Researching the commercial sector
Researching a company or industry is a great way to prepare for applications and interviews, as well as being good for developing general commercial awareness.
Tools for researching companies
Company recipe sheet
The job you are applying for will determine the kind of information you will need to research on a company. However, this recipe sheet provides a basic template for you to start recording company information.
PESTLE analysis
The PESTLE analysis is a simple tool which can be used to effectively identify key external factors that may affect a company or organisation:
Library databases – help videos
The playlist below includes videos demonstrating how to locate company information from Library databases. Click play to view all videos or use the drop-down menu on the top left hand corner to select a specific video.
Useful databases
Business Source Premier provides UK and international company and industry profiles. Company profiles also include a company SWOT analysis.
Mintel provides market research reports which include company information in the context of that particular market.
Passport provides UK and global company reports within the respective industry sector and region in which the company operates.
Whilst Lexis Library is primarily a law database, it also includes full-text articles from a range of UK national and regional newspapers. Use the News link to search for newspaper articles.
Financial Times newspaper. If you don’t already have an account, click the ‘sign in’ link at the top right of the screen and follow the instructions. Once registered, you can view all content.
Fame gives access to the financial reports of major British companies, covering over 7 million companies in the UK and Ireland.
Retail Week provides breaking news, insight and intelligence for the retail industry.
