Finding Company Information on the World Wide Web The Web is an abundant source of company information. The challenge is finding useful, reliable material. Web-based business information sources are recommended throughout this site, but the emphasis has been on quality, rather than quantity. Only material most relevant to company and industry research has been included. Thus, many excellent resources have been omitted. The following section is not intended to list links to business web sites. Rather, it is intended to help those interested in company information independently and effectively incorporate web-based resources into the research process.
Evaluating World Wide Web ResourcesAnyone can publish on the world wide web. No one screens information for accuracy or authenticity. You must use discretion when selecting sites. Ask yourself, Who provided the information? Is the source trustworthy? How old is the information and is it still accurate? Is the purpose of the site to educate, persuade, or market a product or service?
All web sites have a domain name that can help you determine the type of organization responsible for maintaining it. Gov (government), mil (military), org (organization) and edu (educational institution) are the common not-for-profit institution domain names. Com indicates a site maintained by a commercial organization and can indicate an individual or corporate author
Many web sites are produced by commercial publishers. They are not free and frequently require a subscription or membership. Make sure you know whether the site you wish to use is for fee or free. All sites recommended by this site are free, although they may link to fee based sites. See Evaluating Web Resources for an excellent evaluation checklist developed by Erica Lilly, Coordinator for Electronic Services, Kent Sate University)
Searching the WebYou may search the web with a wide variety of search engines or web crawlers. A web crawler will allow you to retrieve sites which match a word, phrase or name you type in. Each crawler has different capabilities and searching requirements. Click here for a list of some of the popular search engines with help on using each of them.
SEARCHING WITH WEB CRAWLERS
Guides to Business Resources on the World Wide Web
You may wish to use a printed guide to help you search the web more effectively -- here are a few options:The Internet compendium : subject guides to social sciences, business, and law resources.
The Prentice Hall Directory of Online Business Information
Online Resources for Business : Getting the Information Your Business Needs to Stay
Competitive
Online Guides to Business Resources on the World Wide Web
There are also many online guides to business resources on the internet. They point to hundreds of Web sites for business and are very useful if you do not know where to begin your web search. Here are a few recommended sites:Company Research on the World Wide Web: A Subject Guide for Union Activists. Prepared by the AFSCME ( American Federation of State, City, and Municipal Employees) Information Center. Highlights resources for social responsibility issues.
Berkeley Business Guide No. 18
Carol's Guide to Reference Sources
New York Public Library's Business Hot List
Corporate Web Sites
Corporate web sites can be an excellent source of company information. Increasingly, public companies are putting their annual reports on the web. Some sites include company histories, press releases, and current news. Corporate web sites also give you an enhanced feel for the image they are trying to project and the marketing and advertising strategies they employ. Remember, however, that the company is publishing the information they want you to see. While this does not necessarily make the information you find on a corporate web site false, it does make it subject to critical evaluation. The following resources contain links to corporate web sites.
Companies OnlineCorpTech Profiles 45,000 high technology companies. 80% of coverage is on private companies.
You can also use the Web Crawlers discussed above to search for your company's web site.