1. Strategic Corporate Research Laura L. Leavitt Labor Relations & Business Librarian School of Labor & Industrial Relations Michigan State University (517) 355-4647 leavitt9@msu.edu http://www2.lib.msu.edu/branches/lir/ http://www.lib.msu.edu/staff/leavitt9/StrategicCorporate Research2008.ppt http://www.lib.msu.edu/staff/leavitt9/StrategicCorporate Research2008.ppt August 19, 2008

2. Today’s Objective Learn how to research employers & industries using a variety of resourcesLearn how to research employers & industries using a variety of resources …. to better assess the REAL threats and opportunities faced by a company or industry…. to better assess the REAL threats and opportunities faced by a company or industry ….and place you in a better overall bargaining position.….and place you in a better overall bargaining position.

3. Topics for Today: Unique features of business informationUnique features of business information Company & industry profiles, descriptions and statisticsCompany & industry profiles, descriptions and statistics Financial informationFinancial information Company & industry analysisCompany & industry analysis News & recent eventsNews & recent events Legal/regulatory environmentLegal/regulatory environment

4. Business Information Unique Features Initial things to consider…is the company: PublicPublic or private ? private Publicprivate SubsidiarySubsidiary or parent ? Subsidiary …and, is the information: “Free” or proprietary ?

5. General Company Info: Profiles & directories Hoover’s (free) & Online Pro Plus ($)Hoover’s (free) & Online Pro Plus ($)freeOnline Pro Plus freeOnline Pro Plus Marketline Business Information Centre (Datamonitor) ($)Marketline Business Information Centre (Datamonitor) ($)Marketline Business Information Centre Marketline Business Information Centre Reuters Company ProfilesReuters Company ProfilesReuters Company ProfilesReuters Company Profiles Business & Company Resource Center (available through MeL)Business & Company Resource Center (available through MeL)MeL Thomas Register Thomas RegisterThomas RegisterThomas Register Yahoo! Finance Yahoo! FinanceYahoo! FinanceYahoo! Finance

6. General Company Info: Profiles & directories State & Local ResourcesState & Local Resources  Crain’s Detroit Business Internet Directory Crain’s Detroit Business Internet Directory Crain’s Detroit Business Internet Directory  Chamber of Commerce directories Ex: Des Moines Partnership Des Moines PartnershipDes Moines Partnership  Public library files  Office of the Secretary of State See Business Filings by State Business Filings by StateBusiness Filings by State

7. Financial Information EDGAREDGAREDGAR  Website of corporate filings with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)  10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and Proxy Statements Yahoo! FinanceYahoo! FinanceYahoo! FinanceYahoo! Finance Mergent Online ($)Mergent Online ($)Mergent Online Mergent Online How to read financial statementsHow to read financial statements –Baruch College’s Guide to Financial Statements Baruch College’s Guide to Financial StatementsBaruch College’s Guide to Financial Statements –IBM Investor Guide – Financial Statements IBM Investor Guide – Financial StatementsIBM Investor Guide – Financial Statements

8. Industry Information OverviewsOverviews –Dun & Bradstreet Industry Reports Free registration required. Dun & Bradstreet Industry Reports Dun & Bradstreet Industry Reports –IBISWorld Industry Reports Brief reports free, longer reports for sale. IBISWorld Industry Reports IBISWorld Industry Reports Market ResearchMarket Research –Plunkett ($) Plunkett

9. Industry Information Trade Associations & Trade MagazinesTrade Associations & Trade Magazines –ASAE’s Gateway to Associations ASAE’s Gateway to AssociationsASAE’s Gateway to Associations –Trade Show Directory Trade Show DirectoryTrade Show Directory StatisticsStatistics –Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor StatisticsBureau of Labor Statistics –Economic Census Economic CensusEconomic Census

10. Analysis & Opinion Investext Plus ($)– 1,000’s of analysts reportsInvestext Plus ($)– 1,000’s of analysts reportsInvestext Plus Investext Plus Motley Fool – community driven ratingsMotley Fool – community driven ratingsMotley FoolMotley Fool Zack’s – ABR’s (Average Brokerage Ratings)Zack’s – ABR’s (Average Brokerage Ratings)Zack’s

