Company and Industry Information Resource Guide: Business Source Complete Database

This is our most comprehensive business database.  It includes:

• Journal and newspaper articles.
• Company reports.
• Industry overviews and profiles.
• Product reviews.
• Country reports.
• Market research reports.
• SWOT analyses.
• Case studies.

Below are brief descriptions of three methods to find industry information in the Business Source Complete database.

Before proceeding, see the NAICS & SIC Codes subpage of this guide to determine the NAICS code for your industry.

See farther down this page for step-by-step directions for each method and for limiting your search results. 

Method One:  Enter the industry's NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database.  Then, limit your search to the document type of "Industry Overview."

Method Two:  Enter the industry's NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database. Then, limit your search to the publication type of "Industry Profile," "Market Research Report," OR "SWOT Analysis."

Method Three:  Enter the industry's NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database. Then, limit to full-text results. 

It is easier to search for industry information when you know the NAICS or SIC number for it. 

The Business Source Complete database uses only NAICS numbers.  To learn what NAICS codes are and how to find a code number for a particular industry, see the NAICS & SIC Codes page of this guide.

Once you know the NAICS number for your industry, follow the step-by-step instructions below for each of the three methods of finding industry information in the Business Source Complete database.

Also provided below are directions on how to limit your search results.

To Find an Industry Overview

• Enter the NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database.
• Drop down the "Select a Field ..." menu to the right of that search box.
• Click on "IC NAICS Code or Description."
• Click on the "Full Text" box in the "Limit Your Results" section of the page.
• Click on “Industry Overview” in the “Document Type” menu in the “Limit Your Results” section of the page.
• Click on “Search.”
• A list of industry profiles for the United States and other countries will appear as well as global industry profiles.  If you want to limit your search to a specific country or countries, scroll down the left column, click on "Show More" under the Geography heading, select the appropriate nation(s), and click on "Update."

To Find the Industry Profile

• Enter the NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database.
• Drop down the "Select a Field ..." menu to the right of that search box.
• Click on "IC NAICS Code or Description."
• Click on the "Full Text" box in the "Limit Your Results" section of the page.
• Click on “Industry Profile” in the “Publication Type” menu in the “Limit Your Results” section of the page. (Could also limit to "Market Research Report," OR "SWOT Analysis.")
• Click on “Search.”
• If more than one entry is listed, click on the one with your NAICS number and a keyword for your industry.
• This gives you access to a report that can range from something like 30 to 100+ pages and contains market reports, industry trends, and demographic data.
• Note:  There are some industries for which there is not an industry profile in the Business Source Complete database. 

If You Need Further Information on the Industry

• Enter the NAICS code in the first search box on the initial screen of the Business Source Complete database.
• Drop down the "Select a Field ..." menu to the right of that search box.
• Click on "IC NAICS Code or Description."
• Click on the "Full Text" box in the "Limit Your Results" section of the page.
• Click on “Search.”
• A very long list of entries appears. 
• If there are too many search result entries and you would like to come up with a more fine-tuned list, see the directions below for limiting your search results.

Limiting Your Search Results

If you have a long list of search results  and would like a more fine-tuned list, choose one or more of the following options from the left column:

• Under the "Limit To" heading, click the box by "Full Text" if it is not yet checked.  Checking this box will cause you to get only results for which you have immediate access to the content and not just the citation or an abstract.
• Under the "Limit To" heading, click the box by "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals."  Your results will come from publications in which the articles have been reviewed by experts in the appropriate field of study before being published in the journal.
• Under the "Limit To" heading, change the publication date range to eliminate the oldest search results.  Slide the left end of the date-slider bar to the right to a more recent date.
• Under the "Source Types" heading, click on the "Show More" link.  Choose one or more types of publications, such as SWOT Analyses, Market Research Reports, Trade Publications, etc.  Click on "Update."
• Under the other headings, you can limit by subjects, publication titles, company names, geographic locations, and NAICS/Industry groups.
• Alternatively, you can combine the search term of the NAICS code with another search term.  For example, you could type marketing in the second search box at the top and click on "Search."

Below are brief descriptions of four methods to find company information in the Business Source Complete database. 

See farther down this page for step-by-step directions for each method and for limiting your search results.

