Research Guides: Job and Career Research for Business Majors: Do Your Due Diligence

Do Your Due Diligence

This page provides you with resources to collect information about the company you are interviewing for a internship or career. Confused on how to start? Check out this company analysis that can serve as a guide for your research.

Research The Company & Industry

Company Profiles

Ticker Symbols

When beginning your company research, note the company's ticker symbol if it is publicly-traded, as this symbol can be used to search within the library's databases. You may want to look up a company's ticker symbol using Yahoo Finance.

Examples:

Ticker	Company
NKE	NIKE, Inc.
WMT	Walmart Inc.
AAPL	Apple Inc.
TSLA	Tesla, Inc.

Databases

Understanding the versatility of the company and industry databases can help you find the right information when needed. Check out the Company and Industry Tutorial to help you learn what database to turn to when specific information is needed.

IBISWorld
Offers detailed reports on over 1,300 US industries including supply chain information on the market, historical and forecasted revenue data, operating strengths and weaknesses, analysis of external drivers, the competitive landscape and major players, and industry profit and costs benchmarks. Also includes expert summary reports and specialized reports on niche industries. Search or browse industry reports by key word or NAICS code.
Mergent Online
Covers 1925-. Offers international coverage of both public and private company information, executive biographies, and industry profiles. Mergent Online includes information published by Dun and Bradstreet and the former Moody's.
Nexis Uni
Covers: varies; most newspapers are 1990s-; legal materials extend back to the 19th century. Offers news, legal, and business information from both English language and international sources, including newsletters, magazines, trade journals, wire services, broadcast transcripts as well as directories, corporate profiles, SEC Filings, business, industry and market news, federal and state case law, codes and regulations, law reviews and much more.
ProQuest One: Business
Covers: mainly 1990s-. Delivers a mix of practical and theoretical content t from a variety of sources including newspapers, dissertations, ebooks, video, business cases, industry reports and more. Browse by company, industry, country, or topic.
Capital IQ NetAdvantage
Covers: Current. Provides detailed descriptions of companies and industries as well as market research data and forecasts from CFRA and Standard & Poor's financial publications in one convenient location. Company information includes a description of the company, stocks & bond issues, earnings estimates, dividend and split history and more. Look under Industries for The Industry Surveys, covering industry trends, forecasts, major players and market share data, key ratios, and statistics.
Statista
Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.

The following resources provide local data on companies in a given area.

Manto.com
The Manta directory boasts millions of unique visitors every month who search our comprehensive database for individual businesses, industry segments and geographic-specific listings.
D & B Regional Business Directory
Call Number: Research Assistance Desk: HG4057.O5 D85
Publication Date: Annual Editions

Industry Specific Data

Industry Research

North American Industrial Classification System Manual (NAICS)

How the United States government classifies all industrial activity
Preceded by the Standard Industrial Manual (SIC)
Physical copies of both NAICS and SIC can be found at the Mullins Help Desk.

North American industry classification system, United States [Online]
Digital handbook available online via University Libraries, OneSearch.
Introduction to NAICS

Databases

Business Market Research Collection
Covers: 1986-. Offers company, industry, economic and geopolitical market research from Hoover's Company Profiles, OxResearch from Oxford Analytica, and Snapshots. A part of the ProQuest Central database.
IBISWorld
Offers detailed reports on over 1,300 US industries including supply chain information on the market, historical and forecasted revenue data, operating strengths and weaknesses, analysis of external drivers, the competitive landscape and major players, and industry profit and costs benchmarks. Also includes expert summary reports and specialized reports on niche industries. Search or browse industry reports by key word or NAICS code.
Key Business Ratios (Current)
Allows researchers to examine industry benchmarks compiled from the D&B (Dun and Bradstreet) database of public and private companies, featuring 14 key business ratios (users choose a one-year or three-year set of ratios) for public and private companies in 800 lines of business. Identify solvency, efficiency, and profitability ratios across a variety of sectors.
Mergent Online
Covers 1925-. Offers international coverage of both public and private company information, executive biographies, and industry profiles. Mergent Online includes information published by Dun and Bradstreet and the former Moody's.
Mintel Reports: Academic Edition
Covers: current. Provides detailed reports on marketing, advertising, product category trends, and consumer attitudes, as well as financial and company data, including recent mergers and acquisitions.
ProQuest One: Business
Covers: mainly 1990s-. Delivers a mix of practical and theoretical content t from a variety of sources including newspapers, dissertations, ebooks, video, business cases, industry reports and more. Browse by company, industry, country, or topic.
Statista
Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
USA Trade
Covers: 1992-. "Provided by the U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division, USA Trade Online provides current and cumulative U.S. export and import data on export and import commodities worldwide. Using the Harmonized System (HS) and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, users are able to select broad commodity categories up to the 10-digit HS or up to the 6-digit NAICS level."
Free to all but individual user registration is required.

RMA Annual Statement Studies
Call Number: HG181.A1 R6 2014/15