by Bob Andelman

Where can you read more about the CEO of Paychex Inc., or delve deeper into PepsiCo's overseas morass? What innovation is Adobe preparing for market next year?

If your hunger for financial information goes even deeper, check out the online research sources below. You'll find Web sites for virtually every company mentioned in this book, as well as many recommended by the men and women interviewed for this book. These are the places that insiders ­ and business journalists ­ turn for help.

"Information is just so much more available than it used to be," says Bill Fries, a portfolio manager and managing director of Thornburg Investment Management in Santa Fe, N.M. "Not that it necessarily makes the investment decision-making any better, but we have a lot more to work with than we have ever had before."

Company web sites, for example, are now used to sell products and services directly to end-users and provide detailed product specs. They also attract new employees and communicate with existing employees, investors and the media. They give us an insight into corporate cultures that we didn't have before. Supplement all that with instant e-mail access to anyone in a company's hierarchy, and there is nowhere to hide anymore.

Another landmark shift in corporate information will likely follow in the wake of new full disclosure regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to several analysts, companies will no longer be allowed to release information in dribs and drabs to favored pet analysts who follow their companies. The new regulations require that companies no longer disclose information to individuals and institutions separately, but simultaneously to the public at large. Theoretically, a new corporate code of conduct should evolve from these regulations, leading to more uniformity in the release of earnings and other financial data.

"For many companies, it means no change," according to Fries. "But I think there may be some subtle changes with regard to less frequent meetings and more sensitivity to public disclosure and what constitutes public disclosure. In the past, companies might have held a meeting with 300 people, and they might all be institutional people, and they would have presumed that that was public disclosure."

Mentioned in Profit Drivers:

