There is today a pervasive awareness in the grassroots environmental and social justice movements that corporations are out of control.  They have become so large, so politically and economically powerful, and so socially omnipresent that even the limited republican democracy envisioned in the U.S. Constitution is grievously impaired.  In the words of Richard Grossman, a leader and visionary of the growing movement for revitalized citizen control over corporations, “what corporations do, not what they do wrong, is the problem.”  Corporate power has become so hegemonic that is not necessary for corporations even to break the law to do massive environmental and social harm.
 
    Despite the gravity of this problem, the politicians of the world’s industrialized nations have steadfastly refused to reign in corporate power.  On the contrary, they have enshrined it as global gospel in brutally enforceable “free trade” agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).  Final and total enthronement of global corporate laissez faire is being (secretly) negotiated as of this writing, under the rubric of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.
 
    So, today it falls to citizens of conscience to confront and challenge corporations one by one.  To do this, citizens must be able to construct an accurate and complete profile of the corporation under scrutiny.  It is necessary to document many of the activities of a corporation, not just those that are illegal.  The purpose of this Guide is to help citizens do just that.  With a solid base of well researched background information, dedicated people, and a lot of plain hard work, it is still possible for citizen groups to confront misguided corporate plans and defeat them.
 
    The current condition of near corporate rule is doomed to end, to condemn itself by its own excesses.  Already, grassroots citizen action is on the rise.  The labor union movement in the U.S. is continuing its dramatic rebirth and second growth.  More fundamentally, there is a growing initiative in the environmental and social justice movements, and the public interest legal community, to reassert the powerful legal restraints that citizens and state governments have historically had on corporate activities.  Of primary interest is reforming the chartering of corporations such that their power and influence is substantially legally restricted in an enforceable manner.  Under a reformed chartering process, corporations would be permitted only to engage in specific business activities defined in the charter document.  Corporations would not be able to engage in “all lawful activities,” including lobbying and financial support of political parties, as is the case today.  The corporate stranglehold on “our” government would be broken.

    This initiative is not one of new and radical ideas.  Rather it seeks to reassert well-established legal powers that have been eviscerated by a century of willful legislative surrender by politicians, disastrous jurisprudence, and historical revisionism.  State by state, it seeks to once again put the public interest above the lust for private profit.

    To learn more about the movement to reassert citizen power over the corporation, contact the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD) and ask for their primer, Taking Care of Business:  Citizenship and the Charter of Incorporation.

Arthur Clark
Labor Day, 1997
 
Introduction

     People in communities everywhere have experienced how environmentally damaging and socially devastating it can be to have a new unwanted plant, mine or industrial logging project located in or near their community.  It has also been widely found that it is nearly impossible to shut down such a project once it is in full operation.  Citizens find that their town or state isn’t theirs anymore.  It has been bought out from under their feet, by corporate money.

    Since you are reading this guide, it likely that you are faced with the prospect of some corporate boondoggle being newly located (or expanded) in your area.  Or, perhaps, you want to do some research to help someone else defend their community.  The way to stop such disasters from occurring is simple, but by no means easy:  Defeat the corporation’s plan before ground has been broken.  Preferably, you should try to defeat a plan before the first permit has been issued, let alone land bought and cleared.

    The first step is often fairly straightforward.  Find out what corporation is involved and what they want to do.  That will likely be reported in the local newspapers.  The second step is not straightforward at all.  That second step is finding where this corporation is based, how big it is, where their other operations are, etc.  It’s time to research the corporation and its history.
This guide is designed to help you do that.  It is not a step-by-step guidebook on how to do corporate research, nor is it a comprehensive bibliography of sources of information about corporations.  These types of resources are already available.  The purpose of this guidebook is to help you get started with the preliminary phase of research and to allow you to locate and use existing resources to move beyond that.  There are many excellent aids for the novice corporate researcher.  Using this guide, you can track down the ones that you need to get the job done and save yourself a lot of time.  With the right set of research resources, you can accomplish more in a few weeks than you could in months of unaided searching.

    To get started, just turn the page.  Once you’ve used the “Tips for Getting Started” to get going, you should find what you need in the other sections of the guide.  If you don’t, remember:  this guide won’t provide everything you need at your fingertips.  It will make it much easier for you to find it.
 One final note:  To be a really effective and knowledgeable activist in the long term, you must understand the terminology, mindset, and history of the business community.  (You don’t have to approve of it or accept it!)  There is a special section to help you with that, titled “Understanding the Business World:  Corporate Culture, History, and Corporate Crime.”  Best of luck with your work.  Your town, forest, or watershed will be safer because of it.
 
Tips for Getting Started

1.  Make absolutely certain that you have the full name of the company, spelled correctly.  Many corporations have names that are longer than the name by which they are commonly referred to in the press.  A classic example is DuPont.  The full name of the company is E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.  Many business directories and other resources will only have a single entry for a company like DuPont.  And, that entry may be under its full name, not the popular name.

