A Guide to Research on Companies

Before we start looking for information on a specific company, it would be logical to first find our what type of company it is. Broadly speaking, companies fall into two major categories, namely, private and public. A private company could in turn be a sole proprietorship, a partnership or an incorporated enterprise. A public company, on the other hand could be a parent company or a subsidiary, affiliate or a division of the parent. In addition, it is possible for either type of company to be a franchise or be of foreign origin. For our purposes, we may define a public company to be a company whose stock is listed on a national or a regional stock exchange and any company that is not public is a private company. Although the process of business formation is beyond the scope of this review, it would facilitate one's research if one is familiar with sources that provide information in this area. Besides, there is a constant demand in business libraries for information on how to set up businesses.