3M http://www.3M.com/US/index.jhtml

ABI http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/

Ace Hardware http://www.acehardware.com/

Adobe Systems Inc. http://www.adobe.com/

Alcatel Ventures http://www.alcatelventures.com/

Alcoa http://www.alcoa.com/

Allied Signal (now Honeywell) http://www.honeywell.com

Allstate http://www.allstate.com/

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com

America Online http://www.aol.com

American Express http://www.americanexpress.com

Ameritrade, Inc. http://www.ameritrade.com/

Anheuser-Busch http://www.anheuser-busch.com/

Apple Computer http://www.apple.com/

Armstrong World http://www.armstrong.com

AT&T http://www.att.com/

Auto Trader Publications http://www.autotrader.com/

AutoDesk, Inc. http://www.autodesk.com

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) http://www.adp.com/

AutoZone http://www.autozone.com/

Bank of America http://www.bankofamerica.com/

Bank One http://www.bankone.com

BellSouth http://www.bellsouth.com/

Benetton Group SpA http://www.benetton.com/

Bernstein Investment Research and Management http://www.bernstein.com/

Best Buy http://www.bestbuy.com

Big Lots (formerly Consolidated Stores) http://www.biglots.com/

Blockbuster Video http://www.blockbuster.com/

Blue Martini http://www.bluemartini.com

Boeing http://www.boeing.com/

Booz-Allen & Hamilton http://www.bah.com/index.shtml

Brinker International http://www.brinker.com/

Brocade Communication http://www.brocade.com/

Cabletron Systems http://www.cabletron.com

Cadence Design/Innovations LLC http://www.CadenceDesign.com/

Capital One Financial Corp. http://www.capitalone.com

Caterpillar http://www.caterpillar.com/

Caterpillar Tractor http://www.caterpillar.com/

CEC Entertainment http://www.chuckecheese.com/

Celera http://www.celera.com/

Charles Schwab http://www.eschwab.com/

Chase Investment Counsel http://www.chaseinv.com/

Checkpoint http://www.checkpoint.com/

Chocosphere http://www.chocosphere.com/

Christie's http://www.christies.com/

CINTAS http://www.cintas.com/

Circuit City http://www.circuitcity.com/

Cisco Systems Inc. http://www.cisco.com/

Citigroup http://www.citigroup.com/

CNBC http://www.cnbc.com

Coca-Cola Co. http://www.coke.com/

Commerce One http://www.commerceone.com/

Commonwealth Bank of Australia http://www.commbank.com.au

CompanyGreenhouse.com http://www.companygreenhouse.com

Concord EFS, Inc. http://www.concordefs.com

Cooker Restaurant Corp. http://www.the-cooker.com/

Corning http://www.corning.com/

Costco http://www.costco.com

Covisint http://www.covisint.com/

Cox Communications http://www.cox.com/

Credit Suisse First Boston http://www.csfb.com/

DaimlerChrysler http://www.chrysler.com/

Dain Rauscher Wessels http://www.DainRauscherWessels.com/

Davenport & Company LLC http://www.davenportllc.com/

David L. Babson Co. http://www.dlbabson.com

Dell Computer http://www.dell.com

Deutsche Telecom http://www.dtag.de/dtag/ipl2e/cda/t1/

Dillards http://www.dillards.com/

Dollar General http://www.dollargeneral.com/

Dominos http://www.dominos.com/

E*TRADE http://www.etrade.com/

eBay http://www.ebay.com/

EDS http://www.eds.com/

Electrolux http://www.electrolux.com/

EMC http://www.emc.com/

Equifax, Inc. http://www.equifax.com/

eToys http://www.etoys.com/

Extreme Networks http://www.extremenetworks.com/

Family Dollar http://www.familydollar.com/

Fannie Mae http://www.fanniemae.com/

FedEx http://www.fedex.com

Fidelity Investments http://www.fidelity.com/

First Union http://www.firstunion.com/

Fiserv http://www.fiserv.com/

Foundry Networks http://www.foundrynetworks.com/

Fred's Inc. http://www.fredsinc.com

Freddie Mac http://www.freddiemac.com/

Gateway Country Stores http://www.gateway.com/

General Electric http://www.homedepot.com/home.html

General Motors http://www.gm.com

Geoffrey James http://www.geoffreyjames.com

Georgia-Pacific http://www.gp.com/

Gillette http://www.gillette.com

Guidant Corp. http://www.Guidant.com

Handspring http://www.handspring.com/

Heilig-Meyers http://www.heiligmeyers.com/

Heinz http://www.heinz.com

Herman Miller, Inc. http://www.hermanmiller.com/

Hewlett/Packard http://www.hp.com/

Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/home.html

Hotjobs.com http://www.hotjobs.com/

IBM Corp. http://www.ibm.com/

IKEA http://www.ikea.com/

Intel http://www.intel.com/

International Society of Six Sigma Professionals http://www.isssp.org/

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. http://www.jpmorganchase.com

JCPenney http://www.jcpenney.com

JDS Uniphase http://www.jdsuniphase.com

Juniper http://www.juniper.net/

KBKids.com http://www.kbkids.com

Kellogg's http://www.kelloggs.com/

Kimberly-Clark Corp. http://www.kimberly-clark.com/

Kmart http://www.bluelight.com

Kodak http://www.kodak.com/

Leggett and Platt Inc. http://www.leggett.com/

Levitz Furniture http://www.levitz.com/

Little Caesar's http://www.littlecaesars.com/

Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse http://www.lowes.com

Lucent Technologies Inc. http://www.lucent.com/

Macy's http://www.macys.com

MarchFIRST http://www.marchfirst.com

Masco Corporation http://www.masco.com/

MBNA American Bank http://www.mbna.com/

McCormick & Co. Inc. http://www.mccormick.com/

McDonald's http://www.mcdonalds.com/

Medtronic Inc. http://www.medtronic.com/

Mercantile Bank Corp. of Western Michigan http://www.mercbank.com

Merck http://www.merck.com/

Merrill Lynch http://www.merrilllynch.com/

Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/

Monster.com http://www.monster.com/

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter http://www.morganstanley.com/