2.  Your first objective should be to find out whether the company is publicly traded or privately held.  This determination is critical because publicly traded companies disclose enormous amounts of information about their operations, both to satisfy regulatory requirements and to attract investors.  Privately held companies are not legally required to disclose very much information, and generally do not disclose any more than they must.  Being that they are privately held, all shares owned by a small number of family members and/or close associates, they do not publish promotional materials for investors.  (Publicly traded companies are those that have stock for sale on a stock exchange.  Privately held companies are not listed and traded on stock exchanges.)

3.  If the company is publicly traded, call the company and ask for investment information.  In most cases, publicly traded companies will be happy to send you brochures and company reports.  Ask for a copy of the company's last two annual reports and other investment information.  Annual reports contain all manner of information regarding the company's operations, holdings, sales, liabilities, and plans for growth.  In order to attract investment capital, corporations which profit from despoiling natural resources will sometimes boast in their annual reports regarding how much timber they cut or land they mine.  Of course, you should not believe a word of what a company has to say regarding its environmental record unless you are able to verify it with several reliable sources.

4.  Get some help.  This help can take many forms.  If you can, you should try to work with someone who is familiar with investigating corporations.  In any case, you should get a copy of a good guidebook for corporate research.  Even a knowledgeable friend or librarian cannot replace a step by step guide to the research process.

5.  Don’t limit yourself to researching on the Internet.  While the amount and quality of information on the `net continues to increase, the library remains far superior.

6.  Your choice of which libraries to use is very important.  I strongly advise that you use the library of a large university.  If you can visit a university that has a graduate or undergraduate school of business with its own library, your research will be much easier.  If your only options are small college and/or local public libraries, go to as many as feasible.

7.  Get started now.  Quality corporate research takes a substantial time commitment.  If it is done in a rush, the results will reflect that.*  The resources in the “Essential Library Reference Resources” and “Indexes of Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles” sections of this publication will help you with the preliminary phases of your work.  To go beyond that, use the “On-line Resources” and the “Guidebooks for Researching Corporations” sections.  If you find yourself seemingly irrevocably stuck at some point, do not give up.  Keep at your work.  There are whole offices of people who make very good salaries ferreting out detailed information about secretive companies.  It can sometimes be difficult, but it is never impossible.  If you are completely stumped, contact ERIN, EBIC, PIN, or a similar organization for assistance.

8.  If you are interested in taking legal action against a corporation that you have investigated, contact local and regional environmental organizations.  See if you can locate a good attorney who will take your case or advise you at low or no cost.  If you cannot locate such an attorney, contact the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund or the Earth Justice Legal Defense Fund.

*You can be sued by a company if you publicly make allegations that you cannot support with solid information.  It is not a common occurrence, but it does happen.
 
Essential Library Reference Resources

America’s Corporate Families
“The Billion Dollar Directory” (ACF Vols. I & II) - Dun & Bradstreet, Bethlehem, PA - ISSN 0890-6645

    Extremely valuable for tracing lines of corporate ownership (see also Standard & Poor’s Register).  Allows quick identification of selected subsidiaries and ownership of listed corporations.  Start by looking in the “green pages” of vol. II.

    Volume I lists alphabetically ultimate U.S. parent companies with selected U.S. subsidiaries, divisions and major branches shown.  The listings are hierarchical, showing the company’s (partial) “family tree.”  Information provided in the listings includes address(es), telephone and fax numbers, state of incorporation, description(s) of the firm’s business activities, names and titles of company directors and officers, and much more.

    Volume II is an index of vols. I and III (see next entry), by name, of all U.S. parent firms, divisions, subsidiaries, and major branches.  This volume also contains indices arranged by state and by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code.  (This volume includes alphabetical & numerical indices of SIC codes.)

America’s Corporate Families And International Affiliates
“The Billion Dollar Directory” (ACF Vol. III) - Dun & Bradstreet, Bethlehem, PA - ISSN 0740-4018

    Very useful for tracing a foreign subsidiary to its American parent corporation, or the converse.  First see the previous entry for general information.

    Index section lists U.S. & foreign ultimate parent corporations, subsidiaries, divisions, and major branches of firms appearing in this 3rd vol. and vols. I & II of America’s Corporate Families.

    Section I contains two subsections, one of US ultimate parent corporations and their foreign subsidiaries.  The second subsection contains a listing of US subsidiaries and their foreign ultimate parent companies.  Section II lists companies by country and state.  Section III lists firms by their assigned Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code number.  (This volume includes alphabetical & numerical indexes of SIC codes.)

D&B Million Dollar Directory
“America’s Leading Public & Private Companies” - Dun & Bradstreet, Bethlehem, PA - ISSN 0734-2861

    This handy set of books is one of the most common business directories found in libraries.  As of the 1997 edition, it listed over 160,000 public and private companies.  Listings include address, telephone number, state of incorporation, annual sales, a very short description of the firm’s business activities, names and titles of company directors and officers, and more. The extent of information in each listing varies.

