The amount of available company information will depend on:
Business entity type - Publicly traded, privately owned, or a subsidiary?
- Publicly traded - More information is available about publicly traded companies who trade their stock on
the U.S. and other global stock exchanges or over the counter markets. They are required
to file financial statements and other documents with government organizations such as
U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and other global regulators.
- Private companies are not required to disclose any information to the public.
- Subsidiaries usually do not report financial and operation details but defer to the parent
company reports.
Location - U.S. or international?
- Local government regulations, business transparency practices, and language will impact
the amount of available information.
Required information - Confidential?
- Company clients, suppliers, competitors, and operating costs are a few examples of
information that many companies consider proprietary secrets and rarely disclose.
