Explore the Corporate Website
Leanne Wells
Introduction
Many business students begin their research by locating the company’s website and social media channels using a quick Google search. There are a few areas, in particular, where using Google can be a viable strategy:
- accessing corporate websites
- finding government information (international, national, provincial, and local)
- finding statistics (e.g., Statistics Canada, US Census)
- locating technical information such as help manuals and software documentation
The most effective means to locate a corporate website is to enter the company name into Google. Consider putting the company name in quotation marks if the company is more than one word. If the company is public, adding corporate to your Google search can also be helpful. For the most part, the company’s corporate website should appear at or near the top of your Google search results.
While corporate websites seem to be good sources of information, can you trust their company-supplied information? Sometimes, but it’s important to be aware that corporations will often depict themselves in the best possible light. As such, it is worthwhile to supplement the information available on a corporate website with the independent company databases provided by UNB Libraries.
Corporate Website
A public company’s corporate website usually contains a variety of additional information within its web pages. For example, the company’s mission, basic structure, current financial information, promotional and marketing tools, product information, and more.
It is important to ensure that you are accessing the company’s corporate website. Corporate information is often buried in a variety of interior locations on websites. You should look for links on the site such as:
- About Us
- Company Info
- Media & News
- Press Releases
- Investors or Investor Relations
- Site Map (can help in locating specific information)
Investor Relations
The Investors or Investor Relations section of the website is typically where the company’s current financial information can be located. To give you an example, take a look at Apple Inc’s Investor Relations webpage by clicking the snapshot below.
You will also notice that Apple’s Investor Relations link displays a wealth of information including links to stock price, SEC filings, leadership and governance, environment, social and governance topics (ESG), and FAQs.
Keep in mind that the look and feel of each company’s investor’s web page will be different. For example, take a look at Canadian Tire’s Investors webpage by clicking the snapshot below.
You will notice that Canadian Tire offers a variety of information for Investors including financial reporting, financial news, events and presentations, along with shareholders, debtholders, corporate governance, and investor resources. Don’t be afraid to explore the different links within the Investor web pages.
QUICK TIP
Keep in mind that corporate websites usually highlight the