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Business

Company Research

Company Research: Unlocking Business Success

Company research is the systematic process of gathering and analysing information about a specific company. It involves examining a company's financial performance, market position, competitive landscape, management structure, and other relevant factors. This information provides a comprehensive understanding of the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis), which can inform various business decisions.

Why Company Research is Crucial for Business Students:

  • Job Search and Career Development: Thorough company research is essential when preparing for job interviews or exploring career opportunities. Understanding a company's culture, values, and business model can help you assess whether it's a good fit for your career goals.
  • Investment Decisions: For students interested in finance or investment, company research is fundamental to evaluating a company's financial health and potential for growth, guiding investment choices.
  • Competitive Analysis: Understanding how a company operates, its market position, and its competitive strategies can provide valuable insights for developing your own business plans or marketing strategies.
  • Case Studies and Academic Projects: Company research provides real-world examples and data for case studies, presentations, and academic projects, enhancing your understanding of business concepts and their practical applications.
  • Networking and Industry Connections: Building knowledge of key companies in your field of interest can open doors for networking and potential internships or job opportunities.

Where to Find Information for Company Research:

  • Company Websites: Most companies have dedicated investor relations sections on their websites, where you can find annual reports, financial statements, press releases, and other relevant information.
  • Financial News and Databases: Financial news outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters, and The Financial Times, as well as databases like Marketline and FAME, provide in-depth financial data and analysis on public companies.
  • Company Review Websites: Websites like Glassdoor and Indeed offer employee reviews and insights into company culture and work environment.
  • Industry Reports: Industry-specific reports from organizations like Marketline provide comprehensive overviews of industries, including key players, trends, and challenges.
  • Government Resources: Government agencies like Companies House (UK) or Securities and Exchange Commission (US) provide public records on registered companies, including financial information and company directors.
  • LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a valuable tool for researching company employees, their roles, and the company's overall network.

FAME: Your UK Company Intelligence Resource

FAME (Financial Analysis Made Easy) is a comprehensive database specializing in UK and Irish company information. It's a treasure trove of financial and business data, making it an essential tool for business students researching companies, industries, and markets.

What FAME Contains:

  • Company Financials: Up to 20 years of detailed financial information for over 2.6 million UK and Irish companies, including balance sheets, profit and loss accounts, and financial ratios. This allows for in-depth analysis of a company's financial health and performance over time.
  • Company Information: Extensive information on company activities, ownership structures, subsidiaries, directors, shareholders, and key contacts. This can help you understand a company's corporate structure, leadership, and connections within the business world.
  • Industry Data: FAME also provides summarised information for an additional 1 million smaller businesses, allowing for broader industry analysis and comparisons.
  • Credit Scores and Ratings: Access to credit scores, ratings, and information on County Court Judgments (CCJs) and mortgages, providing insights into a company's creditworthiness and financial risk.
  • News and Updates: Regular updates from Companies House and major news providers ensure that the data in FAME is current and relevant.

When FAME is Useful for Business Students:

  • Company Analysis and Valuation: FAME's detailed financial data is essential for conducting in-depth company analysis, financial modeling, and valuation exercises. This information can be used for academic projects, investment research, or case studies.
  • Competitor Analysis: By comparing the financial performance and business activities of different companies, you can gain insights into competitive dynamics within an industry and identify potential opportunities or threats.
  • Industry Research: FAME's extensive company data allows for comprehensive industry analysis, helping you understand market trends, key players, and overall industry performance.
  • Risk Assessment: Credit scores, ratings, and CCJ data can help you assess the financial health and risk profile of companies.
  • Due Diligence: For students considering internships or employment at a particular company, FAME can provide valuable background information on the company's financial stability, ownership structure, and management team.

When using FAME, look for the little orange question mark icon at the top of the page - this will bring up the built-in Help pages. There is guidance on using FAME, including walk-throughs and videos that you can watch or download.

We also have a short introductory video to using FAME that you can watch below.

