Wikipedia:WikiProject Companies/Lists of companies by country
The purpose of this page is to define a set of guidelines for Lists of companies by country, to help ensure that
- These lists meet the letter and spirit of WP:LISTS
- A somewhat consistent look and feel is introduced, with variations as appropriate
- Concerns raised in previous AFDs (spam magnet, lack of defined scope) are addressed.
Lead in section edit
Every list should include a section at the start clearly defining and narrowing the inclusion criteria for the list, as the scope based upon just the title is too broad and open to interpretation.
The suggested inclusion criteria is "notable companies which have or previously had a significant presence in the country."
Notable is defined as any company which meets WP:CORP, regardless of whether they have an article on Wikipedia.
Significant presence is defined as:
- Companies that were founded in that country
- Companies that have their world headquarters located in that country
- Companies that generate 50% or more of their revenue in that country*
- Companies that have greater than 50% market share within their industry in that country*
*Addition based upon these would require verifiable sources confirming that the company meets this criteria.
For the purpose of these lists the term "company" would exclude legal entities established as an investment vehicle, such as open ended investment companies or mutual funds.
The lead in could also include useful information about companies in that country, for example:
- How companies are legally structured
- The types of businesses and industries that are found in that country
The list edit
Wikilinks should be provided to any categories or other lists already covering companies within this country (such as lists of companies on a stock exchange in that country). Any companies included within those categories/lists should not be duplicated here.
It is preferable that one sortable list be created, including at least the following:
- Company Name (as a Wikilink, regardless of whether an article exists or not)
- This could be split into multiple columns for both English & native language versions of the name
Other optional information such as the following could be included where there is sufficient interest in maintenance:
- Year founded
- ICB / GICS information
- Headquarters (to identify the city/region within which the headquarters is located)
- Asset information (as of last fiscal year-end)
- Revenue information (as of last fiscal year-end)
- Stock Exchange Membership & ID
- Notes
- Used to identify whether the company is active or defunct, ownership details and other relevant information
See also edit
It would be appropriate to include a See Also section, providing links to other relevant articles such as:
- Economy of the country
- Lists of companies on that country's stock exchanges
- Lists of companies located within specific cities or regions of that country
External links edit
It may be appropriate to include an External Links section, providing links to websites which provide commentary on companies within that country (for example, a news article on that country's biggest companies). Links to specific company websites or sites that only discuss one company would not be appropriate.
To help avoid the perception that these lists could be used for spam all company names should be Wikilinks, regardless of whether an article exists or not.
References edit
The use of references would be beneficial in situations where the addition of a company to the list could be considered controversial based upon the established inclusion criteria.
Images edit
Where appropriate and available, free images could be added in order to enhance the list.