    The company profiles are arranged alphabetically in vols. 1 - 3.  Volume 4 provides a geographic index by city and state.  Volume 5 provides an index by industry using Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code numbers.  A key to SIC codes is provided.

Directory of Corporate Affiliations - National Register Publishing, New Providence, NJ

Five volumes.  Similar to America’s Corporate Families, see that entry for general information.
 
Dun’s Regional Business Directory - Dun & Bradstreet, Bethlehem, PA - ISSN varies

    A good resource for locating companies in a particular region that are too small to be listed in a national business directory.

    These regional directories contain short profiles of small, mid-sized, and large companies in a metropolitan area and the surrounding countryside.  Industries covered vary from one directory to another, depending on the makeup of the regional economy.  Profiles may include address, telephone and fax numbers, a very short description of the firm’s business activities, and names and titles of top officers.

    Indexes included list companies by name, SIC code, and location (city or town name).  Regional rankings list the Top 1,000 Companies by Sales and Top 1,000 Companies by Number of Employees.  Statistical information on entire industries is also included.

Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources - Gale, Inc., Detroit, MI - ISSN 0071-0210

    This reference work lists sources of information on business topics.  It is arranged by subject, e.g. “Business History,” “Business Ethics,”  “Private Companies.”  Each subject listing contains profiles of information sources of many different types, including books, directories, CD-ROM databases, periodicals & newsletters, trade associations & professional societies, etc.  These profiles provide the name of the publication, the publisher, the year of publication, and a description of the source.  A master list of publishers with contact information is included.

Everybody’s Business
“A Field Guide to the 400 Leading Companies in America” - Doubleday Currency, New York, NY

    This book is a real breath of fresh air.  In addition to presenting limited company information like that found in a typical directory of companies, the editors of this work do something unique:  editorialize.  Its profiles range from qualified praise to damning condemnation depending on the company.  A good starting point for finding out the good and the bad about the largest companies doing business in the U.S.

    Company profiles present rankings, global and U.S.,  in their industry.  Other information provided includes U.S. and global sales figures, location of headquarters, number of employees, and contact information.  Profiles are indexed by company name, industry, some brand names, and names of individuals mentioned in the profiles.  A general index is also provided.

F&S Index United States Annual
“Business Information on Companies, Industries, Products, Applied Technology” - Information Access Company, Foster City, CA - ISSN 0277-9676

    “F&S Index United States covers company, product, and industry information from over 750 financial publications, business-oriented newspapers, trade magazines, and special reports.”  This is an index to articles and reports about companies, industries, and products.  For example, one could look up a corporation, e.g. “Boise Cascade,” an entire industry, e.g. “Wood & Wood Products,” or a specific product, e.g. “Weyerhaeuser Recycled Laser Copy paper.”

    Entries are indexed by company name, product name, and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.  A key to SIC codes is provided.  Listings provide a brief description of the information contained in the article being indexed, the name of the periodical in which it appeared, and the date & page number.

    Information Access Company also publishes the F&S Index Europe Annual  (ISSN 0277-9684) and the F&S Index International Annual (ISSN 0277-9692).
 
Hoover’s Handbook of American Business
“Profiles of Major U.S. Companies” - The Reference Press, Inc., Austin, TX - ISSN 1055-7202

    This two volume set profiles around 750 of the “largest and most influential companies in America.”  Each corporation is covered by a two page profile containing historical, developmental, legal, and financial information.  Much of this information is presented in a simple narrative format.  Financial information, selected brand names, selected competitors, and operations information are provided in lists and tables accompanying the text.  The companies are indexed by name, headquarters location, industry, brand names, and executives.

International Directory of Company Histories - St. James Press, Detroit, MI

    Useful for finding background information on company history and development.  Coverage is global in scope.  Companies included are very large and/or are quite prominent in their industry or geographic region.

    Originally published as a five volume set in 1988, this set now contains eighteen volumes.  Each volume contains a cumulative index.  Due to changes in ownership of the publishing company, the indices and format vary slightly throughout the series.  The history of each listed company is two to ten pages in length.

Notable Corporate Chronologies - Gale Research Inc., Detroit, MI - ISSN 1078-3865

    This new serial reference set provides chronologies of 1,150 major corporations world wide.  Ranging from one column to many pages in length, each corporate chronology consists of important events in the company’s history, listed by year, with a short description of the important event(s) or business development(s).  Suggestions for further reading are included.  Gives the reader a quick idea of the corporation’s age, history, and major changes in management direction.  Other than contact information (name, address, and telephone & fax numbers), no other corporate financial or operational data are included in the entries.

    The chronologies are indexed in four indexes.  Users can look up company names (current & past), product names, key executives, and geographic location names.

