Getting Started With International Company Research
Size Counts
The same principles that apply to researching U.S. firms also apply to international business. Finding information on a large firm such as Toyota will be easier than locating information on a small Japanese supplier of automotive parts. The larger the firm, the easier it will be to find data. You will also find more information on firms in developed nations such as European countries and JapanBroaden Your Search
Knowing something about the country, government and culture your business operates within may further your understanding of the company itself. See the Foreign Countries and Governments section below for help locating information on your company's environment. If you are unable to find resources on your individual company, industry research may produce information applicable to your business.
Guides to Finding International Company InformationInternational Business Directory. From Brigham Young's Marriott School of Management.
MSU-Ciber International Business Resources on the WWW From Michigan State University.
Virtual International Business Resources (VIBES)
Guides in Print
How to Find Information About Foreign Firms
International Business Information : How To Find It, How To Use It
International Directories and Profiles
|| Comprehensive || North America || Europe || Latin America || Asia || Africa
This is not a complete listing of international directories, but a list of a recommended few. Consult your local library catalog or librarian for other titles.
Comprehensive
123Link - 1st Global Directory Searchable by business name, business category and description.Business Seek Lists 15,000 international companies.
Infobel International Directories
Pronett Enterprises -- International Directory
Directories in Print
Directory of Corporate Affiliations. Vol. 5: International Public and Private Companies.
Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the U.S
Directory of Foreign Manufacturers in the U.S.
Hoover's Handbook of World Business. Profiles several hundred of the largest non-U.S. establishments.
International Companies and Their Brands.
Moody's International Manuals Check your local library for holdings.
Ref. HG 4905 - Ref HG 4971.Principal International Businesses. Dun & Bradstreet. (annual)
A basic directory which includes more than 50,000 firms in 140 countries.World Business Directory. Gale Research. 4 volumes.
Worldwide Branch Locations of Multinational Companies.
North America
Canadian Key Business Directory. Dun & Bradstreet.Who Owns Whom: North America. Shows ultimate ownership and corporate links.
MSU-Ciber's Regional or Country Specific Information (North America)
Europe
Europe Online Access to Bloomberg, Europages, Euroseek and other European resources.Kelly's Business Directory.
Comprehensive guide to British industry and commerce.Europe's 15,000 Largest Companies.
European Country DirectoriesMSU-Ciber's Regional or Country Specific Information (Europe)
Latin America
Hoover's Masterlist of Major Latin American Companies.Latin American Country Directories
MSU-Ciber's Regional or Country Specific Information (Central and South America)
Asia
Asia's Business DirectoriesAsia's 7,500 Largest Companies: Marketing and Financial Information on Asia's Top Companies.
Major Companies of the Arab World
Asian Country DirectoriesMSU-Cibers's Regional or Country Specific Information (Asia and Oceania)
Africa
CYBER-AFRICA.NETInternational Trade Center Resources Regional Information Africa
South African Business Directory
Current InformationIf you need current news and developments for your corporation, use the resources in this section. When searching for information, evaluate your sources carefully.
Reputable newspapers, magazines and journals have generally been screened for accuracy, objectivity, and reliability. You should be careful to evaluate the information you find in these resources, however, because some information will be more authoritative and reliable than others. (For a helpful guide to evaluating articles, see Colorado State University library's How to Evaluate Journal Articles.)Information on the World Wide Web is not monitored, edited or evaluated. Consider the source of your site carefully. (See Evaluating Web Resources, an excellent evaluation checklist developed by Erica Lilly, Coordinator for Electronic Services, Kent Sate University)
Corporate web sites may be valuable sources of company information, but you must keep in mind that your business has a vested interest in the image its web presence projects. Consider carefully whether the information you obtain is objective and accurate. You may want to verify some information with more than one source.
Newspapers
Magazines and Journal Articles
Company HistoriesCompany histories provide background information on your corporation. You may find histories in books, chapters of books, and reference materials. Brief histories may be available in magazine or journal articles. Often, corporations may include histories in the text of their annual report or in their web sites.
Books and Reference Materials
To find books or chapters of books on your company, search your local library catalog or (for OhioLINK patrons) OhioLINK Central Catalog. If you are certain of your company name, searching the name as a Subject will provide you with a precise list of materials. If you are unsure of the proper company name and/or a subject search has not produced any titles, searching by Word may produce good results. For further help using OhioLINK Central see OhioLINK Central Catalog Search Help.
Connect to OhioLINK Central CatalogKeep in mind that generally only the largest, most well known companies will actually have books written on them, so you may not find anything in the catalog on some companies.
If you do not find a book, try one of these collections of company histories from the OhioLINK catalog:International Directory of Company Histories
Notable Corporate Chronologies
Other Resources for Company Histories
To find histories in magazines or journals, return to Magazine and Journal Articles in the Current Information section above.To find histories in a company web site, see Corporate Web Sites in the Current Information section above.
Financial InformationForeign GovernmentsInternational companies may be publicly owned, subsidiaries or divisions, or privately owned businesses.
Not all countries require their public companies to file disclosure reports. Even if reports are filed, they may differ widely from our SEC filings, so do not assume you will find the same type of financial information on international public companies as you do on domestic public companies. If a foreign company is traded on an U.S. exchange, which is common for the largest international companies, than they must comply with all SEC filing regulations. Finding financial information on these companies will be substantially easier. Most resources in the Public Companies Financial Information section of this web site will apply.
You may find a little financial information on foreign subsidiaries/divisions in the parent company annual report, if the owning company does in fact publish annual reports. All other financial information will be found through newspaper or magazine articles. Do not expect to find as much information as you would on domestic subsidiaries and divisions.
Financial information will be difficult to gather on even the largest privately owned international companies. Search newspapers and magazines for data, but expect to find relatively little information available for free.
International Annual Reports
Moody's International Company Data Available in CD-ROM. Check local library for holdings.
Disclosure/WorldScope Available in CD-ROM. Check local library for holdings.Annual Report Gallery
Investor Communications Business, Inc.
International Market and Investment Information
Financial RatiosLexis/Nexis Academic Universe
Using Academic Universe for Financial Information
Country InformationAmerican Express Small Business Exchange Market Research Reports Offers two reports: Export Issues Report provides an overview of country trade, including trade statistics, information on country trade agreements and tariffs. Business Travel and Protocol Reports offer information such as currency information, cultural advice, and business etiquette.
CIA World Fact Book
Country Background Notes From the U.S. State Department.Country Libraries
Country Studies - Area Handbooks Prepared by the Library of Congress, these studies are not as current as some of the other resources listed here, but provide an excellent resource for background information.International Business Market Research Reports
Information provided by Industry Canada, this site offfers extensive information on industry sectors for each countryand is a significant source for research for individual countries.International Monetary Fund Staff Country Reports
Lex Mundi
This site is intended for attorneys, however it has an excellent collection of "Doing Business In . . . " Guides.
Market Access Information From the U.S. Department of Commerce. Provides access to Country Commercial Guides.University of Michigan's Documents Center: Statistical Resources on the Web/Foreign Economies
University of Michigan's Documents Center: Statistical Resources on the Web/Foreign Governments09/99