Marketing

Unlike journal articles, books:

• Are written on a broader, general subject
• May contain a collection of related chapters by different authors
• Contain less recent information

You may only need to read one chapter of a scholarly book! Find relevant information quickly by reviewing chapter titles or checking the index (back of the book). 

Find Books 

Company Profiles: Comprehensive Information

When beginning research on a particular company, it is a good idea to verify its current name and status. Does it file with the SEC? Is it a subsidiary of another company? Is the company name actually a brand name? Who are its competitors? Company profiles and directories can help to find answers to those questions.

In order to be successful in your research, the following information is crucial to have:

• Full Company Name
• Ticker Symbol [MarketWatch symbol lookup]
• Central Index Key (CIK) [CIK Lookup]
• Name of Company Executive(s)

Industry Classification

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 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.

The Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC) that appear in a company's disseminated EDGAR filings indicate the company's type of business.

Industry Analyst and Opinions

Knowing the history, trends, and/or future forecast of an industry is important when creating a marketing plan. Below are resources that provide comprehensive information for informed decision making.

• Search Tip 1: Create an account in order to access all the reports.  Click on Login at the upper right hand corner and enter your information.  This allows you to customize your portal and save research.
• Search Tip 2: Use the filters in the middle of the page [Category, Region, Trend Drivers, Demographics] to drill down to a report you are looking for instead of using the search box.  

• Search Tip for industry surveys: There are 2 ways to search: (1) Click on [Industries] in the top menu bar and use the drop-down box select your industry, OR  (2) enter a company's name in the search box, then select [Industry Survey] from the left navigation menu.
• Search Tip for researching sub-industries: Click the [Markets] tab in the top menu bar. Then, on the far right side of your screen, click on [Refine Industries]. In the pop-up box drill-down and check your selected sub-industry, then click [Submit]. Use the left hand column for different sets of data on that sub-industry such as key stats & ratios, company level comparisons/financial operating metrics, news, etc.

• Search Tip: Search by company name or ticker symbol, then select the company from the Company Profiles list. This brings you to the company profile. On the left side of the screen, click on the link for [Market Share Reports].​

• Search Tip:  In the search box, type in First Research Industry Profiles and select [Publication] in the drop down, then scroll down browse for NAICS code.  Once selected, click the [Search] button.

• Search Tip: Check the "Competitive Landscape" and "Major Companies" sections of an industry report for market share information.

• Search Tip: Look up a company and click on the [Competitors] tab to view the company in a ranked list of its competitors. 

• Search Tip: The [Report Builder] tab allows you to create custom reports, including company-industry comparison reports.

Unlike journal articles, news:

• Is written for a broad audience
• Is often easier to understand than research and shorter than both research and books
• Contains recent information

Find News

Unlike journal articles, magazines:

• Provide information on popular topics
• Are usually short and written for a wide audience
• Often has glossy pictures and/or advertisements

Find Magazines