Use the "Company" search option in Mergent Intellect to search for a company by name or ticker symbol.
At the results screen you can see details about the company such as a brief and competitors, financial details such as an income statement and cash flow, information about the company's executives, and a family tree. There is more information about publicly traded companies than about private firms.
For publicly traded companies, the SEC filings, in particular the annual or 10K reports, can be an excellent source of information on the company and the larger industry.
You can also use Mergent Intellect to find all the companies in an industry. At the main Mergent Intellect screen select Industry and then enter your industry code or the name of your industry.
The results screen will show you all the companies in your industry across the United States; click on any company name to find out more about it. There will be more information about larger, publicly traded companies than there will be about private firms.
To find companies in your industry in a particular geographic region, e.g., Decatur or Macon county, select the Advanced Search button from the dashboard.
From the Advanced Search screen select Industry. Either enter your industry code or drill down through the hierarchy to find your industry and then click Add to Criteria +.
Next, select Location. Select a state, county, metro area, city, or zip code and then click Add to Criteria +.
After adding both these criteria (location and industry) click the Search button at the bottom the screen.
At the results screen you will see a listing of companies that match your criteria. You'll see the company's name, location, location type, sales, SIC code, URL, and phone number. Click on any company's name to get more information about it. By default the companies are sorted by Sales, but you can switch the sorting to any of the other criteria listed in the tabs (Employees Type, Ownership Type, etc.).
Staley Library subscribes to a database called Mergent Intellect that has information on industries and the companies that are part of that industry.
Once you access Mergent Intellect, look for the First Research button on the dashboard (the collection of icons below the search bar).
Clicking on the First Research button will open a new window. Enter your email address, click Submit, and then enter either the NAICS code for your industry or the name of your industry.
You may have to select your industry at the next screen. Once you do, you will be taken to a page with many options for exploring the industry. You will first see an overview of the industry; scroll down or use the menu on the left to find out more about your industry. Select PDF Version to download part or all of the industry profile as a PDF.
News and Social provides information about current developments in the industry.
Industry Overview gives you a detailed overview of the industry.
Industry Forecast shows you where the industry will go in the future.
Critical Issues tells you major hurdles the industry is facing.
Business Challenges lists issues that individual firms in the industry may encounter.
Industry Opportunities lists ways that companies in the industry might increase their business.
Executive Insight lists challenges and opportunities for different executives (CEO, CFO, etc.) in the industry.
Financial Information provides company benchmark trends.
Notice that on the overview page on the left below the menu there is a drop down for Archived Profiles (past industry reports) and a listing of Related Industries. On the right side of the page are Industry Websites. Those websites can be a great source of information for learning more about the industry.