BUS 100 - Enterprise

There is a vast amount of information you can find on your company. Some of the basics include: 

• Company name
• Headquarters
• Stock symbol and exchange
• Company history (year founded, IPO, year incorporated, major acquisitions, international expansion, significant controversies or setbacks, etc)
• Industry and major competitors
• Stock price
• Revenue and Net Income
• SEC reports (10-k, 8-k, 10-Q)

But there is much more research and information, depending on your research question and purpose. This could include:

• Vision and Mission statement
• Number of employees: how big is the company
• Number of locations: where is the company spread, which states or countries
• Company hierarchy: what subsidiaries does the parent company own
• Recent news and press releases
• Company organization: CEO, VP, divisions
• In-depth company histories, including minor events, smaller acquisitions, divestitures, CEO history
• SWOT analysis

Industry is organized by the primary type of product or service created and sold by the company. All companies exist in an industry. 

It is important to research your company, but it is also important to understand the context of the industry. Some issues affect only your company (e.g., change in CEO) while some affect every company in an industry (e.g., change in government regulation). 

When researching your industry, you can search for the following information:

• NAICS or SIC Code
• Major companies
• Industry ratios and statistics
• Key economic factors
• Related Industries
• Industry Outlook 
• Operating Conditions
• Industry revenue
• Porter's Five Forces Analysis
• and more

All companies operate in the business environment, but that environment varies greatly for different companies, countries, products, and other factors. Some of the essential factors in business environment research include:

• Demographics
• Supply and demand industries
• Politics and regulations that affect business
• Environmental concerns 
• Technological changes and innovations
• Legal environment
• Social and cultural considerations
• Country, state/province/administrative district, and local economics

These are often gathered into a PEST report (political, economic, social, technological) or PESTLE report (political, economics, social, technological, legal, and environmental).