Accounting: Company & Industry Research
Finding Company Information
Finding Company Information:
When looking for company information consider both information from the company (the company website, press releases, annual reports, etc.) and information about the company that is written by others (newspaper articles, analyst reports, scholarly articles).
Finding information about a company can include:
- Finding out if the company is public or private. It can be easier to find information on Public Companies vs. Private Companies because they are required to file documents with the SEC and provide annual reports to their shareholders.
- Going to the company's website and review the resources and information that they provide about themselves there.
- Searching for news articles, magazines, or other information about the company. (This may be one of the better ways to find information on a private company).
- Searching for analyst reports on the company. This can include things like SWOT analysis.
- Identifying competitors
Finding Industry Information:
Finding industry information can help you better understand the company you are researching and contextualize that information in the correct culture and location.
Finding industry information can include:
- Getting an overview of the market (market research, industry summaries)
- Looking for trends and forecasts
- Identifying the major entry barriers and threats to the industry
Use these resources:
- MarketLine Company Profiles This link opens in a new window
Comprises thousands of company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry profiles, and 110+ country profiles. Also includes Databooks: Company Financial & Top Ten Industry Players Guide, Financial deals, news and opinions, Market Data Analytics.
- Business Insights: Global This link opens in a new window
Delivers comprehensive international business intelligence compiled into a logical, user-friendly context. Contains business intelligence enhanced by statistical data.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Contains full-text content and peer-reviewed business journals. It covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance and more.
- Entrepreneurship: Gale Business This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive database that covers all aspects of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, etc. This database combines authoritative periodical and reference content to support prospective and current entrepreneurs as well as business students. Mapped to four key stages—plan, fund, start, and manage.
- AtoZ International Business This link opens in a new window
Contains 100 comprehensive country business guides covering more than 120 content modules each. Topics include business culture, business formation, investment climate, import process, export process, media outlets, advertising and marketing, seaports, taxation, security, etc.