LibGuides: Business Subject Guide: Company information

Corporate governance and accounting information

When looking for information about a company, such as who is the ultimate owner, what are the strategic aims of the company, who is on the board of directors, then reviewing the corporate governance documents of the company will be your first stop.

This type of information is often on the company's own website under a tab or footer menu called something like 'Investor Relations' or 'About Us' or 'Our Business'. This is because in many countries, including the UK, companies have a legal obligation to openly publish governance documentation when they are a public company. It can be more difficult to locate this kind of information where companies are private companies or are registered in certain other jurisdictions.

The following websites can help you locate company information where you have been unable to locate it on the company's own website:

Companies House
Use Companies House to locate information about UK registered companies including: registered address and date of incorporation;
current and resigned officers; mortgage charge data; previous company names; insolvency information
Companies House - Overseas Registries
List of company registries located around the world, provided by the UK Companies House. Many of the websites provide content in English and the language where the registry is based.
Open Corporates
Large open-access database providing company information from businesses around the world.
EDGAR - Search and access
Search information collected by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) using a variety of search tools.

Company analysis

The Library subscribes to a number of business information databases which will allow you to search for more detailed information and analysis about a company than may be available openly on the company's website or through government sites. These databases can provide overviews of a company's history and objectives, as well as allowing searches to be run for data such as employee numbers and financial performance.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
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Business Source Complete provides access to over 1 million company profiles. Use the 'Source Type' filters to narrow your results to company analysis reports such as SWOT analyses and industry profiles.
For off-campus access select Institutional Login and enter your University of Dundee username and password.

Nexis This link opens in a new window
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The Nexis database provides current and archived UK and international news articles and business information, such as company and industry
profiles. You can search this database in two ways, using the general search bar or power search.
Sign in with University of Dundee username and password.

If you live in Scotland you also have the option to register for free access to a number of business databases available through the National Library of Scotland, including D & B Hoovers a database that provides in-depth profiles of almost 120 million companies worldwide, plus market research and business news.

National Library of Scotland - Business eResources
A selection of business databases provided by the NLS for residents of Scotland, including four databases which can be accessed from home.

Business case studies

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
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For off-campus access select Institutional Login and enter your University of Dundee username and password.

You can search for business case studies using Business Source Complete:

Select the 'Advanced Search' option from below the main search box
Input the phrase "case studies" into the first search box and change the 'select a field' drop down box to 'SU Subject Terms'
Complete the other search boxes with relevant keywords or phrases, leaving the 'select a field' drop-down menu at its default or changing to 'TX All Text'

Henry Stewart Talks - Business & Management collection This link opens in a new window
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Henry Stewart Talks provides hundreds of case studies in both video and journal format from leading experts in commerce, industry, and academia. Search for these by running your keyword search on the main page and then filtering your search results using the appropriate 'case studies' filter.
For off campus access select Login, Login via organisation, select United Kingdom and University of Dundee then sign in using your University of Dundee username and password

British Library Business and IP Centre
The British Library's industry guides provide useful links and recommended resources for various business sectors.

The British Library also previously provided online access to various databases and other electronic resources. However, following a cyberattack on the British Library, these are not currently available (Dec 2024)