Library Guides: BA 321: Contemporary Skills for Business Professionals: In-class Activity

Research for Competitive Advantage

Career Prep Research Tools

In your group, explore your assigned research tool. Be prepared to demonstrate your discoveries to the class!

Worksheet: BA 321 Career Prep Research
Record your observations in this worksheet, and take notes on demonstrations by your classmates!

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Think of an industry you want to work in and access the industry report.
Who are the major players or companies in this industry? What factors impact industry performance and the current industry outlook? Review the call preparation questions - how can these be helpful in career prep?
IBISWorld provides over 700 full-text industry reports, 700 US industry risk rating reports, and information on over 8000 Publicly Traded US Companies as well as hundreds of economic and demographic profiles. Subscription includes access to the US Industry State Reports module.
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Think of a company you would like to work for and search for their profile.
Is the company in good financial health? What industry do they operate in? Who are there competitors? Have they been in the news lately? Can you find job opportunities in the database?
Provides data on over 100 million privately held companies.
Mintel This link opens in a new window
Access Mintel Reports, search for an industry you want to work in and find a related trends report.
What kind of data is presented in Mintel reports? How could this be useful in career prep?
Provides access to two products. Mintel Academic publishes 600 market research reports each year for the U.S. and European consumer markets. Reports analyze market drivers, trends, market forecasts, market segmentations, demographics, and consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviors. The Trends module in Mintel Academic tracks cutting edge trends and shifts in consumer behavior. Mintel Market Sizes provides market size, market share and segmentation data for global consumer packaged goods industries. No walk-ins allowed.

Indeed.com
Indeed.com is an online recruiting and job application website.
Access the Company Reviews tab and search by company name or job title.
What can you learn from company reviews? Are there useful tips in the Q&A and Interviews tabs of the company profile?