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MGT 461: Company History

Library Catalog

Access book titles, e-books, journal titles.

Reference Books Providing Company History

​This multi-volume reference work brings together histories of leading companies. Volumes 1-143 are in the library, later volumes are available through the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

 “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.”

Source: Gale Cengage Learning

  • Notable Corporate Chronologies (2 volumes) REF HD 2721. N68 2001

This edition is a collection of chronologies for over 1,800 of the most significant corporations operating in the U.S. and abroad. Each timeline lists and describes key dates that mark the major events in the corporation’s history.  Included are dates for founding, major product introductions, tenures of pivotal executive officers, major scandals, mergers and significant acquisitions, financial milestones, major stock offerings, and other important events.

  • 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.

Databases with Company Histories

Check the company's web site for its history. Often, the company's annual report will include a brief history--usually accompanied by the company's mission statement.

Two library databases with company histories are:

FIS Mergent Online: 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.