Research Guides: ENGR 102: Business Databases

Identifying companies

Start with the following databases to identify companies of interest. My selections are based on the Business Librarian's guide to Industry Research (check her page for more details on these databases). The video will show a quick method of identifying major companies in a field but if you want to delve further use the business librarian's instructions on finding major companies.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window Contains coverage for more than 2,300 journals covering a wide range of business topics. In addition, the databases includes access to company profiles, country reports, industry reports, market research reports and SWOT analyses.
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IBISWorld This link opens in a new window Limited to 30 downloads per session.  Covers about 680 U.S. industries written at the 5-digit level of NAICS. Each report contains key statistics, market characteristics, segmentation, industry conditions, performance and outlook. These reports are written by industry specialists. Each report is updated every 4 months.
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Statista This link opens in a new window Reports that provide an aggregate of a variety of data, mainly statistics. Search for data by industry, political issue, consumerism, companies or countries. The data reports provide sourcing information.
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MarketResearch.com This link opens in a new window Full-text service of market research reports on many topics. Includes more than 40,000 market intelligence publications from 350 publishers worldwide.
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ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new window A comprehensive business database with over 3,200 journals covering business and economic conditions, corporate strategies, management techniques, as well as competitive and product information. It consists of: ABI Global, ABI Archive, ABI Images, ABI Trade and Industry, Dateline, Business Dissertations, Hoovers, Oxford Research, Wall Street Journal, SnapShots North American, and EIU. Coverage: 1971 to date.
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Questions to ask yourself about companies

•Is it a public or private company?

•Is it part of a group of companies?

•Does it have one location or many locations

•When was it established?

•What industry sector(s) is it in?

•Who are the competitors?

•Are there any newsworthy articles about your company?

•Did it receive any big contracts recently?

•Who is the CEO and other key figures?

•How are the company’s finances?

Finding company information

Start with the business databases below. My selections are based on the business librarian's guide to Company Research (check her page for more details on these databases)

ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new window A comprehensive business database with over 3,200 journals covering business and economic conditions, corporate strategies, management techniques, as well as competitive and product information. It consists of: ABI Global, ABI Archive, ABI Images, ABI Trade and Industry, Dateline, Business Dissertations, Hoovers, Oxford Research, Wall Street Journal, SnapShots North American, and EIU. Coverage: 1971 to date.
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Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window Contains coverage for more than 2,300 journals covering a wide range of business topics. In addition, the databases includes access to company profiles, country reports, industry reports, market research reports and SWOT analyses.
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Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Summary company records and EDGAR files for over 11,000 U.S. public corporations and 17,000 non-US public companies.
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Business Research Toolkit
by Nicollette Brant Last Updated Dec 8, 2023 540 views this year

Company Homepages

Supplement your research by finding the company’s homepage on the Internet:

Who is their Human Resources manager?
Do they have an internship program?
Do they have any open positions?
Do they have a good benefits package?
Are they philanthropic? (give money to charity)
Do they have a sustainability program?
Are they family-friendly?
Are there programs for career advancement?
Do they have a statement on Diversity?

About Business Industry Codes

Every company or business is part of an industry. Likewise, every product fits into an industry. Industries have been defined and codified by the U.S. federal government. Some industry information is organized by the industry code (a number) rather than the industry name. There are several ways to identify the industry and obtain the industry code. There are several major industry code systems: Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) were created and are maintained by the U.S. government. When searching some business databases, you can use SIC or NAICS codes as a keyword. To find the appropriate industry code, please use the SIC and NAICS sources below

(Edited text from Nicolette Brant's research guide)

SIC: Standard Industrial Classification (U.S. Department of Labor)
Last updated in 1987 and replaced by NAICS in 1997, SIC codes are 2-4 digit codes that define specific industries in North America.
NAICS: North American Industrial Classification System (U.S. Census Bureau)
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.