Local Companies: Articles & Rankings
- Boston Business Journal (BBJ)Although this is actually the database of a national chain of "bizjournals," the one New Englanders probably want is the BBJ. On the opening screen, click the link to the Boston Business Journal in the blue box to the left, or click to "View Recent Issues" or "View Book of Lists" in the same area. The Book of Lists (BOL) is an annual that lists and ranks local companies and organizations. The 2011 includes entries like "SBA Lenders," "Defense Contractors" and "Environmental Engineering Firms"
Local Massachusetts companies don't always appear in the National/International Directories and Profile and Article databases. This is especially true if they are start-ups or other types of small or private companies. If you wish to research a company (or an industry or a related business topic) in the local press, here are some useful resources:
- Boston GlobeThis ProQuest database includes the recent years (up to the latest day) of the Bay State's most important daily newspaper, the Boston Globe. Want information on local companies or local issues or news as you plan for your new product? This newspaper database is worth consulting.
- The Globe 100Like the BBJ's Book of Lists, the Boston Globe does their own annual ranking. We keep this in paper at the Reference Desk, and the link attached to this Online Catalog record will take you to the Globe website, too.
Profiles and Articles on Specific Companies
- Business Source CompleteThis is our best general database for business. You can do keyword Boolean searches for topics (e.g., google and android and apps). Too many hits? Refine using options in left frame. You can search a company name (e.g., Biogen), then explore the "Source Types" on the left. And MORE in blue top frame leads to "Company Profiles," too. See this guide page for more search tips.
There are a variety of databases that contain company information. Some provide basic profiles, some articles, some financials, and others are designed to build lists of companies in a particular industry or geographical area. Below is just a sampling. For more options, see
- Wall Street JournalEveryone knows the importance of WSJ for news and updates in all areas of business. This searchable file goes back to 1984 and should be current up to today's issue. Like many databases, your results will be presented in "Relevance" order, but that means older articles might be first. Change the sort in the right frame to Date, as needed
- Business Insights This link opens in a new windowIn this new database if you search for a company name, you will see many specific source types listed to the left of the company profile results. These will include Company Histories, Market Research Reports, SWOT Reports and Rankings--as well as journal articles. Explore the many options. For more on this database, see this blog entry.
- Hoover's OnlineDo a keyword search or use the "Build A List" to find all of a particular kind/location of company. Or click the pale yellow "Companies" tab to search for company. If you get too many results by company name, Refine using factors to the left. You can download data or printable reports--But remember, some of this is duplicated in LexisNexis Academic.
- ABI/INFORM CompleteThis very extensive database has newspapers (like the Wall Street Journal), journals, and all manner of special "Reports." Unfortunately, many searches result in thousands of "hits" that are not necessarily on-target. So it is important to search this database effectively. For help doing that, see this guide page for the best search strategies.
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantageIs your company a large public company? If so, this database could be useful. The "Simple Search" box allows you to search "Company Profile" by Company Name as a default. Once you do the search, you'll get a "Business Summary," but more useful are the materials like Stock Reports and Industry Surveys that link from the left frame.
- MergentOnlineThis database is known for the financial information it provides, but there is lots of other content, besides. On the opening screen, search for the company in the search box. You will likely land on a "Company Details" page. Explore the sub-pages for this section that provide "Highlights," "History," "Business" and the like. Other blue tabs will provide "Company Financials," "Reports," "News" and other materials.