Standard & Poor’s Corporation Records

See Standard & Poor’s Standard Corporation Descriptions

Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives
Standard & Poor’s, New York, NY - ISSN 0361-3623

    This set of volumes is a good source for company information, information about corporate board members and executives, and for constructing a corporate family tree.  A very helpful guidebook, the User’s Companion to Poor’s Register, was published by S&P in 1989.  Use it if the library has it.  It may be shelved beside the other three volumes.  Also, look for the monthly paperback supplements if needed.

    The best known directory of companies, their directors (board members), and executives (officers).  Volume 1 contains profiles of over 56,000 major U.S., Canadian, and foreign corporations doing business in the U.S.  Listings include address, telephone number, Internet address, accounting firm, primary law firm, primary bank, SIC codes, number of employees, annual sales, a description of the firm’s business activities, stock exchange and ticker symbol for publicly traded companies, and names, titles, and functions of company directors, officers, and other principals.

    Volume 2 contains profiles of company directors and executives.  Listings include business affiliations and titles, business addresses, and residence addresses.  Where available, place and year of birth, college and year of graduation, fraternal memberships, and e-mail addresses are also included.  Arrangement is alphabetical.
 
    Volume 3 is composed of seven sections.  It contains indices of vol. 1 by SIC codes and location (city and state).  The Corporate Family Indices list companies and their ownership relationships to one another both by ultimate parent company name and by subsidiary, division, or affiliate name.  Two separate sections list all companies and individuals appearing in the Registry for the first time.  An obituary section is also included.

Standard & Poor’s Standard Corporation Descriptions (aka Standard & Poor’s Corporation Records)  Standard & Poor’s, New York, NY - ISSN 0277-500X

    This mainstay of corporate research provides one to two page profiles of publicly traded companies.  Information contained in the listings includes corporate finances (bonds, credit, debts, ratios, etc.), annual production and/or sales figures, wholly owned and partly owned subsidiaries, a description of the company’s business activities, names and titles of officers, directors, and other key principals, number of employees, state and status of incorporation, and more.

Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. Public and Private Companies
Gale Research Inc., Detroit, MI - ISSN 1048-8707

    This handy set of books is one of the most common business directories found in libraries.  As of the 1997 edition, it contained over 120,000 companies, ninety percent of those private.  Listings include address, telephone and fax numbers, annual sales, a very short description of the firm’s business activities, names and titles of company directors and officers, and more. The extent of information in each listing varies widely.

    Volumes 1-3 list companies alphabetically with a short profile.  Volume 4 is an index arranged geographically, by state and zip code.  Volume 4 also contains lists of companies including 1,000 Largest Privately Held Companies, 1,000 Largest Publicly Held Companies, and 1,000 Largest Employers.  Volume 5 contains information on entire industries, arranged by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code.  A key of SIC codes for each company is included.  Volumes 6 & 7 contain rankings by state.  These include, for each state, 100 Largest Privately Held Companies, 100 Largest Publicly Held Companies, 100 Largest Employers, and more.

Ward’s Private Company Profiles
“Excerpts and Articles on Privately Held U.S. Companies” - Gale Research, Detroit, MI - ISSN 1071-9555

    This set of volumes, one published per year, provides short collections of newspaper, magazine, and professional journal articles about privately held US corporations.  Companies included are “industry leaders (Amway), up-and-coming companies (Shiva), companies with sound operating and financial health (Publix Super Markets), and companies that are in the midst of legal, financial, or management crises (Phar-Mor).”

    Company profiles include address, telephone and fax numbers, a description of the firm’s business activities, names and titles of company officers, and more.  Companies are indexed by name, location, and SIC code(s).
 
Indexes of Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles

Please read the “Important Notes” at the end of this section.  It may save you a lot of time and effort.

Alternative Press Index - Alternative Press Center, Baltimore, MD

    “[T]he Alternative Press Index, [is] a quarterly subject index to approximately 250 alternative, radical and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines. Librarians consider the API the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to alternative sources of information available today. Each article is listed and cross-referenced by subject. Every citation contains the title, author and information about the publication in which it is located.”  Personal names and corporation names are used as subject entries.

    Many libraries do not carry the API.  It is available to individuals at deeply discounted prices.  See page 16 for contact information.

Barron’s Index (formerly Barron’s Financial and Business Weekly)

See Wall Street Journal Index.
 

Business Periodicals Index - H. W. Wilson Company, New York, NY - ISSN 0007-6961

    This useful work is an index of articles appearing in trade magazines, professional journals, and business newspapers.  Entries provide the title of the article, the publication, and the date & page number.  Articles are indexed by subject, e.g. “Forest management,” company name, e.g. “Willamette Industries,”  and industry name, e.g. “Paper industry.”

Christian Science Monitor Index - UMI Company, Ann Arbor, MI - ISSN 0893-245X

    The index of the Christian Science Monitor, with one bound volume per year.  Articles are indexed by subject headings, personal names, corporation names, product names, and geographic location names.

General Science Index - H. W. Wilson Company, New York, NY - ISSN 0162-1963

    An index of science, technology, and scientific professional journals.  Articles are indexed by subject only.  Rather than looking up a specific corporation, check under the subject heading of “Corporations.”

