Company Information and Competition - MBA 70510 - Marketing Research (Hartman) - Library Guides at University of Notre Dame

Overview

Resources on this page focus on in depth data and analysis of companies, their financial states, and their available documentation. Many of the databases recommended here will provide profiles searchable by company name which will include information on their finances, industry, and competitive landscape.

When researching a company, be sure to identify whether the company is public or private. This will impact the information available to you, and it will direct the types of databases you will want to use to find information.

Note that different database providers may provide different lists of competitors or industries for a select company. Company analysts opinions differ by provider, and this influences who may be included within a company's industry or competitive landscape. Be sure to use your own expertise and judgement in using this information to inform your assignments.

Public Company Research

Capital IQ
Access via the Capital IQ icon when signed into okta.nd.edu.
Excel Plugin available for Windows OS. Instructions available here.
Provides access to data on public and private companies. Includes lists of competitors as well as industry classifications for companies.
Mergent Online
Provides company profile data such as financials, executive information, company description, 10-k's, and annual reports on U.S and international publicly traded companies and private companies. Our subscription includes access to Investext, which provides company and industry analyst reports from investment banks, consulting firms, and brokerage houses.
Mergent Intellect
Provides access to private and public U.S and international business and company data, industry profiles and news, facts and figures, ratios, and executive contact information. Under the industry details section of a company profile, you can also find access to First Research Industry reports.
Business Insights: Essentials (Gale)
Provides access to global business information, including company profiles, brand information, investment reports, rankings, SWOTs, professional associations, and industry reports.

Private Company Research

PitchBook
Provides access to company profiles, private equity, and venture capital data. Also provides access to a research library of market reports covering market areas that are trending in the venture capital and private equity space.
Factiva
Factiva searches a large pool of news and trade publications. This can help when researching private companies who have less presence across other databases due to differences in regulatory reporting requirements. In Factiva, if you navigate to the search tab at the top of the home page, you'll have options available to apply filters such as a company filter. Using this, you can create a filtered search for news about a company by name if a tag exists for it in Factiva.

Industry Research

Industry information provides a more macro level overview of the performance of all companies performing certain services as a whole. It will often include information concerning trends, challenges, and risks that would face a company falling within a specified industry. It is generally recommended to identify the industry in which a company operates and search that industry term to make best use of the following databases. For example, if your company is McDonald's you may search Restaurant to find relevant industry reports.

Depending on how large your company is, a report may not make mention of the company specifically, but since industry information covers all companies as a whole, industry information would still apply to the company.

IBISWorld
Provides access to industry reports covering industry performance and outlook, competitive landscape (including market share concentration), regulatory environment, major companies, operational conditions, SWOT analysis, and key statistics.
Statista
Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on a variety of topics.

MBA 70510 - Marketing Research (Hartman)

Need help? Ask a Business Librarian!

Librarians

Overview

Public Company Research

Private Company Research

Industry Research