Histories

SWOT and Five Forces Analysis Reports