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Business Database Comparison Chart |
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A check means that the resource for that row is useful for the type of
information indicated by the
column. Databases in italics means that the resource
is available by appointment only.
I Need Help Choosing a Company!
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Check out ReferenceUSA.com. Every firm is listed here. Since public and private businesses are listed, large and small, go to advanced search and limit your search to companies with sales greater than $1 billion and Public=Yes. This returns over 1,000 firms. You can limit further by your preference (geography, age of firm, Fortune Ranking, etc.) to zero in on a short list of preferred firms to choose from.
Selecting a Highly Visible Firm
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You can check out the Hoover's 100, a monthly list of the companies most searched on Hoover's. Derived by tracking the search requests of Hoover's subscribers, The Hoover's 100 provides insight on which companies are being watched most closely by corporate executives, as well as sales, marketing, and business development professionals, who represent a large portion of Hoover's customers.
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Another option is to review Also see annual lists of top U.S. public companies from business journals such as Business Week and Forbes. The idea is that if a company makes this list, it likely has a wider presence in society. However, if you choose a company from one of these lists, make sure it is public.
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Once you have chosen a company, make sure the library has a Datamonitor Company Report on it (see example), especially with a SWOT analysis section. (Once in to Bus. Sou. Pre., click on "Company Profiles" link at right).
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Also go to ABI-Inform and run a search on your company to see how many hits you get. The more, the better. For example, this company search on Google produced over 2,300 hits. (Notice I searched the company field: "CO(google)" instead of doing a general search for Google: "(Google)".
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The most well-known companies will have books published about them. For example, here are the books in the library on Starbucks. Here is a book in NetLibrary on Home Depot. In the library, most company books are in the HD9999 call number section on floor 2.
Contact Business
Librarian.
last updated 02/10/07