Marketing Research

Public vs. Private Companies

Companies are either publicly-traded or privately held. Publicly-traded companies are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are subject to numerous reporting and disclosure requirements. The filings are designed to provide investors with relevant information to make informed investment decisions and ensure the integrity of the markets by making sure that those with "insider" knowledge about a company, and it's financials, are not able to take advantage of it for their own benefit.

Privately held companies are not subject to SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, which makes finding information about them more difficult.

Start your research on a company's website:

  • The About and Contact pages will provide valuable information about the company's mission and values, corporate leadership, physical location, and contact information.
  • Investor Relations page may provide detailed information regarding the company's financial performance, past quarterly investor calls, corporate governance documents, and corporate reports. (Much of this information may also be found in the company's EDGAR reports)

*adapted from the Company, Industry, & Market Research guide

NAICS, SIC & GICS Codes

North American Industry Classification System, NAICS Code, 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.

Standard Industrial Classification, SIC Codes, are four digit numerical codes assigned by the U.S. government to business establishments to identify the primary business of the establishment.

Global Industry Classification Standard, GICS Code [PDF], is an industry code developed by MSCI and Standard & Poor's (S&P) for use by the global financial community. The GICS structure, in many instances, has superseded the SIC and NAICS codes.

Where do I search for...

Company Profiles & Industry Reports

Ticker Symbols

When beginning your company research, note the ticker symbol of the company 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
WMT      Wal-Mart
CMCSA   Comcast Corporation 

Databases

Understanding the versatility among the company and industry databases can really 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.

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

Industry Information

North American Industrial Classification System Manual (NAICS)

 

Ask for it at the Mullins Help Desk

 

  • Require this number in order to industrial research
  • How the United States government classifies all industrial activity
  • Preceded by the Standard Industrial Manual (SIC) -find this in the Reference Collection

Be sure that you get both the NAICS and the SIC codes while you're in the library - not all of databases use NAICS.

Arkansas Local Newspapers, Magazine, and Journals

Professional Associations and Free Resources