In addition to the databases provided by the Bellarmine Library, the following web sites are useful in conducting Industry and company research.
Industry Research
NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)/SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) - NAICS (established in April 1997) replaces the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and groups producing and nonproducing economic activities into 20 sectors and 1,170 industries in the United States version. It was developed to provide common industry definitions for Canada, Mexico, and the United States to facilitate analyses of the economies of the three countries.
Census Bureau - Current Industrial Reports - The CIR program has been providing monthly, quarterly, and annual measures of industrial activity for many years. The primary objective of the CIR program is to produce timely, accurate data on production and shipments of selected products. The data are used to satisfy economic policy needs and for market analysis,forecasting, and decision-making in the private sector.
Economic Census (U.S. Census Bureau) - The Economic Census provides official measures of output for industries and geographic areas, and serves as the cornerstone of the nation’s economic statistics, providing key source data for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other indicators of economic performance.
Trade Associations - Always check for trade associations related to your industry. Companies that manufacture similar products or offer similar services often belong to industry associations. These associations help resolve problems between their member companies and consumers. Most also provide consumer information and education materials through publications and on their web sites.These can usually be found through a web search.
Company Research
Annual Reports - Free Service allows users to review an annual report in an easy and convenient manner. Boasting the most complete and up-to-date listings of annual reports on the internet, AnnualReports.com provides instant access to annual reports in their actual format in one single location. Guide to SEC filings
Encyclopedia of Company Histories - A company's history can be just as relevant as its current stock price. Read all about the development of the world's top companies from Acciona to Zomba. Entries include timelines, lists of principal subsidiaries and competitors, and bibliographies for further reading.
Big Charts (Stock Performance) Need a graph of your stock's performance? Visit this website and use the "Quick Chart" button at the top of the screen. The website will provide a chart of the stock's performance for the period you choose, along with trading volume. The site also provides other interesting tools for monitoring stock market performance.
Google Finance - For a quick profile of a public company's financial position
Marketing
Sites below provide demographic information on potential customers
Small Business Administration - Guide to Market Research
The U.S. Small Business Administration has a guide for market research as part of its Small Business Planner
Entrepreneur's Resource Center
Investigation and analysis of your competition and potential customer base are major components of a comprehensive market analysis. This checklist of resources for gathering market data provides perspective regarding common market research tools and methods.
State & County Quick Facts - Quick, easy access to facts about people, business, and geography. QuickFacts tables are summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities.
American Community Survey (Annual Survey) - The 2005 data include estimates of demographic, social, and economic characteristics of people, households and housing units.
Data Place: Demographic statistics on cities and towns - DataPlace aims to be your one-stop source for housing and demographic data about your community, your region, and the nation. The site not only assembles a variety of data sets from multiple sources, but it also provides tools and guides to assist you in analyzing, interpreting, and applying the data so you can make more informed decisions.
Census Bureau Data Sets (select your own criteria for searching) - The Census Bureau conducts many censuses and surveys. The most well-known is the official population census of the United States, called the decennial census. It is conducted every ten years, most recently in April 2000. During each decennial census, the Census Bureau collects data from every household in the U.S. and its territories.
Environmental Systems Research Institute: Community Tapestry - ESRI's market segmentation system, classifies U.S. neighborhoods into 65 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic composition. Segmentation explains customer diversity, describes lifestyles and lifestages, and incorporates a wide range of data such as demographic, business, and market potential data.
Dept. of Labor Consumer Expenditure Survey - Provides information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics.
County Business Patterns - County Business Patterns provides data on the total number of establishments, mid-March employment, first quarter and annual payroll, and number of establishments by nine employment-size classes by detailed industry for all counties in the United States and the District of Columbia
State-level Economic Census Reports - Data for states, metropolitan areas, counties, and cities are being published state by state and sector by sector.
B-plans.com - Gallery of 500+ business plans. Choose the category that is closest to your own business or industry, and find a plan you like. You can use it for reference in writing your own plan.
Business plans from the Small Business Administration - Several examples of business plans. Awritten guide to starting and running your business successfully is essential. This plan will encourage loans, promote growth, and provide a map for you to follow.
Small Business Administration - Careful planning is fundamental to success. The Small Business Planner includes information and resources that will help you at any stage of the business lifecycle.
Business benchmarks - Instant access to useful financial ratios, business statistics & benchmarks. Effective, understandable analysis of businesses & industries.
Competitors
Yellow Pages (Finding Competitors) – If you are interested in seeing how many businesses similar to yours are located in a specific location, don’t forget the phone book!
Company Reseach for Job Seekers
Job seekers are often better prepared for interviews when they are well informed about the company for which they are interviewing. Suggestions for finding important company financial information, company histories and articles on current conditions can be found here.