 

Marketline: Your Deep Dive into Company Intelligence

Marketline is a comprehensive online database that provides in-depth analysis and data on companies worldwide. It's a one-stop shop for business students seeking to understand the intricacies of individual companies, enabling them to make informed decisions based on reliable data and expert analysis.

What Marketline Contains for Company Research:

  • Company Profiles: Detailed information on thousands of public and private companies worldwide, including financials, SWOT analyses, key executives, and strategic insights.
  • Financial Deals: Data on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, and IPOs, providing insights into a company's financial activities and growth strategies.
  • News and Analysis: Up-to-date news and expert commentary on specific companies and their performance, helping you stay informed about the latest developments and challenges.
  • Industry Reports: While focused on companies, Marketline also provides industry reports that offer context on the competitive landscape and market trends relevant to the company being researched.

You may want to download the Marketline user guide to give you some direction when you first start using Marketline - link - or watch some of the Marketline guidance videos - link.

We also have a short video showing the basics of using Marketline available to watch below.

 

ProQuest One Business: Your Comprehensive Business Research Hub

ProQuest One Business is a one-stop shop for business students, providing a wealth of information from scholarly journals to real-time market news, all within a single platform.

What ProQuest One Business Offers for Company Research:

  • Company Profiles: Detailed information on companies worldwide, including financials, SWOT analyses, key executives, and news coverage.
  • Industry Reports: Comprehensive overviews of industries, providing context for the competitive landscape and market trends relevant to your chosen company.
  • News Articles: Up-to-date coverage from major business publications like The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, allowing you to track a company's performance and stay informed about industry developments.
  • Scholarly Journals: Access to academic research on business topics, including case studies and analyses of specific companies or industries.

The video below will show you how to do a company analysis using One Business.

Bloomberg Terminal: Your Company Research Secret Weapon for Academic Excellence

Unlock the secrets of companies worldwide with the Bloomberg Terminal, a powerful tool that can supercharge your company research and give you a leg up in your studies.

Note: Bloomberg is not available remotely online, but only via the dedicated terminals in the Financial Lab in B118. Students will need to register/create a login directly at the terminals.

Company Research Made Easy with Bloomberg Terminal:

  • In-depth Company Profiles: Dive into detailed financial statements, earnings estimates, and valuation metrics for public companies. Uncover the financial health and performance of businesses you're interested in.
  • Industry Analysis: Explore comprehensive industry reports that analyse market trends, competitive landscapes, and growth potential. Understand the forces shaping industries and the companies operating within them.
  • Executive & Board Insights: Access information on company leadership, board members, and their backgrounds. Get to know the people behind the businesses you're researching.
  • News and Company Announcements: Stay on top of the latest company news, press releases, and SEC filings. Track developments as they happen and understand their potential impact on a company's future.
  • Equity Research: Tap into a wealth of equity research reports from leading financial institutions. Gain insights from professional analysts who dissect companies and offer investment recommendations.

The Bloomberg Terminal helps you:

  • Analyse Financial Performance: Evaluate a company's financial health, profitability, and growth potential. Understand how different financial metrics tell a story about a company's past, present, and future.
  • Assess Competitive Landscape: See how a company stacks up against its competitors in terms of market share, financials, and strategic positioning.
  • Understand Business Models: Get a grasp of how a company generates revenue, manages costs, and creates value for its shareholders.
  • Identify Investment Opportunities: Develop the skills to assess the investment potential of companies based on their financials, industry trends, and competitive landscape.
  • Build Real-World Skills: Gain hands-on experience with the same tools used by professionals in the finance industry, setting you up for success in your future career.
Training:

At the beginning of each semester, the Business School will send out an announcement inviting students to register and complete the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) training. The BMC is an e-course, and students receive interactive training directly from Bloomberg via the terminals. Upon completion, students will receive a certificate from Bloomberg, details of which can be added to CVs as evidence of competence. For modules requiring advanced and specialised usage of the platform, additional training is provided by the respective module leaders and tutors during class time.

The video below will give you an introduction to Bloomberg Terminal.