When researching a particular company for an assignment or in preparation for an interview, there are a number of sources you can use. Companies produce a range of documents that can include annual reports, research documents and press releases. These are usually available from their website. You may also require key financial data and statistics, or perhaps are looking for independent research on a company's performance. It is also worth looking at the market report for the sector in which the company operates for analysis of external factors influencing the business. This information will help you analyse how organisations operate, and what makes them successful, their strategies and styles of management.
Companies produce a range of documents that can include annual reports, research documents and press releases. These are usually available from their own website. You may also require key financial data and statistics, or perhaps are looking for independent research on a company's performance. It is also worth looking at the market report for the sector in which the company operates for analysis of external factors influencing the business. This information will help you analyse how organisations operate, and what makes them successful, their strategies and styles of management.
To find company information, you should start by searching our library databases. Organisations such as Marketline employ a team of analysts to research and write reports which are then provided online. The library pays to provide access to these to ensure that you have content which is of high quality. Once you get used to searching databases, you can save a lot of time because a lot of the work has been done for you.
Different databases provide access to different types of information.
Use Statista for Brand and Company reports either in the UK or across the world. Use Business Source Premier and type the name of the company to find independent company reports by Marketline (remember to add the words Company Profile in the search box). Use Companies House website to find the data submitted by companies themselves to the government.
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This link opens in a new windowStatista is a Google-like search tool for researching market and consumer data. It also provides reports such as overviews of a topic, outlook reports on current trends, and surveys, and displays information in charts, graphs and infographics. Search for information on a company such as Netflix, topics such as wearable devices, or industry reports such as Retail Trade in the UK. To browse, remember to select the UK flag icon to restrict your results to UK reports.
This link opens in a new windowBusiness Source Premier covers UK and international business, management and economics issues across a range of sectors including construction, IT, education, and health. Provides full-text journal articles; market, company & industry sector reports; and country intelligence.
This link opens in a new windowThe enhanced Business Searching Interface of the Business Source Premier database allows you to browse by: market research reports; country reports; industry and company profiles; and SWOT analyses.
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