Check the company's web site for information on its history. Also, consult the company's annual report for a brief history--usually accompanied by the company's mission statement.
Two library databases to find company history are
Mergent Intellect: To get a list of important events in a company's history, do a company search and then select the History link under the Company Details tab.
EBSCO Business Source Elite: Select the Company Profiles link at the top of the page, enter a company name, select the appropriate Datamonitor link and then the Hisory link on the left side of the screen under the table of contents.
REF HD 2721 .I63.
This multi-volume reference work brings together histories of leading companies. Check the index volume of the last reference book to get the volume numbers you need for the company you are researching. Other volumes can be found online in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
“Each three- to five-page entry is meticulously detailed with facts gathered from popular magazines, academic periodicals, books, annual reports and the archives of the companies themselves. Entries provide information on founders, expansions and losses, labor/management actions, NAICS codes, key dates, ticker symbol, principal subsidiaries, principal divisions, principal operating units, principle competitors and other significant milestones -- all peppered with statistics, dates and names of key players.”
This edition is a collection of chronologies for over 1,800 of the most significant corporations operating in the
Company Profiles for Students (3 vols.) REF HC 102.2 .C66
Each report has a general overview, analysts’ opinion, brief history which includes fast facts and key dates important to the company’s story, information about strategy, influences, products, corporate citizenship, global presence, and a bibliography.