Business & Marketing Research
Guide
BSC Library Guide
General 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.)
Hoover’s Handbook of American Business. Ref. HG 4057 .A28617 2002
Hoover’s Handbook of World Business. Ref. HF 3010 .H65 2001
The Hoover ‘s books contain information sheets on
companies, providing an overview, history, chart of key financial information
for the past 10 years, list of major products, rankings, and competitors. Also available online at Hoover’s.
MarketLine
Business Information Center – accessible from Library Indexes &
Databases
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 (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.
Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage
– accessible from 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.
Business
and Company Resource Center - accessible from Library Indexes &
Databases
This Gale database provides company profiles,
rankings, products, investment reports, company histories, financial
information, periodical articles, etc.
NOTE: There are many company directories on the Internet, some better
than others. If the URL is not obvious, a web search may pull up a company's
web site more easily than going through an index.
Annual Reports
The library at Birmingham-Southern
College does not collect annual reports or 10-K reports. However, we do
have computer access to annual reports in the database Academic
Universe and to 10-K reports from 1993 to the present (in the EDGAR
database, available on the Internet at http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm
). Furthermore, many companies are now making their annual reports
and their 10-K reports available on the company's web site.
Information about Industries
U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook. Ref. HC106.5 .A17 2000
(previous years in GovDoc C61.48: )
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.
Encyclopedia of American Industries. Ref. HC102.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.
Standard
& Poor's NetAdvantage, MarketLine
Business Information Center, and Hoover’s
also contain useful information on industries.
NetAdvantage
includes Industry Surveys, Industry Reviews, and Industry Snapshots by company.
Industry Norms & Key Business Ratios.
Ref. HF5681 .R25 I53 (annual; library has 1987 to the present in Reference)
Provides financial information and ratios by industry for hundreds of
different industries, arranged by SIC code. RMA Annual Statement Studies
(Ref. HF5681 .B2 R6; latest ed. in Ref., earlier eds. in the stacks, beginning
with 1982) and the Almanac of Business & Industrial Ratios (Ref. HF
5681 .R25 T68; latest ed. in Ref.; latest eds. also in CD-ROM format; earlier
eds. in the stacks, beginning with 1985) provide similar types of
information.
General Marketing Information: Books
Books about specific companies or industries can be found by using the library catalog (from the library web page) to search by
SUBJECT. The computerized library catalogs for other libraries 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 Birmingham.
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 and Infotrac
General BusinessFile ASAP.
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 1995- (continues Business Periodicals Index,
1962-2000) (Index shelves)
Provides indexing and abstracting
for around 500 international English-language business magazines, with
information on companies, industries, and subjects.
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.
Lexis
Nexis 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). Lexis
Nexis Academic (News section) also indexes the Wall Street Journal back to
1973, with abstracts for articles provided since 1989. Options to search
for information by industry and access to SEC reports and filings are also
provided.
ProQuest Direct Research Library Complete. 1992 - present
In-depth business coverage; 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. 1986-2002 (Index
shelves in library)
Use the Corporate volume to find articles under company name,
and the General section to search by subject or industry. The Library no
longer subscribes to the print version of the Wall Street Journal Index. ProQuest
Newspapers does index the Wall Street Journal, from 1982 to the
present, and has some full text. Select
the More Search Options and enter Wall Street Journal in the Publication Title field to limit your
search to the Journal.
Selected Marketing Journals at BSC
The following journals are important in the field
of marketing. For information on where to locate these and other
marketing journals, click on Periodicals@BSC.
Advertising Age
Articles on all areas of advertising, including interactive media, marketing
research, sales promotion, and brand management.
American Demographics
Dow-Jones publishes this magazine, which follows "consumer trends for
business leaders" in easy-to-read articles. Free full-text articles
available online at http://americandemographics.com
B to B: the Magazine for Marketing and E-commerce Strategists
Contains industry news relating to electronic business to business
marketing strategies, internet advertising, sales promotions and other related
subjects
Forbes
In January there is an Annual Report on American Industry, with an overview
of the state of industry in the U.S.
and analysis of different industries. The Global 2000 issue ranks the largest
global corporations 4 ways: by sales, profits, assets, and market value. Free
full-text online at www.forbes.com
Industrial Marketing Management
Reports on the latest developments in product and market planning, sales
management, procurement methods, and product management; "targeted to
industrial and high-tech firms."
JMR, Journal of Marketing Research (American Marketing Association)
Companion to Journal of Marketing which
"offers the marketing researcher clear, concise, practical applications of
marketing research and research management. Regular departments highlight
legislative issues, professional development, new technologies, and demographic
changes."
