BUSINESS RESEARCH GUIDE
Spring 2005
Information about Companies
Standard & Poors Register of Corporations,
Directors and Executives. Ready Ref. HG 4057 .A4
2005 (3 vols.)
Also available online through Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage.
Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies. Ref. HG 4009 .W37 2004 (8 vols.)
These directories contain very basic information about companies, such as the address, phone number, sales, number of employees, names of officers, SIC code, etc. The companies are cross-referenced geographically and by industry. Ward's also ranks companies by sales within a 4-digit SIC.
Hoover's Handbook of World Business. Ref. HF 3010 .H65 2001
The
Datamonitor's Business Information Center –
A Reuter's database which includes detailed information on over 10,000 companies both U.S. and international, over 2000 industries and over 50 country profiles. This database is particularly helpful for finding global business information.
Mergent Online – under Library Indexes & Databases
Mergent Online (formerly FIS Online/Moody's) database contains extensive financial and historical information on over 10,000 U.S. public companies, 11,000+ non-U.S. public companies, and 17,610 municipal entities, as well as corporate and municipal bond, UIT, and dividend information. Users can build custom reports on companies, compare companies based on financial performance, and export data into spreadsheets. Put out by the publishers of Moody’s business information, Mergent Online includes much of the information in the next 3 sources:
Moody's Industrial Manual. Ref. HG 4961
.M67 (annual, with weekly update; library has 1976-2000; no longer received in
print format).
Offers detailed history, examination of business and products, and financial
data for thousands of companies. The Library also has previous editions of Moody's Manuals for banking &
finance, transportation, and public utilities.
Mergent's
Handbook of Common Stocks. Ref. HG 4905 .M815 (quarterly)
Formerly known as Moody's Handbook, this provides basic financial and business
information on over 950 stocks. Information about the companies includes
background, recent developments, prospects, and statistics on sales and stocks.
Mergent's
Handbook of Nasdaq Stocks.
Ref. HG 4501 .M58 (quarterly)
This investment guide provides basic financial and business information on 750
companies of high investor interest in common stocks listed on the Nasdaq stock market.
Standard & Poor's Net Advantage – under Library Indexes & Databases
S&P's NetAdvantage is another gateway to in-depth company
information, geared particularly toward investors. It incorporates a number of
classic S&P publications, including their Register of Corporations
(discussed above) and their Corporation Profiles, which gives detailed
financial information. S&P Industry Surveys, which contain current analyses
for 21 industries and approximately 1000 companies, are an important component
of this database. The weekly publication, The Outlook, is also available and
contains financial information about selected companies. Much other stock, bond
and mutual fund information is also included in NetAdvantage.
This Gale database provides company profiles, rankings, products, investment reports, company histories, financial information, periodical articles, etc.
Annual Reports
The library at
SIC Codes and NAICS Codes
All companies are classified into industry classifications by the federal government. Until recently, the categorization was called an SIC (Standard Industrial Classification). In 1997, a new system of categorization was developed: the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). One or both of these codes (the SIC or the NAICS) may be used in a directory listing. It is very important to know the SIC or NAICS code when doing an industry analysis or placing company information within the industry context.
The BSC Library owns the most recent NAICS and SIC manuals, as well as a book that "translates" SIC to NAICS and vice-versa.
North American industry classification system. Ref. HF1042 .A55 .N67 2002.
The NAICS divides the economy into 20 sectors. Industries within these sectors are grouped according to production criteria. Each industry is assigned a 6-digit code. There is an alphabetic index by industry and a section that matches the 1997 NAICS to the 1987 SIC.
Standard Industrial Classification Manual. HF1042 .U5 1987.
The SIC consists of 99 major industrial groups. Each industry is assigned a 4-digit code within a group. The manual contains an alphabetic index by industry.
NAICS/SIC code,
This is the book that "translates" between the SIC and the NAICS. Another matching table is available online at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naicstab.htm - you may view or download either code in detail, or translate between the 2.
Information about Industries
Encyclopedia of American Industries. Ref. HC 102.E53 2001 (2 vols.)
Provides comprehensive information on every industry recognized by the SIC system. Covers both manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries and includes historical information as well as significant business trends and statistics.
Gives brief industry reviews and forecasts for the year in question, for numerous industries. Includes tables and charts. This publication's predecessor (the U.S. Industrial Outlook, Ref. HC 101 .U54) ceased in 1994, but is a good source for historical information. The U.S. Global Trade Outlook (GovDoc C 61.34/2:995-2000 in paper and CD-ROM formats) contains similar information.
Some updated industry information is available online at the U.S. International Trade Administration's Trade Development website: http://www.ita.doc.gov/td
Mergent's Industry Review. Ref. HG4961 .M69
Contains key financial information, operating data and ratios for around 3500 companies. The information is arranged by industry in 137 industry groups. Statistics are updated twice a year for each industry.
