Subject Guide
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Choosing a Company
Tip: Choosing a public company, one that is traded on the stock market, will make finding this information much easier. The company profile in Nexis Uni will tell you whether or not it is public or private.
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Nexis UniTo find the Company Dossier in Nexis Uni, click on the down arrow near the top of the screen (above the main search box) and select Company Dossier. Once you have searched for your company you will see something like Private - Parent or Public to right of your company's address on the results list. To see a report on the company click on the company name. If it is a public company, make note of the ticker symbol.
Gathering Company Information
Stockholder Reports
See the company's website. If your company is a public company, look for a link that says something like "for investors," or "investment information." Also, if the company is a U.S. publicly traded company, look the company up using EDGAR. Enter the ticker symbol in Fast Search box. Look for the most recent 10-K report on the list and then click on the Documents button. Next, click on the first red hyperlink under Document in the "Document Format Files" box. These reports contain quite a bit of information.
Company Profiles
To find Company Profiles in Business Source Complete, click on the More button above the search box and select Company Profiles. Type your company name in the box, if your company is on the results list click on MarketLine Report link. These reports are for both public and private companies.
Finding Business References, Trade Publications, etc.
Business Source Complete will also help you locate these types of resources. Type your company name in and click on Search. Click on Trade Publications in the left column under Source Types.
General Business Information
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Data Axle Reference SolutionsData Axle Reference Solutions is an online directory of businesses in the U.S. and can help you find your company's sales volume and other business information. Here is how you can look up a company.
1) Click on U.S. Business.
2) Enter your company name (Note: If you know where the headquarters is, you might select that state from the dropdown box).
3) Click on View Results.
4) Find your company on the results list. To see the company hierarchy, click on the up arrow to the right of the company name. (Note: You may have to click more than once to get to the top).
5) Click a store location and then Business Demographics in the left column.
Target Market, Advertising, and Publicity
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Business Source CompleteMarketLine Company Profiles in Business Source Complete tell what products and brands are associated with a company. Articles will also be helpful in locating information about how a company markets their products. Do a search using your company's name and keywords such as "advertising" or "marketing." To find Company Profiles, click More and select Company Profiles. Enter your company name to see if a report is available.
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Nexis UniThe Company Dossiers in Nexis Uni may have brands. To do a Company Dossier search, click on the down arrow near the top of the screen, above the word "Search" then select Company Dossier from the list. Enter your company name in the search box and search. Once you have found your dossier, look for Brands in the right column. Not all reports have this link.
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Mintel ReportsLearn more about consumers. Searches like "downscale older", "green consumer", "Gen Y", should bring up results. Search for reports about your product type or your market segment and see the Consumer tab of the report. If you click on a report and do not see the Consumer tab look for the "Go to report summary" link below the title within the report. Additionally, you might use your company as a search term to see which reports mention your company.
Corporate Responsibility
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Business Source CompleteArticles from Business Source Complete may give some insight into the corporate responsibility of your company. Combine your company name with keywords and related terms found in the Family and Consumer Sciences professional code of ethics. You may have to brainstorm for terms. For example, one of the core values relates to family. What employer policies affect families? For example, policies related to benefits such as insurance, family and medical leave act.
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Nexis UniDo a search for your company using the main search box. Click on the Negative News facet in lower left hand column of the results list (you may have to scroll down to see it). This may provide interesting news related to ethical problems and issues.