3. Finding company and industry information
When used well and with caution, search engines can be a very effective search tool for finding company and industry information.
Usually, a simple search using a search engine such as Google will lead you directly to company websites. Take care to check you find the official company website you are seeking. Make use of the Advanced Google Search functions to do broader product or industry searches. It can be helpful to use the filters to restrict your searching to a geographic region or to a file type (many reports are uploaded to the web in PDF format). Google Scholar won't necessarily be helpful when searching for this kind of information as it indexes primarily scholarly literature.
Company information
Company websites may offer important information to help you begin your research. Many companies provide access to their latest annual report (sometimes previous reports) and financial statements. It is important to note that company websites are usually designed to promote the organisation and its products.
Search engines such as Google are the most effective way of finding company websites.
Look for sections labelled:
- About Us
- Investor Relations or Investors and Media
- Corporate Information
- Company Information or Our Company
- Company News
- Publications.
Other websites that you may like to search are:
- Australian Financial Review (some freely available content)
- Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)
- Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) Connect
- Wikipedia list of company registers - incomplete worldwide registry of most companies engaged in any type of financial transaction
Industry information
There are a number of websites that offer industry information.
- AusTrade Industry Profiles - Industry profiles for exporting goods to countries other than Australia.
- Australian Government Industry Factsheets - Provides an overview of the legal, operational and business issues relevant to specific industries
- Australian Government Industry Groups information
Other websites
You may also find the following useful:
- Queensland Governments Statistician's Office (QGSO) - QGSO is the Queensland Government's statistical and economic agency. It provides a wide range of demographic, economic and social data relating to Queensland.