Motorola http://www.motorola.com

Nabisco http://www.nabisco.com/

National Commerce Financial Corporation http://www.nbcbank.com/

Netscape http://www.netscape.com/

Network Appliance http://www.networkappliance.com/

Nextel http://www.nextel.com/

Nordstrom http://store.nordstrom.com/

Nortel Networks http://www.nortelnetworks.com/index.html

Northern Trust http://www.northerntrust.com/

Novell http://www.novell.com/

OfficeMax http://www.officemax.com/

Olstein & Associates http://www.olsteinfunds.com

Oracle http://www.oracle.com/

Owens-Corning http://www.owens-corning.com/

Palm http://www.palm.com/

Papa John's http://www.papajohns.com/

Parametric Technology http://www.ptc.com/

Paychex http://www.paychex.com/

PepsiCo http://www.pepsico.com/

Perdue Farms Inc. http://www.perdue.com

PetsMart http://www.petsmart.com/

Pfizer http://www.pfizer.com

Phar-Mor Inc. http://www.pharmor.com/

Philip Morris Cos. Inc. http://www.philipmorris.com/

Pizza Hut http://www.pizzahut.com

PlayStation http://www.playstation.com

Polygram http://www.polygram.com

Priceline.com http://travel.priceline.com/

PricewaterhouseCoopers http://www.pricewaterhousecoopers.com/

Procter & Gamble http://www.pg.com/

Prudential Securities http://www.prudentialsecurities.com/

Qwest http://www.qwest.com/

Radio Shack http://www.radioshack.com/

Rambus Inc. http://www.rambus.com/

Rare Hospitality http://www.rarehospitality.com/

Raymond James & Associates http://www.raymondjames.com/

Razorfish http://www.razorfish.com

Redpoint Ventures http://www.redpoint.com

Russell 1000 Index http://www.russell1000.com/

Sam's Club http://www.samsclub.com

Santa Fe International Corp. (Santa Fe Drilling) http://www.sfdrill.com/

Sara Lee Corp. http://www.saralee.com/home.html

Sears http://www.sears.com

Sotheby's http://www.sothebys.com/

Southwest Airlines http://www.southwest.com/

Sprint http://www.sprint.com/

Staples http://www.staples.com

Steak & Ale http://www.steakandale.com/

Steelcase Inc. http://www.steelcase.com/

Stora Enso http://www.storaenso.com

Sun Microsystems http://www.sun.com/

SYSCO http://www.sysco.com/

Talbot's http://www.talbots.com

Target http://www.target.com/

Tech Data http://www.techdata.com/

Technology Business Research http://www.tbri.com/

The Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/home.html

The HON Company http://www.hon.com/

The Olstein Financial Alert Fund http://www.olsteinfunds.com/

TheGlobe.com http://www.theglobe.com

Thornburg Investment Management http://www.thornburg.com/

Tide http://www.tide.com

Time Warner Telecom http://www.twtelecom.com/

Toll Tag/E-Zpass http://www.ezpass.com/

Tommy Hilfiger http://tommyhilfiger.com

Toys 'R' Us http://www.toysrus.com

Tricon Global Restaurants http://www.triconglobal.com

UncommonShapes.com http://www.uncommonshapes.com

Veritas http://www.veritas.com

Verizon http://www.verizon.com/

Viant http://www.viant.com

Virgin http://www.virgin.com/

Wal-Mart Stores http://www.walmartstores.com/

Walt Disney http://www.disney.com

Waters http://www.waters.com/

Westvaco http://www.westvaco.com/

Whirlpool http://www.whirlpool.com/

William Blair & Co. LLC http://www.wmblair.com/

WorldCom Inc. http://www.worldcom.com/

Xerox http://www.xerox.com/

Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com

Zenith http://www.zenith.com

Other Online Investment Resources:

Business 2.0 http://www.business2.com/

Electronic Library http://www.elibrary.com

Financial Times http://www.financialtimes.com/

Forbes http://www.forbes.com

Fortune http://www.fortune.com/fortune/

Hoover's Online http://www.hoovers.com

Hoover's Online http://www.hoovers.com

Investor's Business Daily http://www.investors.com/

Morningstar, Inc. http://www.morningstar.com

Red Herring http://www.redherring.com/

Smart Money http://www.smartmoney.com/

The Economist http://www.economist.com/

The Industry Standard http://www.theindustrystandard.com/

The Motley Fool http://www.fool.com/

USA Today http://www.usatoday.com

Value Line http://www.valueline.com/

Wall Street Journal http://public.wsj.com/home.html

Worth http://www.worth.com

Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com)