Specific Sources:

1. Use the company's web site. Ask employees questions.
2. Track down people in communities they operate (people and local newspapers can be good sources) and lawyers who have obtained documents from them through discovery.
3. Use the information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That is often on the company's web site (look for financial or "investor relations" information). Read the company's 10-K, the annual financial report to the SEC. You can search these documents on web sites like www.edgar-online.com.
4. Use our web page, where we have links to many good corporate research sites.

State and Local Records:

Secretary of State Corporations Bureau (public, private and non-profit companies must register with the Secretary of State in every state in which they conduct business) Documents to ask for include articles of Incorporation (explains the corporate structure, purpose of the company, business address, and names and titles of most owners and officers) amendments (changes to the articles, filed separately); certificate of good standing (formal notice from the Secretary that the company is up to date on all filings, fees and taxes). KnowX (www.knowx.com) provides low-cost searches for corporate records in most states. Can search by officer name, not just company name.

Court Information:

Uncovering the Corporate Rap Sheet (How to Learn About a Company's Brushes With the Law) www.corp-research.org/sep00.htm and PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) www.pacer.psc.uscourts.gov are good sources.

Law Firm Ties (to find out who the corporation's lawyers are): http://www.law.com/special/professionals/nlj/nlj_clientlist1-50.html

Environmental Records: www.scorecard.org; www.rtk.net; www.epa.gov/superfund/sites. www.ebic.org

Labor: www.osha.gov/oshstats/; www.nrlb.gov; www.ftc.gov/search

Other web sites:

• Executive salaries: www.ecomponline.com/ www.aflcio.org/paywatch
• Corporate Dirt Archives: www.corporations.org/corplist.html
• Corporate Reference Desk: www.internet-prospector.org/company.html
• Political Contributions: www.opensecrets.gov

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Last Updated March 4, 2003