Humanities Index - H. W. Wilson Company, New York, NY - ISSN 0095-5981

    An index of magazines and journals dealing with a wide array of disciplines from communications & PR, to history, to aesthetics.  Articles are indexed by author and subject.  Subjects can be company names, e.g. “Willamette Industries,” personal names, or topical, e.g. “Forest Products Industry” or “Corporations.”

New York Times Index - The New York Times Company, New York, NY

    The index of the New York Times, with one bound volume per year.  Articles are indexed by subject headings, personal names, corporation names, product names, and geographic location names.
 
Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature - H. W. Wilson Company, New York, NY - ISSN 0034-0464

    A standard core collection index to periodicals found in almost all libraries.  The Readers’ Guide indexes articles found in a wide variety of mass circulation magazines.  It does not cover academic and professional journals.  Articles are indexed by author and subject.  Subjects can be company names, e.g. “Willamette Industries,” personal names, e.g. “Charles Hurwitz,” or topical, e.g. “Forest Products Industry.”
 
Social Sciences Index - H. W. Wilson Company, New York, NY - ISSN 0094-4920

    This series indexes journals and magazines dealing with a wide array of the social sciences.  Articles are indexed by author and subject.  Subjects can be company names, e.g. “Willamette Industries,”  or topical, e.g. “Forest Products Industry.”
 
Wall Street Journal Index - UMI Company, Ann Arbor, MI - ISSN 0099-9660

The index of the Wall Street Journal, with two bound volumes per year.  Volume 1, the “Corporate News” volume, lists articles only by the name of the corporation(s) being covered.  Volume 2, the “General News” volume,   indexes articles by personal names, subject headings, product names, and geographic location names.  Entries contain an abstract of the article, the date of publication, and the page & column where it appeared.  The last section of each volume is an index to Barron’s, one of the leading weekly publications of the business world.
 
Important Notes:

1. The fastest and most efficient way to search for periodical articles on your target corporation is to use one or more electronic databases which are on CD-ROM discs or available on-line.  A wide variety of electronic databases are produced.  Examples are ProQuest, Searchbank, Academic Press Journals, and Nexis.  Most of these databases are very powerful and easy to use.  You will need to go to a university or large public library to use these services.  Most are exorbitantly expensive to purchase.  Only libraries, universities, and businesses can afford them.

    Many libraries, especially university and large public libraries in major cities, provide free access to these databases.  Libraries often have step by step instructions on a sign or sheet beside the computers used to access the databases.  In a public library, these services are usually available to everyone.  In many university libraries, these services are provided only for student and faculty use.  Have a student or faculty member you know do searching for you or at least accompany you to the library, if possible.  If that is not possible and you feel you must use the databases, do not ask for permission, in all likelihood you will be told “no.”

    Be sure to examine the coverage of the databases that you use.  You can then use the more cumbersome book format indexes to fill in any gaps in the types of periodicals covered by the databases.

2.  Indexes of the most current issues of periodicals will be in paperback supplements which are normally shelved with the annual hardback volumes.

Guidebooks for Researching Corporations
 
Contact information for publishers and organizations begins on page 16.
 
Activist Research Manual
“Volume 1: Sources of Information on Corporations” - Public Information Network, Seattle, WA

    If you had to choose only one aid of any kind for doing corporate research, this would be the best choice.  Astoundingly comprehensive, this bibliography of information sources gives the user over 50 pages of listings covering virtually every aspect of the corporate world.  It is available to activists on paper from PIN, at a very low price.  It is also available free on the Internet.  See the “On-line Resources” section.  (This manual does not include “how-to” instructions on researching a corporation, only lists of sources.  See Industry and Company Information for a good “how-to” guide.)  A condensed version of this manual is available as a stand-alone publication, Essential Resources for Corporate Investigations, or as part of another superb PIN publication, the Primer on Corporations.
 
Essential Resources for Corporate Investigations
Public Information Network, Seattle, WA

See Activist Research Manual.
 
How to Find Information About Companies, Part 1
Washington Researchers Publishing, Washington, DC

    A 660 page exhaustive guide to researching corporations.  Similar to How to Find Information About Private Companies, but much longer.  See that listing for more information.  Price is US$395.
 
How to Find Information About Private Companies
Washington Researchers Publishing, Washington, DC

    This book is a comprehensive guide to researching private companies.  If you are really serious about exhaustively researching a private company, this is a good guidebook.  It includes information on general approaches to researching a company as well as source-specific information.  As of late 1997, the current revision is Edition VIII, priced at US$145.  Registered 501(c)(3) non-profits are eligible for a 20% discount.  This company publishes a variety of comprehensive “how-to” guidebooks for all types of industry, company, product, and brand name research.
 