Industry Norms & Key Business Ratios. Ref. HF5681 .R25 I53 (annual; library has 1987 to the present in Reference)
This source provides financial information and business ratios by industry for hundreds of different industries, arranged by SIC code. Similar information may be found in:
RMA Annual Statement Studies (Ref. HF5681 .B2 R6; latest eds. in Ref., earlier eds. in the stacks, beginning with 1982)
Almanac of Business & Industrial Ratios (Ref. HF 5681 .R25 T68; latest eds. in Ref.; latest eds. also in CD-ROM format; earlier eds. in the stacks, beginning with 1985) provide similar types of information.
Books
Books about specific companies or industries can be found by using the
Catalog (from the library web page)
to search by SUBJECT. World
Cat, a union catalog of holdings in libraries worldwide, is a good place to
look for relevant books that might not be in the BSC Library. Also, remember to
check the bibliographies of any books and articles you find for more possible
sources. You can request books (and articles) through
Interlibrary Loan if they are
not available in
Indexes to Articles and Other Information
All of the databases listed below are accessible from the Library's Indexes & Databases page. Many of these databases also provide analysis by industry, including LexisNexis Academic (Business) and Infotrac General BusinessFile.
ABI
Inform. 1971 – present
This premier business database covers over 1,000 journals in
the areas accounting, business conditions, management, trends, and
industry-specific topics. Information on over 60,000 companies as well as
executive profiles, reports on market conditions, and in-depth case studies of
global business trends can be found. Over 500 journals provide full-text
articles, while the others have abstracts only.
Business Full Text 1982- (continues Business Periodicals Index., 1962- (Index shelves)
Provides indexing and abstracting for around 500 international English-language business magazines, with information on companies, industries, and subjects. The full text of some articles are provided.
Busines Index ASAP 1980 - present
Materials on management issues, economic indicators and business theories and practices, as well as on the activities of companies and industries worldwide. Access to academic and business journals with full text and images.
EbscoHost Business Source Premier. 1984 - present
This database provides full text coverage for over 960 journals in the areas of business, management, economics, finance, banking, and accounting.
Infotrac General BusinessFile ASAP. 1994 - present
Covers business and management topics, some articles available in full text. "Includes directory listings for over 150,000 companies as well as Investext investment analysts’ reports on major companies and industries." To see available search options, choose Advanced Search.
LexisNexis Academic, Business section. 1974 - present
Retrieves full-text company news and financial information, business articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, wire services, and transcripts (as far back as the 1970s in some cases). Option to search for information by industry,and access to SEC reports and filings are also provided through this database.
ProQuest Direct Research Library Complete. 1992 - present
In-depth business coverage; some full text articles from the Wall Street Journal and some other publications. Searchable by company name and product name, as well as by keyword, personal name, etc.
Wall Street Journal Index. 1986- (Index shelves in library)
Use the Corporate volume to find articles under
company name, and the General section to search by subject or industry. LexisNexis Academic (News section) also indexes the
Wall Street Journal back to 1973, with abstracts for articles provided since
1989. ProQuest Newspapers also
indexes the Wall Street Journal back to the early 1980s and provides the full
text of articles.
Business Newspapers, Journals and Magazines
The Library subscribes to many business journals and magazines, and many more are available full-text through the indexes and databases listed above. To see if an article is available full-text in a database, or if it's available in print or microfilm format in the Library, please consult Periodicals@BSC on the Library home page.
Statistical Business Data
The Census Bureau Web Site http://www.census.gov, is a key site for gathering demographic and economic
statistics. Sources online include the summary tape files from the 2000 census
(providing enormous amounts of searchable information on population and
housing, broken down in every conceivable fashion), the Statistical Abstract of
the
See http://www.census.gov/econ/www for recent economic and business data; for past years, try:
Census of Service Industries (Gov Doc C 3.257/)
Census of Retail Trade (Gov Doc C 3.255/)
Census of Wholesale Trade (Gov Doc C3.256/)
Annual Survey of Manufactures (Gov Doc C 3.24/9)
Census of Manufactures (Gov Doc C 3.24/)
Print and Internet Guides to Business Resources
Business Information Sources. Ref. HF 5351 .C81 D16 1993
This source serves as an excellent
guide "to the vast and varied sources of business information." It
includes chapters on marketing sources;
The Business Library and How to Use It: A guide to sources and research strategies for information on business and management. Ref. Z675 .B8 B87 1996.
Includes information on basic business resources and how to use them to locate information.
Bizlink.
http://www.bizlink.org.
Includes information on company research, industry research, international business, marketing, and more.
Business Resources on the Internet.
http://www.gsu.edu/~librab/business.
Links to directories, company information, international business information, etc.
Business Research Guides.
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/busi/business.shtml.
Includes guides to company research, industry research, general business research, and more.
Business Resources. U. of Pennsylvania.
Provides a nice launch pad into selected major sites on the web for business research. Organized by subject.
Strauss's handbook of business information: a guide for librarians, students, and researchers. Ref. HF 1010 .81 S7796
Features sections on sources from all the areas of business (marketing, accounting, etc.)
Ref 9/2005