Journal of Advertising Research
Published by the Advertising Research Foundation, this bimonthly trade
journal is intended for practitioners and users of advertising research.
Journal of Consumer Research (American Association of Public Opinion)
Interdisciplinary research journal exploring
consumer/buyer behavior and factors which influence it; includes some
examination of historical trends.
Journal of Marketing (American Marketing Association)
Scholarly articles dealing with marketing theory and practical applications;
regular features include legal developments relating to marketing, a marketing
literature review which lists marketing-related articles from 125+ journals,
and book reviews.
Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
Refereed journal whose purpose is to "bridge the gap between
academic and business communities involved in selling and sales
management."
Journal of Retailing
Scholarly journal with articles covering all aspects of
retailing, its management, evolution and current theory.
Journal of the Academy
of Marketing Science
Academic research articles exploring special marketing applications, social
and ethical responsibilities, internationalizing marketing, facilitating
marketing technology transfer to third world countries, and disseminating
current and substantive marketing information.
Psychology & Marketing
"Original research and review articles dealing with the application of
psychological theories and techniques to marketing;" serves practitioners
and academicians in both fields.
Sales & Marketing Management
Practical, non-scholarly articles by sales and marketing professionals; the
Annual Survey of Buying Power issue looks at what Americans can afford, broken
down by SMSA and counties. Free full-text access online at www.salesandmarketing.com
(password protected, see a reference librarian)
Statistics:
Population and housing statistics:
Census Bureau Web Site http://www.census.gov
This is an important site for gathering demographic and economic data. 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 U.S., the
Economic Census, and County Business Patterns (described in more detail below).
Try out the American
Factfinder to profile communities - down to the block level!
Economic and business statistics:
Economic census.
Available at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html
Conducted every 5 years, the Economic census
provides a wealth of basic statistics on the U.S. economy. Data from the
1997 and 1992 censuses are available on the web; data for earlier years is
available in the BSC Library's government documents collection.
County
Business Patterns. Available
at http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html.
These
government reports provide economic data by industry for states and smaller
areas.
Economic
report of the President. Available at http://w3.access.gpo.gov/eop (1996 -
present) or in the BSC library (Ref. HC106.5 .A272 2001; previous years in GovDocs )
Additional General Statistics
Statistical
abstract of the U.S. Ref. HA 202 .A2 (Latest ed. in Ready
Reference); available online at http://www.census.gov/statab/www
A publication of the U.S.
government which compiles tables of statistics on virtually every topic.
Published annually. For historical statistics, see
Historical Statistics of the United
States (Ref. HA 202 .B87 1976).
Statistical
Universe, accessible from the library's indexes & databases
page.
This database indexes statistical
publications put out by U.S.
government agencies, state governments, and some international
organizations. It contains the full text of many of the statistical
tables included in these publications. Click on "power tables"
to locate a table containing the statistic you need. Many tables are
available in Excel format, and can be downloaded and manipulated.
FedStats
The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical
Policy maintains this site to provide easy access to the full range of online
statistics and information produced by more than 70 agencies of the Federal
government. Among these agencies, these are especially good sources of
statistics.
· the Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov)
· the Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.doc.gov ), and
· the Dept. of Commerce's Stat-USA (http://www.stat-usa.gov)
Guides to the Marketing Literature
Marketing Information: a professional reference guide.
Ref. HF 5415.124 .M37 1995
This guide consists of 2 parts. Part I lists organizations, businesses,
agencies, and other associations in the marketing field. Part II is an
annotated list of marketing books, handbooks, bibliographies, directories,
periodicals, etc.
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; U.S.
and foreign statistical sources; locating information on companies,
organizations, and individuals; and so on.
Internet
Guides to Marketing Resources
MarketPower.com
The
American Marketing Association's website, MarketingPower.com, supplies
marketing professionals and AMA members with the information, products and
services required to succeed in their jobs and careers.
University
of Pennsylvania
http://www.library.upenn.edu/cgi-bin/res/sr.cgi?fotlp=&community=77&resourcetype=
Provides a nice launch pad into selected major sites on
the web for business research. Organized by subject.
University of Texas
Advertising World http://advertising.utexas.edu/world/index.asp
The most extensive collection of advertising-related links
on the Web!" Many links to other good sources.
U.S.
Business Advisor http://www.business.gov/
"One-step access to federal government information,
services, and transactions." Searchable; provides access to a wide
variety of information, including some available full text on the Internet.
rev 10/2005