Marketing: Resources

Finding Business Case Studies

In the databases listed below, search for “case stud*” (the asterisk is a truncation that tells a database to search for both “study” and “studies”) and the topic, industry, or company you’re researching.

You can also search for “case stud*” as Subject.

Finding U.S. Company Profiles

If you know the name of the company:

In Business: Insights:  At beginning of search, limit search to “Company”.

To find companies in specific U.S. states/territories or Canadian provinces:

In Business: Insights, mouse over “Companies” in the gray toolbar, then click on “Company Finder” in the dropdown list.  Use the “State” tool to specify the state, territory, or province.

"Dossiers" are a type of report that focuses on a company, an industry, or a type of product.  They also contain overviews and statistics of markets, and a list of the leading companies in an industry.  Mouse over "Reports" in the toolbar, then click on "Dossiers".

Finding International Company Profiles

If you know the name of the company:

In Business: Insights: At beginning of search, limit search to “Company”.

If you’re looking for companies in specific countries:

In Business: Insights, mouse over “Companies” in the gray toolbar, then click on “Company Finder” in the dropdown list.  Use the “Country” tool to select a specific country.

"Dossiers" are a type of report that focuses on a company, an industry, or a type of product.  They also contain overviews and statistics of markets, and a list of the leading companies in an industry.  Mouse over "Reports" in the toolbar, then click on "Dossiers".

Financial Data & Analytics

In Business: Insights, mouse over “Companies” in the gray toolbar, then click on “Investment Reports” or “Financial Reports” in the dropdown list.

All public U.S. companies are required to file financial statements with the SEC.  The annual report (Form 10-K or 10-KSB) contains the most useful information.  (Important note: The EDGAR database still uses SIC codes, not NAICS codes.)

Finding Industry Reports

In ABI/INFORM: Search for industry by name, then limit “Source Type” to “Reports".

In Business: Insights: At beginning of search, limit search to “Industry”.

In Business Source Complete: Search for industry by name, then limit “Source Types” to “Industry Profiles”.  OR mouse over “Industry” in the gray toolbar, then click on “Industry Essays” in the dropdown list.

            Select the Companies tab and use the Nexis Dossier feature to explore company information.

"Dossiers" are a type of report that focuses on a company, an industry, or a type of product.  They also contain overviews and statistics of markets, and a list of the leading companies in an industry.  Mouse over "Reports" in the toolbar, then click on "Dossiers".

Finding Market Share & Market Research Reports

(Note: Market share/research reports are often included in industry profiles.)

In Business: Insights, limit search to “Industry” or “Company”, then click on an item in the result list and look in the “Company Information” box at the lower left side of the screen for “Market Share Reports”.  

OR mouse over “Industry” in the gray toolbar, then click on “Market Share Reports” in the dropdown list. 

(This database features reports from Gale’s “Market Share Reporter”.)

In Business Source Complete: Do a search, then limit results by “Source Type” (at lower left side of screen) to “Market Research Reports”.  You can also go to Advanced Search mode and select “Market Research Report” in “Publication Type” before doing your search. 

(This database features MarketLine reports.)

NAICS & SIC Codes

NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System.  NAICS allows government agencies to collect data on U.S. business and industry, using standardized categories and descriptions.  NAICS replaced the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) which was created in the 1930s, when the U.S. economy was based on manufacturing.  NAICS was developed jointly by the U. S., Canada, and Mexico and was introduced in 1997 as a “supply-oriented classification system.”  It is revised and updated every 5 years.

NAICS uses 20 broad sectors to describe the economy.  This allows precise description and identification of industries and services.  Each sector is identified by a 2-digit code, which becomes the stem of the 6-digit NAICS code.

Note: Most databases use NAICS codes, but some (such as EDGAR) haven’t switched over and only use SIC codes.

To search for companies by NAICS code:

In Business: Insights, click on "Browse All Companies” on the home page. A  list of all companies with NAICS codes listed will display. Use the “NAICS” tool to search for all companies with the code needed.

Finding Plunkett Reports

A Plunkett Report is a specific type of business report that contains the following information:

1. Comprehensive overview of an industry's financial results, ratios, vital statistics and metrics in one package
2. Comparisons of a) deep financials of the leading companies within an industry, b) all companies (public and private) to publicly-held companies, and c) one industry’s ratios to all other industries.
3. Historical industry data going back eight years for key figures including revenues, enterprises and sales per employee.
4. Current and projected revenues, including forecasts for seven years into the future.

To find Plunkett Reports in Business: Insights, click on Advanced Search, then select Plunkett Reports and select a company. 

Finding Supply Chain Analyses

Search for the phrase “supply chain analysis” (in quotes), adding a product or industry keyword.

Search for the phrase ”Supply chains” as Subject, adding a keyword for a product or an industry (e.g., “pharmaceutical”) OR

Search for the phrase “supply chain analysis” (in quotes), adding a product or industry keyword.

Finding SWOT Analyses

(Note: Company and industry profiles may also contain SWOT analyses.)

In Business: Insights, select "Browse All Companies” on the home page, then, from the "Available Company Data" dropdown list, select "SWOT Analysis," and apply. Search you company from the list of those with available SWOT information.

In Business Source Complete: Do a search, then limit results by “Source Type” (at lower left side of screen) to “SWOT Analyses”.  You can also go to Advanced Search mode and select “SWOT Analysis” in “Publication Type” before doing your search.

Finding Value Chain Analyses

Search for the keyword phrase “value chain analysis” (in quotes).

In Advanced Search mode, search for ”Value chains” as Subject, plus a keyword for product or industry (e.g., “technology”) OR

Search for the keyword phrase “value chain analysis” (in quotes).