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ACC 651 - Accounting Fraud.

Use the resources below to find information on a company's history, financials, reports, and more. 

 

Mergent Online: Mergent Online offers company financials, descriptions, history, property, subsidiaries officers, and directors. Click here to watch a video on how to search for company information in Mergent Online. 

 

Data AxleDatabase of 24 million businesses with company information, executive titles, sales volume, industry code, and number of employees. Click here for help using Data Axle.

 

StatistaStatista produces company reports that include financials, employees, competitive landscape, market valuation, and contact details. Once in Statista, click on Company DB (at the top of the homepage), and then search for the company that interests you.

 

ABI/INFORMFind company history, corporate strategy, performance and financial performance, SWOT analyses, and other analyses. Click here for a tutorial on finding company information using ABI/INFORM.


Additional Resources


 

What is a SWOT Analysis? 

A SWOT analysis (Strength + Weaknesses + Opportunities + Threats) is an analysis of a company used to create strategic business plans. External environmental factors are typically considered to be Opportunities or Threats.  Internal factors are generally classified as Strengths or Weaknesses.

Where can I find SWOT Analyses? 

Use the following databases below to find company SWOT Analyses. 

What is an Annual Report? 

Annual Report - A yearly record of a public corporation’s financial condition that must be distributed to shareholders under securities and exchange commission regulations. Included in the report is a description of the company’s operations as well as its balance sheet and income statement.

Read for

  • President's Letter to Shareholders - a good summary of past year's financial and strategic successes and failures and stated goals for the coming year
  • Graphically presented financial highlights  - balance sheet & income statement
  • Description of company operations - awareness of corporate brands, marketing strategy, market segmentation, and competitive space
  • Sense of corporate style, culture, philosophy, marketing "look and feel"

Where can I find Annual Reports? 

  • Company websites- Company websites often include 3-5 years of annual reports.  Even though they are developed for stockholders, they may have a corporate bias since the documents are public-facing.
  • Mergent Database- Mergent Online provides an overview of company history, ownership, financials, and includes an impressive historical collection of annual reports. Search for a company name, then select the "reports" tab and select "annual report". 
  • SEC EDGAR- Electronic versions of forms filed by U.S. corporations with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) from 1994 to the present. Note that annual reports are 10-K forms for the SEC.

What is a 10-K Report?

10-K - Annual report required by the Securities and Exchange Commission of every issuer of a registered security, every exchange-listed company, and any company with 500 or more shareholders or $1 million or more in gross assets. The form provides for disclosure of total sales, revenue, and pretax operating income, as well as sales by separate classes of products for each of a company’s separate lines of business for each of the past five years. A source and application of funds statement presented on a comparative basis for the last two fiscal years is also required. Form 10-K becomes public information when filed with the SEC.

SourceDictionary of Finance and Investment Terms

Where can I find a 10-K Report?

  • Mergent DatabaseMergent Online provides an overview of company history, ownership, financials, and includes an impressive historical collection of annual reports. Search for a company name, then select the "reports" tab and select "annual report" to view 10-K reports. 
  • Nexis Uni

To search for a 10-K report in Nexis Uni, select "company info" in the Guided Search box. Enter a company name, and select "SEC Filings" under And Show Me, then hit search

On the results page, enter "10-k" in the Search Within Results box. Click on the document title to view the 10-K report. 

 

 

  • SEC Website To search for 10-K reports, click on the "filings" tab and select "Company filings Search". Search for your company name. Once on the Company Information page, click on the 10-K reports tab on the right to view recent reports. 

Use the resources below to find information on a non-profit company. 

The US Securities and Exchange Commission's mission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.