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AGR 739 - Agribusiness management
This guide will help agribusiness management students find authoritative sources to research companies and industries.
Science & Agriculture Librarian
Selecting a company
These sites are merely suggestions for where to look for public companies.
If you're not sure if your company is public, see the box below.
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Forbes: The World's Biggest Public Companies 2012Can be filtered by industry, country or state. Searchable by country name or sortable alphabetically.
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Businessweek: Public Company LookupSearch by name or ticker symbol. Includes recent SEC filings, competitors. Open company profile by clicking on ticker symbol in left column.
How can I tell if a company is public or private?
The University of Vermont Libraries suggest these tips to tell if your company is public or private:
- Try to find the company's Web site and look for a link called "investor relations" or similar heading. Many public companies will provide information here about the stock exchange on which their shares are sold. If the company's stock is sold on an exchange, it's a public company.
- Go to EDGAR, the free Web database provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html. Click "Search for company filings" then "Company or fund name..." and enter the company name. If you find reports in EDGAR, that means the company is public.
- Ask for help at the reference desk in Waterfield Library.
Finding background information
Why start with background information?
- Gain familiarity with the topic
- Identify more specific aspects of the topic on which to focus
- Provide context and identify differing perspectives
Source: University of Texas at Arlington
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Bloomberg BusinessweekCompany Insight Center allows you to search by ticker symbol or name. Financial data, descriptive reports and links to SEC filings and the company website.
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Public Company Research GuideThis guide from the LOC offers several places to find information about your company. Some require subscriptions or fees. If you have a question about what you can access, ask your librarian.
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International Directory of Company Histories [ebook]Extensive background information about many companies worldwide. All 123 volumes of this set are searchable online. Just enter your search term and change option to search all volumes.
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Gale EBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new windowElectronic reference books from Gale and other publishers. Researchers can instantly access thousands of eBooks on virtually any subject.