Skip to Main Content
Baker University logo

Company Information

Resources that will help you uncover how all kinds of companies function, whether they are public, private, or not-for-profit.

Company's Corporate Culture and Mission Statement

The beliefs that most great organizations frequently grow out of the character, the experience, and the convictions of a single person. For example, at IBM, that person was Thomas Watson, Sr.

"The Watsons created a corporate culture that lasted. IBM, Big Blue, became the archetypal modern corporation and its managers the ultimate stereotype, with their regulation somber suits, white shirts, plain ties, zeal for selling, and company song." (1)

There is a great deal of contradiction over the differences and similarities between vision and mission. In this checklist a corporate mission or vision is taken to mean a description of the road ahead. The mission statement:

  • describes the purpose of the organization
  • identifies how an organization defines success
  • outlines the strategy that will be followed to achieve success
  • incorporates the shared values and behavior that the organization expects from employees (2)

Footnotes:

1. "A business and its beliefs", Business the ultimate resource. Cambridge, MA Perseus Publishing 2002, p.896
2. "Producing a corporate mission", Business the ultimate resource. Cambridge, MA Perseus Publishing 2002, p.475

Interviews

An important method of of finding out what is happening within a private company is to locate interviews of the CEO or senior management. By peering into their thoughts, you may determine what makes them tick and what determines the way they run the company. You will find out about their attitudes, opinions, and strategic thinking. In addition, they might reveal their revenue, the number of employees in their company, their culture, and their growth rate.

Find Interviews from Analyst Reports

1. From the opening page, select: Advanced Search.

 

2 Type: Zuckerberg and interviews 

 

3. Note the number of articles in each publication category type: A-D
4. Use the boxes on the right to limit your results by a number of variables like date and subject.

Watch this video to see the steps to find an interview in this database.
Music from: http://www.bensound.com

OR:

Follow these steps to find an interview in this database:

  • From the blue bar along the top, under More, select: Indexes
  • In the "Browse an Index" search box, select: People
  • In the "Browse for" search box, type a name. (last name first). For example, Gates, Bill
  • When the selection list appears, scroll down and select the name - interviews. For example, GATES, BILL, 1955 -- INTERVIEWS

Follow these steps to find an interview in this database:

  • From the opening screen, select the Advanced Search screen
  • From the top search options,  Select:  News
    undefined
     
  • 1. In the Search Box, first type the name you're searching. eg. Warren Buffett
  • 2. Use the drop-down box to highlight: Headline and Lead Sections.
  • In the next box, type another word; eg. interview*
    undefined
    (Don't forget the asterisk.....that will search both the singular and plural forms of the word, interview.
  • Scroll down and Search 
  • When the results appear, use the items in the left column to limit your results.
  • Scroll down to the area labeled, "People".
  • Use the drop-down box to highlight the name. eg., Warren Buffett.
  • Continue using the Limit functions in the left column. If you're interested in News shows and transcripts, under Publication Type, highlight News Transcripts.

Gather information about Corporate Culture from the following sources

You can find external opinions by consulting press articles from management and human resources contexts as well as analysts' reports. Use the acquired information to build a broad picture of the company.

When looking for articles in any of the business databases, use the following subject terms:

  • case studies
  • corporate image
  • corporate culture
  • corporate identity

More often than not, when public companies file their financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, they will refer to their company's mission. You can locate a company's SEC filings through Nexis Uni.

1. From the Guided Search area, [What are you interested in?]. highlight Company Info.
2. In the next box, [Search in all Company Information for:], type your company. For example, Home Depot.
3. In the next box,  [..and show me], use the drop-down box and highlight: SEC filings.


4. In the Results page, use the Timeline filter in the left column to limit the time frame.