Research session for the 2014 History of Capitalism Summer Camp, Cornell University, Ithaca NY. Full research guide available at http://bit.ly/caparch

1. Capitalism’s Archives
Navigating Historical Company and Industry Resources
History of Capitalism Summer Camp 2014
Aliqae Geraci, ILR Research Librarian, Martin P. Catherwood Library

2. OBJECTIVES
Identify resources and strategies for
researching company and industry history.

3. BUSINESS RESEARCH 101
A crash course on how business information is organized

4. Key content providers
• Bloomberg
• WRDS
• Hoover’s
• Capital IQ
• S&P NetAdvantage
• Mergent
• Factiva
• Thomson

5. Content
• Company profiles and timelines (abbreviated histories)
• Key financials
• summaries (from filing data)
• ratios, etc.
• Product/service listing
• Leadership – Officers and directors
• Mapping functions
• Key competitors and industry information
• Investor reports - usually SWOT-type

6. Features
• Data driven - quantitative information and analysis
• Predigested - Info has been processed and is presented
in easily consumable format
• Insider perspective - Oriented toward the business
practitioner & investor community
• Ahistorical – or limited historical perspective

7. Why this is important
• Existing resources are designed for forward-oriented
practitioners, not researchers looking to the past
• Structural rules of information organization still apply –
source oriented.
• Organized according to the language, perspective, and
practices of capitalism. This vocabulary drives research
outcomes.

8. The language of capitalism
Image source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/cleantech-investment-clean-technology

9. COMPANY RESEARCH
“That the perspective is that of the firm is basic, and regardless
of the questions posed, the firm is, and will remain, the central
object of analysis.”
Source: Institute for Business History Research, “Business History: An Expanding Research Area”

10. Questions
Company Profile
• Leadership
• History/Timeline
• Subsidiaries
• Products & services
• Financials
• Customer base
Expanded Analysis
• Strategy
• Production & distribution
• Innovation
• Competitive landscape
• Economic & political
context
• Organizational culture
• Working conditions

11. Company profile
Basic elements
• Leadership
• Timeline
• Subsidiaries
• Products & services
• Balances
• Customer base
Sources
• Annual Reports (ARS)
• SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q)
• Moody’s (now Mergent)
Manual

12. ARS v. 10-K
Source: Cornell Management Library http://johnson.library.cornell.edu/node/283
ARS
• Annual report to
shareholders
• Leadership
• Financial statements
• Visual content – charts,
graphs
• Easier to understand – good
for an overview or getting
started
10-K
• Annual filing to SEC
• Leadership
• Financial statements
• No visual content
• More detailed information
– good for accounting
research or identifying
company vulnerabilities

13. ARS v. 10-K Locations
ARS
• Mergent Archives
• Proquest Historical
Annual Reports
• Columbia (NYC)
• UPenn
• Library microfiche
collections (see list)
10-K
• Mergent Archives
(limited)
• EDGAR (1994-present)
• Library microfiche
collections

14. Moody’s Manual
(Mergent Archives or print)
• Annual, dates back to 1909
• Financials (including historical data)
• Business history
• Leadership (officers and directors)
• Stock & dividend information
• Subsidiary listings

15. Beyond the company profile
Questions
• Strategy
• Production & distribution
• Competition
• Economic & political
context
• Organizational culture
• Working conditions
Sources
• Secondary sources
• Corporate history
• Employee manuals
• Company organ
• Corporate archives
• Collective bargaining
agreements
• Labor archives

16. Locations
• Directory of Corporate Archives
• ARCHIVEGRID
• Labor Archives in the United States & Canada
• Library Catalog or WorldCat
• Periodicals, publications, grey literature
• Search by corporate name for author or subject
• Subscription databases
• Primary and secondary sources

17. Considerations
• Private v. public – determines volume, accessibility
• Size matters – local/regional companies
• International companies – later in session
• See additional resources in LibGuide for titles/links

18. INDUSTRY RESEARCH
The company in context

19. Industry Questions and Sources
Information
• Industry code
• Major companies
• Employment/Wages
• Import/Export
• Establishments
• Revenue
• Political and economic context
• Regulation/Assistance
• Barriers to entry
• Competitive environment
Sources
• Statistical resources
• Print directories
• Mergent – Moody’s Manuals
• Industry and trade
publications
• Bibliographies & directories
• Industry & labor archives
• Proceedings of trade
associations

20. Locations
• Directory of Corporate Archives
• Statistical Abstract (ex: 1995, Construction)
• Library Catalog or WorldCat
• Periodicals, publications, secondary sources
• Search by industry name for subject
• Subscription databases
• Primary and secondary sources

21. MACROECONOMIC RESEARCH
Stay in “Industry & Macroeconomic Research”

22. Select Historical Resources
• Statistical Abstract
• Historical Statistics of the U.S.
• CEIC Data (International data)
• FRED (Federal Reserve)
• EconLit
• Historical periodicals

23. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
RESEARCH

24. Select Resources
• Uniworld
• International Directory of Company Histories
• Mergent Archives
• Research guides from business libraries and researchers
• International data sources like World Bank, IMF, and ILO

25. The Archival Landscape
• Every country has a different legal and cultural context
that influences archival collections, customs, and
requirements
• Corporate archivists are key resources to help navigate
resources and manage expectations
• Corporate archives still serve business needs first

26. QUESTIONS?
Favorite resources? Stumbling blocks?

27. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
For additional assistance, email asg255@cornell.edu