Entrepreneurship Resources @ VU

Research Support for When You Don't Know How to Find Information

Management Library

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Walker Management *Library
Contact:
Walker Management Library
Owen Graduate School of Management
401 21st. Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
Website

Business Planning resources

Industry Databases

Contains global industry market research reports include insight on the business environment. Search by industry name, NAICS code or company name. Use for understanding market size, competitors, drafting business plans, pitch books, benchmarking, forecasting, business valuations, litigation support, due diligence and more. Search by industry name, industry code, or company name to access industry reports. Full report available in pdf format. 

Industry reports include:

  • Industry Performance
  • Industry Outlook
  • Industry Life Cycle
  • Products & Markets
  • Competitive Landscape
  • Major Companies
  • Operating Conditions
  • Key Statistics
  • Jargon & Glossary
Specialty Industry Databases 

Competitor and Funding Research databases

To better understand a company, its performance in the market and the factors that affect it, you need to understand the whole picture of that universe.  This includes :

  • Company’s financials
  • Products and services
  • SWOT reports (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
  • Industry pressures and challenges
  • Competitors
  • Analyst reports

While you should certainly look at the company’s website, note that will only help you gain insight into that company's opinion about itself.  For other opinions about a company’s issues and performance, there are several types of library databases that will help.  They are generally divided up by the type of information they contain.

Using the company stock symbol helps you find consistent company analysis from resource to resource by making sure you are comparing the same company, and not any subsidiaries.

Private Company research databases