|
Researching
Companies |
|
Directories
(Link to more sources) |
| Why use them:
- for basic information such as: company name, address, phone, line of
business, SIC code, number of employees, sales, credit rating, ownership, date
incorporated
- to find out if it's a public or private company
- to determine competitors (classify by SIC
or NAICS codes or by type of business)
- to search geographically
- to obtain basic information on a private company
Examples of Directories:
- Reference USA (Electronic
Database) UW restricted
Public and private companies and manufacturers
directory
for U.S. and Canada. Information is derived from yellow pages.
Search by type and size of business, by industry group and SIC
or NAIC codes, by location (state,
MSA, city, county, area code, zip code), by title of executive, by headquarters, branch or
subsidiary, by employee size or sales volume, by stock exchange or all public companies.
Can be searched for companies that meet specific criteria such as all biotech companies in
Bothell. Provides address, phone, fax, number of employees, sales, credit rating, ticker
symbol, toll free number, SIC code, line of business, ownership, and if it's a
public or private company.
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Is
it Public or Private and Who Owns It? (Link to more sources)
|
| Is It Public or Private:
- Reference USA
(Electronic Database) UW restricted
- After results are listed, click on any up arrow to determine parent company
- Or click on any down arrow to see subsidiaries
- Use back arrow to return to where you were
- See if you can
locate the company in Yahoo Finance under Stock
Quotes (you may need to do a Symbol Lookup before searching for
the company). If the company is listed, it should be a public
company.
- If it's a public company, it usually has filed 10-K annual reports with the
SEC.
Ownership/Affiliation:
-
Corporate Affiliations,
(On Campus Access Only) UW
Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted
A corporate affiliations directory that provides insight into
174,000 parent companies, affiliates and divisions--U.S. public, U.S. private,
and international. Includes M&A activity from 1976 where available.
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Competitors: What
do you know about them?
(Link to more resources)
|
Find out who the competitors are in an industry and research them to gain more
information about an industry.
For example,
Thomson Research (Investext)
provides analyst reports on public companies, and these reports
often include industry information as well. Investext also provides
industry analyst reports and these often include information on key players in
the industry. UW restricted
- Hoovers
Online UW restricted
Provides access to company profiles for 14,000 companies, public and
private, worldwide, but the access to private companies is more limited. The profiles include competitors.
- Try searching for the industry in Hoovers
(even a broad classification) and see if competitors are provided.
- Search for
newspaper articles UW
restricted
- Use search strategies such as: <company> and (competitors or
competition)
Example: Starbucks and competitors
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Company
Profile & History (Link to sources) |
Note: There is less information available on small and/or private companies, so
here are some techniques:
- Consider searching local newspapers and magazines for further information:
- Did it release any newswires?
- ( Lexis-Nexis)
(Select News. Then Select Newswires). UW restricted
- Search trade journals--they cover small and private
companies, too
- Check Directories for basic information
- Did it file any SEC
reports?
- For example, it may have filed an S-4 Registration
Statement to register securities prior to their being offered to investors
(and it could still remain a private company).
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Financial
Information (Link to more sources)
|
- Company profiles sometimes contain financial
information (mainly for public companies):
- Hoovers UW restricted
- Search for a company using the keyword search
box.
- Results may include a link to the company
financials (check left frame for links), including for prior years.
-
Lexis-Nexis
(Select: Business tab. Then select: Company Profiles)
For 3-5 years of corporate financial information:
- 10-Ks (Annual Reports filed with SEC). Access
from:
- Financial Reports in Lexis-Nexis. UW
restricted
- Select:
Business tab.
- Then select: Company Profile
- Select a source from drop down menu (e.g.,
Disclosure, WorldScope, Standard & Poors Corporate Descriptions)
- Mergent Online
UW restricted
Provides access to 15 years of financial data for U.S.
and international public companies.
Full Annual Reports for several years are integrated within the BASIC SEARCH
Module.
Company SEC filings are available through the EDGAR SEARCH module.
Segment Data
Segment data can sometimes be found from the following:
- 10-K Annual Reports. Access from:
- Disclosure Reports. Access from Lexis-Nexis.
UW restricted
- Select Business tab and then Company Profiles
- Then select a source from "Select Source" drop down
menu
- In articles found by searching databases such
as:
- You may need to calculate an estimate from information you find.
For example, see
Market
Share.
Comparisons of Companies to Other Companies or to Their Industry
- Factiva
(Campus access only). To obtain a comparison of a public company to its main
industry:
- Select: Company/Market.
- In the keyword box type in the company you
want to compare.
- From the Profile that displays, scroll to
Comparison Report and select it.
-
Standard & Poor's
NetAdvantage provides financial comparisons of
key players in an industry.
- Lexis-Nexis
Select: Business tab. Then select Dossier Compare
Companies
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|
Researching
Industries |
|
Industry
Information (Link to more sources)
|
- Search Investext
for analyst reports on companies (mainly public) and industries.
UW restricted
- Search Plunkett
(Campus Access Only) UW
restricted
for market trends, statistics, technology, and leading companies in various
industries.
