Researching a company

Reasons to search for company information:

• to prepare for a job interview
• to decide whether or not you want to apply for a job there
• to see where the company (and "branches") is located
• to find out how many people work there
• to get specific information on what the company is and does

Using ProQuest Business Collections

ProQuest Business by default searches three separate databases including

1. ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry

2. Research Library: Business

3. The Wall Street Journal

You can search for information on specific companies or industries in ProQuest Business by clicking on the link to the database in this box

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Type in your search terms, or keywords, to find relevant information in ProQuest Business. Be sure to limit to full-text articles if you need access immediately.

• A search for information about the growth of Starbucks franchises might look like this (image below): 

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Tips:

• Try different search terms to get to the most relevant articles.

• If you get too many titles, try adding another search term to narrow and focus your results.

• You can limit by year of publication.

• You can limit by full text (which means you will only get articles you can read in entirety).

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How do you know which articles meet your needs?

Your search results list looks like this. 

• Read the abstract, or summary, to understand the key focus of the article or report. Is it what you are looking for?
• Use the menu on the left to further focus your search for the right information.

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Company websites and annual reports

Search the Google box below with your company name as your keyword. A company's annual report, if it has one, will give you great information about the company, so you might also want to add "annual report" to your search (with the quotation marks).