First Method:  Click on "Company Information" in the blue banner at the top. 

Second Method:  Drop down the "More" menu in the blue banner at the top and then click on "Company Profiles" under it. 

Third Method:  Type the company name or ticker symbol in the first search box of the page that appears when you open the Business Source Complete database.  Limit your search to the document type of "Company Report." 

Fourth Method:  Type the company name or ticker symbol in the first search box of the page that appears when you open the Business Source Complete database.  Limit to full-text results.  

Below are step-by-step instructions for each of the four methods of finding company information in the Business Source Complete database. 

Also provided below are directions on how to limit your search results.

First Method

• Click on "Company Information" in the blue banner at the top.
• The search box is defaulted to "company name," but you can drop down the menu at the left and change it to "ticker symbol."
• Type the company name or ticker as appropriate.
• Click on "Search."
• If more than one entry is listed, click on the appropriate link.  (Usually, the entity with the highest-listed revenue is the one you are after.)
• In addition to the displayed information, more can be learned about the company by clicking on the links in the "Related Information" box in the left menu and on the links in the main part of the page for financials, subsidiaries, executives, industry, and more.
• Try the other methods described here to get more information.

Second Method

• Drop down the "More" menu in the blue banner at the top.
• Click on "Company Profiles" under it.
• Type the company name in the search box and click on "Browse."
• Click on the name of the appropriate company for basic information, including an abstract of the company profile report you will access in the next step.
• Go back to the previous page and click on the PDF Complete Report link for the appropriate company.
• A lengthy multi-page document is available with company overview, key facts, business description, history, key employees, major products/services, revenue analysis, SWOT analysis, top competitors, company view, and locations & subsidiaries.
• Try the other methods described here to get more information.

Third Method

• Type the company name or ticker symbol in the first search box of the page that appears when you open the Business Source Complete database.
• Drop down the "Select a Field" menu to the right of that search box.
• Choose either "CO Company Entity" if you typed the company name or "TK Ticker Symbol" if you entered the ticker symbol.
• Click on the "Full Text" box in the "Limit Your Results" section of the page.
• Click on “Company Report” in the “Document Type” menu in the “Limit Your Results” section of the page.
• Click on "Search."
• Explore the most recent edition of each type of report that is listed.
• Try the other methods described here to get more information.

Fourth Method

• Type the company name or ticker symbol in the first search box of the page that appears when you open the Business Source Complete database.
• Drop down the "Select a Field" menu to the right of that search box.
• Choose either "CO Company Entity" if you typed the company name or "TK Ticker Symbol" if you entered the ticker symbol.
• Click on the "Full Text" box in the "Limit Your Results" section of the page.
• Click on "Search."
• The results are arranged by the database's relevance criteria.  If you would prefer to have them arranged by publication date, drop down the "Relevance" menu that is above and to the right of the first search result.  Choose "Date Newest."
• If there are too many search result entries and you would like to come up with a more fine-tuned list, see the directions below for limiting your search results.
• Try the other methods described here to get more information.

Limiting Your Search Results

If you have a long list of search results  and would like a more fine-tuned list, choose one or more of the following options from the left column:

• Under the "Limit To" heading, click the box by "Full Text" if it is not yet checked.  Checking this box will cause you to get only results for which you have immediate access to the content and not just the citation or an abstract.
• Under the "Limit To" heading, click the box by "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals."  Your results will come from publications in which the articles have been reviewed by experts in the appropriate field of study before being published in the journal.
• Under the "Limit To" heading, change the publication date range to eliminate the oldest search results.  Slide the left end of the date-slider bar to the right to a more recent date.
• Under the "Source Types" heading, click on the "Show More" link.  Choose one or more types of publications, such as SWOT Analyses, Market Research Reports, Trade Publications, etc.  Click on "Update."
• Under the other headings, you can limit by subjects, publication titles, company names, geographic locations, and NAICS/Industry groups.
• Alternatively, you can combine the search term of the company name with another search term.  For example, you could type revenue in the second search box at the top and click on "Search."

You access the "help" feature of EBSCO by clicking on the "Help" link in the blue banner at the top. 

Below are three documents created by EBSCO to provide help.