- Search Forrester
for reports that identify and analyze trends in technology and their impact on
business, including their customers, strategies, and technology investments. UW
restricted (Initially requires UWNetID to register)
-
Standard & Poor's
NetAdvantage
Provides a trend analysis for industries and a comparative
analysis of key industry players. Each report also lists trade associations
and other contacts and references at the end of each chapter.
-
Business Source Complete UW
restricted
To access industry profiles from Datamonitor:
Under "Publication Type" select "Industry Profile" from drop down menu.
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Regulations
|
- Access Washington—Washington State
Government Information & Services
http://www.access.wa.gov
Has links to sites and information on starting and running a small business,
including licensing, relocating, expanding, international trade, government
business, environment permitting, etc.
- Check Industry
Surveys to see if they mention industry regulations.
- See if the company filed any Registration Statements or 10-K Annual
Reports with the SEC
because in these filings a company may reveal governmental regulation and legal uncertainty.
To access the filings:
Search Lexis-Nexis (Select Business
tab and then SEC Filings & Reports) UW restricted
or Edgarscan).
-
Business Source Complete UW restricted
Search by subject and
then by your industry or company or product.
- Use
subjects such as: CFR, customs regulations, environmental regulations, price regulations,
import restrictions, environmental tax, legislation, federal legislation, state laws, tax
legislation, government mandates.
- (To access Proquest's Subject Directory, select Topic Guide, then
select Browse the Subject Directory, then type in a term you want to
search and select Find Term).
- Lexis-Nexis. UW restricted
Select: Legal Research
- for articles from newspapers magazines and newsletters
- for actual legal cases--state and federal
- for codes and regulations--state, federal, European, and tax
- for patent research
or
Search New: Select the News tab above. Then from Sources
drop-down menu, select Legal News Group
- Congressional
Universe UW restricted
Full text of bills from 1989, public laws from 1988, committee
reports from 1990, House and Senate documents from 1995, Congressional
Record from 1985, Federal Register from 1980, National Journal from 1977,
and other government information. Updated daily.
- Thomas--U.S. Congress on
the Internet
Domestic legislative information. Search current congressional bills by bill
number, word or phrase. Also find out what's happening in congressional
committees, view roll-call votes to 1989, see up-to-date schedules of
proceedings in the House and Senate. Links to historical
documents, the House and Senate home pages, and other government
departments.
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Researching
Target Markets |
Marketing
Information (Link to more sources)
Consumer Data (Link to
resources)
MarketResearch.com
UW restricted
SimplyMap
UW restricted
This Internet-based mapping application enables users to develop interactive
thematic maps and reports using thousands of demographic, business, and
marketing data variables. Users can select, sort and compare data across
multiple geographic locations and build custom reports that can be exported to a
spreadsheet. Data is provided by Easy Analytic Software, Inc. (EASI) and
includes all 2000, current estimates, and 5 year forecast census data for all
geographies: Census Block-Groups, Census Tracts, ZIP Codes, Cities, Counties,
States, and the entire United States. (Note: Users will be asked to create a
personal workspace the first time they log-in to SimplyMap).
TableBase (On Campus Access Only)
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma restricted
TableBase specializes in tabular data on companies, industries, products and
demographics. It is international in scope, covers over 90 industries and
provides links to tables and articles from which the tables were derived.
Searchable by company name, country and region, SIC code, product codes,
industry, concept term (market share, ranking, forecasts, users, costs, etc.),
marketing term (ad volume, sales, distribution channels, etc.).
InfoTech Trends UW
restricted
Provides market data on the
information technology industry from over 65 industry journals. Includes
peripherals, software, storage, Internet, communications, etc. Covers revenue,
shipment forecasts, market share, usage, etc. Data is up to the most recent
quarter, comes in table format, and can be downloaded into Excel spreadsheets.
Economic Census
http://www.census.gov
The economic census is done by
the U.S. Commerce Dept. every 5 years (covers wholesale and retail trades,
manufacturing, information, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and
food services, professional, scientific and technical services, education,
health care, etc., for states, MSAs, counties and places with 2,500 or more
people). Uses N.A.I.C. system, not SIC.
Indexes by geographic area,subject, and industry.
Consumer Expenditure Survey - U. S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics
http://stats.bls.gov/cex/home.htm#publications
Market Share Reporter
(book format in Reference Collection on 1st floor
of library. Call Number: HF 5410 M35)
An annual compilation of reported market share data on companies, products, and services.
Gives sources from where information is derived.
Search for Government Statistics:
- Statistical Universe
UW restricted
Provides abstracts and indexes of statistical information from over 100,000 U.S.
government publications since 1973, state and private sources since 1980, and about 2,000
documents from international organizations since 1983.
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Additional Web
Links: |
|
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| Determine your target market: |
| - How many are there in your target market? - Where will they be located geographically?
- What do you know about them? (psychographics, demographics)
What is their income level?
What are their buying habits? What are they buying and why are they buying?
What are their attitudes and interests?
How old are they? Male/Female?
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