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MBA 611 Business Venture Concept Research Guide

US Census Bureau - North American Industry Classification System

Either search the 2017 NAICS code or browse the table of contents to find the NAICS code. The NAICS code can help you identify specific industries of your company.

First Research Industry Report - Partly Free Online; No Library Subscription

If it shows "Access Denied," click the First Research Logo, then click Submit and start a new search.

Search by keywords or NAICS industry code. Click the full profile to see the content and navigate by following structure:

  • NAICS
  • Industry Overview
    • Competitive Landscape (competitive advantages)
    • Products, Operations & Technology
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Finance & Regulation
    • International Insights
  • Quarterly Industry Update
  • Industry Indicators
  • Industry Forecast
  • Industry Drivers
  • Critical Issues
  • Business Challenges
  • Business Trends
  • Industry Opportunities
  • Executive Insight
  • Call Prep Questions
  • Financial Information
    • Company Benchmark Trends (Quick ratio, working capital turnover etc.)
    • Company Benchmark Information (income statement, balance sheet, financial ratios)
  • Industry Website

Business Source Complete - FHG Library Subscription

Scroll down the search page->fill NAICS/Industry Code->  change Publication Type to Industry Profile-> Search. On the left column of the screen, select publisher -> MarketLine or Barnes.

  • Barnes reports - number of establishments/firms, revenue.
  • MarketLine reports - five forces analysis.

Census Data by Topic

Find Census data for businesses including Expenses and Expenditures, Business and Owner Characteristics, Sales and Shipment and Production, Small Business.

Mergent Online (Finding Public & Private Company Competitors) - FHG Library Subscription

Data for company and industry research, both historical and current. Includes data on global publicly-traded companies, as well as domestic and international private companies (Mergent, Inc.) 

You can search a public company and find its competitors from the company's page or you can use NAICS code to find companies in the same industry.

You can also search D&B private companies and check its competitors from the company profile.

ReferenceUSA; Mergent Intellect (Finding Private Company Competitors) - Free Library of Philadelphia

Contains detailed information on over 14 million U.S. companies. Great for entrepreneurs, sales people, and job seekers. Watch this short video to learn more.

Generate insightful business intelligence with this collection of international private and public business data, industry news, and executive contact information. Watch this video to learn more.

Create an account from the Free Library of Philadelphia and access the database online for free.

Other Sources

Find suppliers, competitors, product catalog and industry insights.

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