Competitive Research Section in E101/Comm 280 Research Guide
In this section you will learn how Industry Codes, such as NAICS, are used in business research, how company directories can help you to identify competitors, and what UBC library and free online sources can help you learn about specific companies.
Industry Codes - To Find Competitors
Some market research databases and websites organize business information using industry codes.
The two industry classification systems you will come across most often are NAICS and SIC. Both are hierarchical, organized by broad industry categories, each divided into more specific industries.
Note: If you are researching a very specific or very new industry, it may not be included in these industry classification systems.
Look up the code for your industry:
- NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)Developed in 1997, by Canada, the United States and Mexico. Industry codes are from 2-6 digits long.
- SIC (Standard Industrial Classification):An older industry classification system. NAICS was intended to replace SIC, however, some resources still use SIC codes to classify information.
- Industry classification schemes: An analysis and reviewArticle explaining Industry Classification Systems.
Investment Analyst Reports
- BloombergAvailable on specific machines in the Canaccord Learning Commons, Wayne Deans Investment Analysis Centre (current Sauder students and faculty and staff only) and UBCO Library.
- S&P Capital IQAvailable to current Sauder students in the Canaccord Learning Commons and Wayne Deans Investment Analysis Centre.
Industry Ratios & Benchmarking
Top sources for industry ratios and benchmarking are listed below. For more sources, refer to the Finance page of the Industry & Market Research Guide.
Top Sources for Industry Ratios & Benchmarking
- Business Performance and Ownership: Financial Statements and PerformanceStatistics Canada releases on financial performances of a variety of industries, including service industries
About Company Directories - To Find Competitors
To identify companies operating within an industry, search company directories available online or in print through the library or free on the Internet (for example, membership lists on industry association websites).
Directories typically contain contact information, such as the address, telephone number, and key executives or personnel. Some directories may offer minimal financial and profile information, as well.
Most directories can be searched by industry and some are organized by industry codes - information on industry codes and links to standard classification systems are below.
Canadian Company Directories
- The Business in Vancouver book of lists. --Compiles the lists produced by Business in Vancouver, ranking and providing directory type information for over 1,000 leading BC companies.
- Canadian Trade IndexContains detailed information on over 30,000 Canadian companies, featuring nearly 100,000 product listings under more than 20,000 headings.
- Federal Corporations Data OnlineFree searchable database of federally incorporated/registered companies.
U.S. & International Company Directories
- MergentUS & international public company data, with enhanced features that allow you to compare companies and export data into software applications such as Excel. Annual reports. Analyst reports
Annual Reports & Company Filings
- AnnualReports.comInternational source. Provides access to over 2,000 reports for companies that trade on the AIM, MEX, ASIX, LSE, NASDAQ, NYSE, OTC, TSX TSX-V stock exchanges. Free service.
- Annual Reports at Academic Business LibrariesA database of the holdings of annual reports collections held at the following universities: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue, Stanford, U. of Alabama, U. of California-Berkeley, U. of Pennsylvania, U. of Western Ontario, Yale, and the Science/Industry/Business Library of New York Public Library.
- EDGARU.S. source. Includes annual reports, press releases, and other public documents for most public companies in the U.S. Note that annual reports are "10-K" forms for the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
- Mergent OnlineU.S. & International public company annual reports and filings. The database also contains data on companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1995 forward. Search by company name using Basic Search, or create a custom directory in Advanced Search.
- SEDARCanadian source. Includes annual reports, interim financial statements, press releases and prospectuses filed by Canadian companies from 1997 to present.
SWOT Analyses
- Business Source UltimateSWOT analyses for selected companies. In your search, combine your company name with SWOT.
- Passport GMIDSWOTs for selected international companies are available in the Global Company Profiles. To access, scroll down the left side of the screen and click on Company Profiles.
Costs
Costs are very difficult (if not impossible) to find, particularly shipping, construction and manufacturing costs. Public companies make financials available in their company filings, but only what they are required to disclose and no company would publish this information willingly.
- Industry Canada. Financial Performance DataIncome statement and balance sheet data for a variety of industries in Canada. Good source for estimating costs for small to medium sized businesses
- U.S. Census Bureau. Business ExpensesFind expenses for retail, wholesale, manufacturing, mining and service-based sectors.
- International Business CostsSources for estimating business expenses in international locations.