Tips for Researching Companies and Industries
- Obtain the registered name of the company if possible. (For example, Pepsi is actually PepsiCo.)
- Publicly traded companies are easier to research. Knowing the ticker symbol is another way to research them. (PepsiCo's ticker symbol is PEP).
- Smaller, private companies require looking for articles in local new sources like Crain's Chicago Business and Regional Business News.
- The International Directory of Company Histories is useful for historical research. Find this multi-volume, book series in the Reference Collection.
- When looking at the website of a publicly traded company, look for links at the bottom of the page for "Investor Relations" or "Company information". These links will take you to information like annual reports and investor update reports.
- IBISWorld gives indepth industry reports. Each report is 30-40 pages of content.
- IBISWorld is U.S. focused only.
- First Research Reports are searchable within Mergent Intellect. Scroll to the bottom of the page to search them.
- Industry reports are available in Business Source Complete.
- SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) reports are only available in Business Source Complete.
Databases for Company Research
- Mergent Intellect View company profiles, create lists of businesses and contacts, access industry reports
- Business Source Complete Business Source Complete includes full-text, non-journal content such as financial data, monographs, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, company profiles, SWOT analyses, as well as industry, market, investment, and county reports. It covers all disciplines in business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance, and economics.
- Morningstar Investment Research Center Morningstar is a comprehensive stock database that includes in-depth research reports on companies; data on mutual, closed-end, and exchange-traded funds; analysts' reports on funds, and exclusive investment tools. The educational tool includes information on stocks and portfolios, as well as introduction to loans, checking and savings accounts, managing car insurance, and many other financial topics for beginners.
- Wall Street Journal Provides indexing and full-text coverage of the Wall Street Journal. Coverage: 1984-present.
- Crain's Chicago Business (on-campus only) ChicagoBusiness.com is the top source of news, analysis and information on business in metropolitan Chicago. It provides news coverage on politics and opinion, lifestyle and dining, real estate, and special reports on trending issues. On-campus only.
Databases for Industry Research
- IBISWorld
IBISWorld’s industry research includes industry performance, forecasts, products, services, competitive landscape, major companies, operating conditions, and more. All charts within a report can be exported to Excel and all graphs can be copied and pasted into any Word report.
- Mergent Intellect"First Research Reports" available in this database offer industry information.
