Where Did They Hide My Company?

摘要

It is axiomatic among business researchers that locating information on companies in which you can buy shares on a public exchange will always be easier than finding anything at all about the business started last week by your neighborhood teenager. What most people don't focus on is how company names—even those of large, well-known companies—can impede the research process. Most experienced searchers know that some companies hide their identities behind initials, acronyms and nicknames. The companies don't do this intentionally. When they chose their names, it never occurred to them to take the needs of online researchers into consideration. In fact, online research didn't exist when most of the companies I discuss chose their names.