Industry and Company Information
“Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources” - Pierian Press, Ann Arbor, MI - ISBN 0-87650-287-7

    This is an excellent “how-to” guide for basic corporate and industry research.  It is written for college students, but is quite useful to anyone doing corporate research for the first time or even as a reference for more experienced persons.  This 1991 edition does not include coverage of Internet resources.  Other than that, it is truly excellent in quality and is easy to use.  This book is a tremendous value at only US$25.00 for paperback.  Publication of an updated version, with Internet coverage, is planned for late 1998 or early 1999.

    This book is a fully illustrated guide on how to research a corporation or industry.  Easy to follow, step-by-step search strategies are explained for public corporations, private companies, and entire industries.  Copious tips and hints on using the various information resources save the user considerable time.  This book was written by two experienced librarians from Purdue University and the University of Arizona.
 
Manual of Corporate Investigations
“Building Profiles of Public and Private Companies” - Food & Allied Service Trades Dept. of the AFL-CIO, Washington, DC

    Another fairly comprehensive guide to building a profile of a corporation.  This manual is a valuable guide, but should be used in combination with another guidebook to better ensure good results.  The latest revision of this manual is 1989, so it is quite dated.  (This 1989 edition is no longer being distributed by FAST.)  A newly updated edition is planned for January 1998.  Judging by the 1989 edition, the new edition should be very useful.
 
Primer on Corporations
Public Information Network, Seattle, WA

See the Understanding the Business World:  Corporate Culture, History, and Corporate Crime section, page 15.
 
Researching Corporations:  A Guide to Organizations
Environmental Research Foundation, Annapolis, MD

    This publication is not a “how to” guidebook, rather it is a guide to organizations that provide research services or engage in corporate research themselves.  These organizations may be able to give you information on corporations that they have already investigated or, in some cases, they may be able to do research for you.  The current edition, published in 1995, will be updated.  As of late 1997, no publication date for the revised edition had been set.
 
On-line Resources (Internet)
 
Business Resources, Rutgers University Libraries
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/socsci/busi/business.html

    This is an outstanding site, an absolute must.  This web page provides access to all kinds of Internet accessible resources for company information.  Links include pointers to other comprehensive web sites of business information.
 
Corporate Accountability Project
http://www.envirolink.org/issues/corporate/index.html

    Mike Ewall’s site of corporate information and links, a good resource.  This site includes the Corporate Welfare Information Center, the Corporate Dirt Archives, and Corporate Power Information.  Also has links to materials for activist organizing, training, and networking.
 
Corporation Watch
http://www.corpwatch.org/home.html

    This site is the home of Corporation Watch, a cooperative project “dedicated to helping build greater democratic control over transnational corporations at the local, national, and international levels.”  Among this site’s many valuable resources is the excellent Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Activist's Guide to Research and Campaign on Transnational Corporations at http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/resrch/resrch.html  This page also has links to other resources.  Also see the CorpWatch links page at http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/links/links3.html

    This site is often quite slow.  Plan to access it at off-peak hours.  It is also rife with graphics which take forever to load.  I recommend accessing it by the “text only” (no graphics) page at http://www.corpwatch.org/hometext.html
 
Data Center
http://www.igc.apc.org/datacenter

    The Data Center provides research and clipping services to activists.  Non-profit groups may qualify for free research.  Consultations are free.  The Data Center web site provides descriptions of their services and on-going projects.
 
EDGAR Database of Corporate Information, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm

    The S.E.C. EDGAR database is a great source for basic information on publicly traded companies.  Private companies will not appear in EDGAR.  Publicly traded corporations file many reports with the S.E.C.  Start by looking at the company’s latest annual 10-K filing.  Good on-line help is available on the web site.  A must for researching any publicly traded company.
 
Environmental Background Information Center (EBIC)
http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/ebic/index.html

    EBIC provides corporate research services to grassroots groups at no cost.  Their web site contains information about their services as well as a strategy guide to researching and successfully campaigning against corporations.  Links to other on-line resources are also provided.
 
Environmental Journalism Home Page:  Subject Links
http://www.sej.org/env_subj.htm

    This SEJ page provides links to sources of information about corporations and other environmental concerns.  Be sure to look  at the “Business & Industry” page.
 
Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN)
http://www.essential.org/erin

    The ERIN web site provides links to information on forest products industry companies.  Other areas of the site provide on-line tools for environmental activists, including issue information and  legal research tools.  A must see web site for forest activists.
 
Galaxy EI Net:  Business Resources
http://galaxy.einet.net/galaxy/Business-and-Commerce.html

    Links to many kinds of business information.  Be sure to look at the “Newspapers & Periodicals” link under the “Business General Resources” heading.
 
Multinational Monitor
http://www.essential.org/monitor/monitor.html

    Founded by Ralph Nader, this outstanding magazine cuts through the nonsense and provides hard-nosed coverage and criticism of multinational corporations operating in the U.S. and around the world.  Their web site provides the keyword searching of all back issues of the magazine.  Links to other valuable resources are also provided.  A must visit web site.
 
