Each tabbed section below - Companies, Industries & Markets, and Business Functions/Other Subjects - lists major search tools, describes their content, and in some cases provides short video tutorials or other user guides. Most of these search tools also can be accessed from the Rod Library home page Databases A-Z link.
Some of these databases can be searched as a group through the Panther Prowler interface, in fields such as Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Social Sciences; see the "Advanced Search by subject area or field of study (Panther Prowler)" link in the middle of the Rod Library home page.
Off-campus access to many of these tools is limited to UNI students and employees.
The Rod Library BizBlog provides database news, search tips for class assignments, and other points intended to help students and faculty make the best use of library resources and services.
| Database Description | Video Tutorial* | |
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ABI/INFORM Complete -articles in journals and magazines -Wall Street Journal articles, 1984- -Hoover company links from articles -Browse tab leads to company profiles, SWOT articles, etc. -check "Scholarly Journals" box to limit to academic sources |
ABI Company Search Example |
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Business & Company Resource Center -company profiles include URL, status, etc. -articles in journals and magazines -company histories -investment reports -check "Peer-reviewed" box to limit to academic sources |
BCRC Company Search Methods |
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Business Source Elite -articles in journals and magazines -company profiles may contain SWOT analysis from Datamonitor and list competitors -check "Scholarly Journals" box to limit to academic sources |
BSE SWOT Search |
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EDGAR -U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission -government site for required corporate filings -major form is 10-K Annual Report -search by company name, ticker, industry, and in full text -limit search results by form such as 10-K |
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Google -find links to corporate web sites -news and articles about companies -ticker symbol search for public companies -some sources free, others not -leads to good sources and bad, including fake pages |
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Hoovers -company overview, history, people, products, operations -subsidiaries, competitors, financials -also available via LexisNexis Academic -some additional data free at Hoovers.com -ABI/INFORM records include links to Hoover's |
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Investext Current Reports (LexisNexis Academic) -latest two reports on each company and industry -one to two month delay before reports added -suggested search expression: company (deere) -other databases with investment reports: Business & Company Resource Center, Morningstar, Value Line, etc. |
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LexisNexis Academic -company profiles, financial reports, comparisons -covers U.S. and international companies -select Busines; see Dossier search options -Legal Research section for court cases involving company |
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Mergent Online -U.S. and international publicly-held companies -15 years of annual/quarterly financials & ratios -annual reports to shareholders -links to EDGAR SEC filings -can create reports comparing company & industry |
Mergent Company Search |
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Morningstar Investment Research Center -data & analysis on stocks, funds, ETFs, and industries -analyst note, thesis, risk, strategy, etc. -"bulls say/bears say" evaluations -screens for stocks, funds, ETFs -portfolio X-ray analysis, see how stocks & funds work together |
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NetAdvantage -data/analysis from Standard & Poor's -stock & debt rating, financials, beta, bond issues -stock reports, competitors, industry position -includes S&P STARS company analysis -publication search by company name/ticker on home page or companies tab |
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ReferenceUSA -profiles on 14 million U.S. companies, 100 million U.S. households -company entries include: contact info, number of employees and sales estimates, credit rating, primary business, expense estimates, competitors -custom searches available for residential and company, such as businesses with x miles of an address |
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UNISTAR -Rod Library collection contains items about specific companies -books, dissertations, videos, government documents, etc. -use Keyword or Subject indexes |
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Value Line Investment Survey -financial data, betas, analysis of covered firms -evaluates stock and makes 6-year forecasts -compares competitors -Value Line stock screener -use Company Lookup on left side of screen |
Value Line Company Search |
