Is the company still in business?

Although you should not jump to this conclusion too early in your research, there is always a possibility that the company you are looking for has ceased to exist or has undergone some organizational changes. Consequently, it may no longer be doing business under its former name. If the resources you are using are fairly recent they may now only list the company under the new name.

Instead, you should turn to resources that will let you determine if the company has disappeared due to business failure, whether they have undergone corporate change activities such as a merger, an acquisition, leveraged buyout, or consolidation, etc., or if the company has been involved in bankruptcy or liquidation. Try some of the following sources:

Capital Changes Reporter
(Financial Services)
For public companies, provides a chronological list of dividends, stock splits, name changes, mergers, acquisitions, and other changes in corporate capital and debt structure.

Troubled Company Reporter
http://www.bankrupt.com/news_archive/
Daily electronic newsletters distributed to paying subscribers. However, this archive includes (for free) newsletters which are now older than 90 days.

Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations
(Financial Services) or
Standard and Poor's NetAdvantage (EIC)
Standard & Poor's corporation descriptions companies. The electronic version includes Bond Guide, Corporation Records, Dividend Record, Earnings Guide, Industry Surveys, Mutual Fund Reports, The Outlook, Standard & Poor's Register, Stock Guide, and Standard & Poor's Stock Reports.

Company Histories (or International Directory of Company Histories)
(near McGraw Desk; *R-Econ. HD2721 .I58 1988)
Provides detailed information on the historical development of the world's largest and most influential public, private and state-controlled companies.