Pepperdine University Libraries Internet Resources Guide:  Company Information
http://rigel.pepperdine.edu/Guides/bibcos.htm

    An annotated selective list of web sites with free information on companies.  This is a good starting point for basic company research on the web.  Highly recommended.
 
Public Information Network
http://violet.berkeley.edu/~orourke/PIN.html  (This site may be moved in the near future.  Call or send e-mail to PIN for the new site address if this one does not work.)

    A “public interest group providing research services and information to citizens . . .  PIN maintains several databases on the environmental and social impacts of corporations, offers short-term as well as on-going research services, and provides training in activist research methods.”  This is another great site.  Among its resources are the Directory of TNCs and the excellent Activist Research Manual.
 
Right-to-Know Network
http://www.rtk.net

    RTK Net provides “free access to numerous databases, text files, and conferences on the environment, housing, and sustainable development. With the information available on RTK NET, you can identify specific factories and their environmental effects; analyze reinvestment by banks in their communities; and assess people and communities affected.”  This site is a gold mine of information.  The most often used database is the Toxic Release Inventory.
 
Washington Researchers, Ltd.
http://www.researchers.com

    This for-profit professional research firm gives away a lot of valuable advice for free on its web site.  You should fully explore this web site.  There are many great strategy tips and hints throughout the web pages.
 
Understanding the Business World:  Corporate Culture, History, and Corporate Crime
 
Corporate Crime and Responsibility

Corporate Crime Reporter -  Washington, DC

    If you are serious about watching a company for misdeeds or you are interested in staying informed on corporate crime in general, you should consider subscribing to the Corporate Crime Reporter.  This weekly delivers incisive coverage of allegations and convictions involving corporate and white collar crime.  An excellent resource for any corporate watcher.  Not available on-line.
 
Multinational Monitor -  Washington, DC

    Founded by Ralph Nader, this outstanding magazine cuts through the nonsense and provides hard-nosed coverage and criticism of multinational corporations operating in the U.S. and around the world.  You will find news and in-depth analysis here that appears in no other magazine.  Highly recommended.  Available on-line at http://www.essential.org/monitor/monitor.html
 
News, Current Business Climate, and Corporate Culture

Barron’s - Dow Jones & Company, Inc., New York, NY

    A mainstay of the weekly business press.  Provides a good weekly overview of the business climate and investment scene.  Profiles of corporations are a regular part of the magazine.  Available on-line only to paid subscribers of the Wall Street Journal.  Many libraries will have Barron’s.
 
Business Week - McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

    The world’s best selling weekly business magazine.  Informative and relatively interesting.  Many libraries have Business Week.  Available on-line for free at http://www.businessweek.com  Discounted subscriptions available to students.
 
Financial Times - Financial Times, Ltd.

    The definitive daily newspaper of international business.  Very informative.  Coverage is global.  Only large libraries will have this newspaper.  It is available at newsstands in major cities.  Subscribing is quite expensive.  Available free on-line (if you register) at http://www.usa.ft.com
 
Fortune

    One of the major weekly magazines of big business.  A good resource for getting a feel for corporate culture and the corporate way of thinking.  Most libraries carry Fortune.  Available free on-line at http://www.pathfinder.com/fortune
 
Wall Street Journal - Dow Jones & Company, Inc., New York, NY

    The premier daily business newspaper in the U.S.  Very informative.  Subscribing is very expensive, but most libraries have this newspaper.  Available on-line only to paid subscribers.
 
Corporate Power and History

Primer on Corporations - Public Information Network, Seattle, WA

    Another superb PIN publication.  This primer covers a range of topics.  Its sections are Chronology of Incorporation & Monopoly, Facts & Statistics, Quotes About Corporations & Related Topics, Essential Resources for Corporate Investigations, Annotated Bibliography, and Organizations Dealing with Corporation Issues.
 
Taking Care of Business:  Citizenship and the Charter of Incorporation
Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy, Provincetown, MA

    The definitive primer on the history of corporations and the rise of corporate power.  This eminently readable booklet traces the legal evolution of the corporation from tightly-restrained business enterprise to the modern corporation with more legal rights than a real person.  If you want to understand how corporations have become so powerful, but don’t want to wade through a full-length book on the subject, this succinct but in-depth primer is perfect.
 
