Company Information
The focus of this guide is to provide resources for locating information on domestic and international companies
NAICS Codes
The North American Industry Classification Codes (NAICS) were developed in 1997 by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and are used by the federal government agencies that collect and distribute statistics about business activities in North America. Because of their use by the government, many databases will also categorize companies by NAICS codes.
Some useful considerations:
- A company may fall under more than one NAICS code, usually a primary one to indicate its main area of business and additional codes would identify other areas of business activity.
- The government determines what the set of NAICS codes is, but database vendors may use their own classifications. If you rely exclusively on one NAICS code in your research, you may miss information provided by database vendors that classify a company differently.
- NAICS codes are updated every five years, and those updates may include combining or separating codes, changing industry titles, etc. Newer or niche industries may not be represented by the current iteration of NAICS codes.
NAICS Resources
- Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System Search This link opens in a new windowThe SIC preceded NAICS and you may still see SIC codes referenced in some places.
- NAICS to SIC Crosswalk This link opens in a new windowUseful if you find an SIC code and need its NAICS equivalent.
Competitors, Industry, & Market
Understanding the industry and market within which a company operates can help you understand the company better, and knowing the other major players in that industry can give you important context. The resources on this page will help you research your company's competitive landscape.
Market Reports
Market reports give you insight into target audiences, competitor strategies, and industry trends, as well as details about the size and outlook of the market. Think about the product or service the company offers and use the recommended databases here to find reports on the markets for those products or services.
- Mintel Academic This link opens in a new windowMintel offers market research reports covering US and International marketplaces. Each report combines data & analysis of the competitive landscape, market-share analysis and consumer profiles. Complex demographic issues are broken into easy-to-understand sections, explaining consumer behavior and demonstrating the structure of the market
- RKMA Market Research Handbooks This link opens in a new windowShapiro Library subscribes to a number of consumer behavior and marketing research handbooks in sports, leisure, entertainment and travel.
- ABI/INFORM Collection - ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Major source for academic journals, trade publications, market and industry research reports, company annual reports, dissertations, and working papers. Also contains country profiles and economic forecasts for most major economies.
- Business Market Research Collection - ProQuest This link opens in a new windowA resource to conduct company, industry, economic, and geopolitical market research with information from these sources: Hoover's Company Profiles - covering 40,000 global public and non-public companies including financials, competitors, officers, and more; OxResearch - succinct articles covering regional economic and political developments of significance; US and Worldwide Industry & Market Reports from Barnes Reports - covering global industries in depth; and Snapshots - market research overviews on 40+ industries and 40 countries.
Industry and Competitors
Watch the video below for a walkthrough of the IBISWorld database, one of the library's premier database for industry reports. Below it are several recommended databases with industry-level reports that include current trends, performance data, key players, and market share.
Recommended Databases
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowLargest web-based industry research provider covering over 13,000 domestic and international industries. Shapiro Library provides access to US Industry Market Research, IExpert Summary Reports, Business Environment Database, US Specialized Industry Reports and Global Industry Reports. Watch a video overview of the new IBISWorld interface - please note that due to our authentication model personalization features are not available. The IBISWorld classic interface will be available until mid-2020. If you encounter a login page when accessing that link, please open it in a different browser.
- D&B Hoovers This link opens in a new windowD&B Hoovers — which combines the best of the former Hoovers solution, insights-rich Dun & Bradstreet data, and the robust Avention OneSource platform — offers deeper insights on your most important industries, accounts, and contacts. It offers one-of-a-kind functionality to help you quickly analyze and understand companies at a level that was previously unheard of. SNHU’s subscription includes CRUSH and One Stop Reports. FAQ: Where can I find income statements and balance sheets? Please log out of D&B Hoovers when you are finished using the database. Note: Some users are reporting errors, such as requests for a password pop up when attempting to access from off-campus.
Please try clearing your browser's cookies/cache. Please also try a different browser. - MarketLine (Explorer) This link opens in a new windowQuality business reports including company profiles, market reports, industry outlooks and country economic and demographic conditions. To access data click "Explorer" under Cross Industry Intelligence Center.
- Mergent INTELLECT This link opens in a new windowMergent Intellect is a highly flexible web-based application that features a deep collection of worldwide business information that enables companies to generate insightful business intelligence. Coupling Mergent's expertise in developing products for the reference marketplace with D&B®'s private company database, Mergent Intellect offers new and existing clients a unique opportunity to access private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, the ability to access industry profiles and much more. This database also includes Hoovers and Key Business Ratios with First Research. Read this FAQ about how to access and use First Research.
- Mergent Market Atlas This link opens in a new windowMergent Market Atlas offers a wealth of detail on company financials, ratios, business segments, descriptions, sustainability, officers and directors. The powerful and intuitive search capabilities provide quick access to a multitude of company, industry, index, ESG and economic data views and reports. Mergent Market Atlas delivers the same comprehensive suite of financial information used by many professionals.
- Capital IQ Pro (Standard & Poor’s) This link opens in a new windowIncludes company profiles and financials of both public and private companies, in-depth global data for 17 industries; 7 industry-specific financial statement templates, and more. Note: The Capital IQ classic interface is still available - third party cookies need to be enabled for it to work properly. Need help using the database - check out the Academic Resource Center.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista is one of the leading statistics companies on the internet. With a team of over 200 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information.