11. News & Events What’s the Buzz? Magazines & newspapersMagazines & newspapers –PR Newswire PR NewswirePR Newswire –Wall Street Journal Wall Street JournalWall Street Journal –Business Week Business WeekBusiness Week –Fortune Fortune –Forbes Forbes –Crain’s Detroit Business Crain’s Detroit BusinessCrain’s Detroit Business –Financial Times Financial TimesFinancial Times –Economist Economist

12. News & Events What’s the Buzz? News AlertsNews Alerts  Google Alerts Google Alerts Google Alerts Discussion Groups/BBsDiscussion Groups/BBs  Yahoo! Groups Yahoo! Groups Yahoo! Groups Anti-Company SitesAnti-Company Sites  Starbucks http://www.starbucked.comhttp://www.starbucked.comhttp://www.starbucked.com  United Airlines http://www.untied.comhttp://www.untied.comhttp://www.untied.com

13. Legal & Regulatory Environment Legislation & LitigationLegislation & Litigation  THOMAS (Federal legislation) THOMAS  Michigan Legislature (track Michigan bills and laws) Michigan Legislature Michigan Legislature Government & Related SitesGovernment & Related Sites  OSHANLRB BLS OSHANLRBBLS OSHANLRBBLS  EEOCSEC EEOCSEC EEOCSEC  EPAFreeERISA EPAFreeERISA EPAFreeERISA

14. Watchdog Resources  CorpWatch CorpWatch  Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility  LaborNet LaborNet  Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Action Network  Environmental Defense’s Scorecard Scorecard  Third World Network Third World Network Third World Network

15. Union Data UnionStatsUnionStats http://www.unionstats.com http://www.unionstats.com http://www.unionstats.com Online collections of CBAs/contracts:Online collections of CBAs/contracts: –UC-Berkeley IIR Library http://iir.berkeley.edu/library/contracts/index.ht ml http://iir.berkeley.edu/library/contracts/index.ht ml http://iir.berkeley.edu/library/contracts/index.ht ml –Department of Labor http://www.bls.gov/cba/cbaccess.htm http://www.bls.gov/cba/cbaccess.htm –Michigan Public Sector Agreements http://turf.lib.msu.edu/awards/contractsindex.h tml http://turf.lib.msu.edu/awards/contractsindex.h tml http://turf.lib.msu.edu/awards/contractsindex.h tml

16. Need Help? Contact Me!! Laura L. Leavitt Labor Relations & Business Librarian Michigan State University 50 Law College Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1300 517-355-4647 leavitt9@msu.edu leavitt9@msu.edu LIR Library website: http://www2.lib.msu.edu/branches/lir/

17. URLs for Web Resources Investopedia http://www.investopedia.com Hoovers http://www.hoovers.com Reuters Company Profiles http://today.reuters.com/business/companyprofiles.aspx Michigan e-Library (MeL) http://www.mel.org Thomas Register of Manufacturers http://www.thomasregister.com Yahoo!Finance http://finance.yahoo.com Crain’s Detroit Business Internet Directory http://www.crain.com/datacenter/cdb/netindex.cfm

18. URLs for Web Resources Des Moines Partnership Business Directory http://www.desmoinesmetro.com/directory.asp LLRX’s Business Filings by State http://www.llrx.com/columns/roundup29.htm EDGAR http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm IRIN (Annual Reports) http://www.irin.com/cgi-bin/main.cgi?index=main Dun & Bradstreet Industry Reports http://www.zapdata.com IBISWorld Industry Reports http://www.ibisworld.com/snapshot/industry/?id=ValuationR esources http://www.ibisworld.com/snapshot/industry/?id=ValuationR esourcesZacks http://www.zacks.com

19. URLs for Web Resources Motley Fool http://www.fool.com THOMAS http://thomas.loc.gov Michigan Legislature http://legislature.mi.gov Baruch College’s Guide to Reading Financial Statements http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/tutorials/statements IBM Investor Guide – Financial Statements http://www.ibm.com/investor/help/guide/introduction.wss Financial Times http://www.ft.com Economist http://www.economist.com