Contact Information
 

Alternative Press Center  P.O. Box 33109  Baltimore, MD 21218  (410) 243-2471  (410) 235-5325 fax  altpress@igc.apc.org  http://www.igc.apc.org/altpress	Financial Times  Customer Service  14 East 60th Street  New York, NY 10022  (212) 752-4500  (800) 628-8088 toll free  (212) 308-2397 fax  circulation@financialtimes.com  http://www.usa.ft.com
American Federation of Labor/  Congress of Industrial Organizations  Food and Allied Service Trades Department  815 Sixteenth Street, NW  Washington, D.C. 20006  (202) 737-7200   http://www.aflcio.org	Pierian Press  Box 1808  5000 Washtenaw  Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1808  (800) 678-2435
Business Week  (609) 426-7500  (800) 635-1200 toll free  (609) 426-7623 fax  bwhelp@mcgraw-hill.com  http://www.businessweek.com	Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy  Richard Grossman  211½ Bradford St.  Provincetown, MA 02657  (508) 487-3151
Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund  Thomas Linzey, Esq., Staff Attorney  2859 Scotland Road  Chambersburg, PA 17201  (717) 709-0457  tal@cvns.net  http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/celdf	Public Information Network  P.O. Box 95316  Seattle WA 98145-2316  (206) 723-7417  pin@igc.apc.org  http://violet.berkeley.edu/~orourke/PIN.html
Corporate Crime Reporter  Russell Mokhiber, Editor  1209 National Press Building  Washington, DC 20045  (202) 737-1680	RTK Net  1742 Connecticut Avenue, NW  Washington, DC 20009  (202)234-8494  rtk@rtk.net  http://www.rtk.net
Data Center  464 19th Street  Oakland, CA 94612-2297  (510) 835-4692  datacenter@igc.apc.org  http://www.igc.apc.org/datacenter	Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund  see Earth Justice Legal Defense Fund
Earth Justice Legal Defense Fund  (formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund)  180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1400  San Francisco, CA 94104   (415) 627-6700   (415) 627-6740 fax  scldfsf@igc.apc.org	Wall Street Journal  200 Liberty Street  New York, NY 10281  (800) 832-1234  http://www.wsj.com
Environmental Background Information Center  204 E. Calder Way, Suite #305  State College, PA 16801  (814) 867-7341  ebic@envirolink.org  http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/ebic	Washington Researchers, Ltd.  P.O. Box 19005  Washington, DC 20036-9005  (202) 333-3499  (202) 625-0656 fax  researcher@researchers.com  http://www.researchers.com
Environmental Research Foundation  P.O. Box 5036  Annapolis, MD 21403-7036  (410)  263-1584  (410) 263-8944 fax  erf@rachel.clark.net  http://www.ecomall.com/activism/erfund.htm
Environmental Resources Information Network  Ned Daly, Director  P.O. Box 19367  Washington, DC 20036  (202) 387-8030  (202) 234-5176 fax  ndaly@essential.org  http://www.essential.org/erin

 
About ERIN
 
    The Environmental Resources Information Network is a non-profit organization affiliated with Ralph Nader’s Taxpayer Assets Project of Washington, D.C. ERIN seeks to provide local and regional environmental organizations access to information comparable to that of national environmental organizations and extractive industries.

Our Mission

    ERIN seeks to focus attention and resources where they are most needed today, the grassroots.   ERIN’s mission is to serve grassroots environmental organizations, especially those working to protect our forests.  The activists assisted by ERIN set their own agendas and priorities.  ERIN provides services and advice as needed.  The assistance they receive is intended to increase their effectiveness and give them the ability to work proactively on issues.

How ERIN Serves Grassroots Activists

    ERIN offers four types of services to grassroots activists.  The first is Internet access assistance.  A wealth of academic and government information concerning environmental issues is available on the Internet, often at no cost.  Electronic mail and other Internet-based communication services allow activists to share information, strategize, and support one another quickly and inexpensively.  Many grassroots groups do not have the ability to access the Internet directly and use these invaluable resources.  ERIN helps organizations gain access to the Internet and effectively use it for research, electronic mail, networking, and public education.  If an organization chooses to increase its use of the Internet, ERIN can offer additional services, such as setting up a World Wide Web page.

    The second type of services that ERIN provides is technical assistance.  ERIN assists activists in obtaining affordable computer equipment and assembling a working computer system.  ERIN provides advice and troubleshooting assistance to activists experiencing technical problems with their computer hardware and/or operating system.  ERIN does not provide day-to-day technical support for questions regarding the use of commercial software, such as word processing and desktop publishing programs.

    The third type of services ERIN provides is resource referral.  ERIN provides activists faced with countering industry or government agency misinformation with referrals to scientific, legal, and public policy experts.  ERIN can act as an intermediary between the activists and experts or simply provide a referral.  ERIN can also suggest additional resources that activists may find useful for meeting their particular needs.

    The fourth type of services that ERIN offers is “hands-on” assistance.  These services include on-demand research, assistance in writing comments on a project, developing press packets, Internet distribution of action alerts, and much more.  ERIN can act as a liaison between activists and a government agency, such as the Forest Service.  Alternatively, ERIN can draft Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, establish initial contact with agency staff, and perform other services to help activists interact with agency personnel more effectively.  On occasion, ERIN can assist organizations with resource intensive needs such as strategic planning, organizational development, and on-the-ground organizing.

    In addition to these four types of basic services, ERIN also works proactively to provide resource materials on important current and emerging issues.  ERIN prepares issue reports, primers, and case studies for  use by grassroots environmentalists.  These resources for activists are distributed to key organizations and individuals as well as made available on-line via the ERIN web site.