Business Research for Artists & Designers

Business research involves three broad categories of information by which most of the databases in this guide are organized:

• Company information, such as company profiles, financial reports, and company news.
• Industry information, such as total industry revenue, annual and projected growth, major competitors, supply chain information, and emerging trends.
• Consumer and marketing information, such as advertising expenditures, consumer behaviors and preferences, and demographic information. 

Company codes: CUSIP, DUNS number, Ticker symbol- Unique identifiers for particular companies.

Industry codes: NAICS, SIC -Unique identifiers for particular industries.

Bonds (Corporate, Municipals, Sovereign): An investor loans money to an entity for a defined period of time; also known as fixed income.

Commodities: Raw material or agricultural product that can be bought and sold (copper, coffee, gold).

Equities: Stock or security representing ownership.

IPO (Initial Public Offering): The first sale of stock of a private company to the public.

M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions): Bringing separate companies together to form a larger one.

Market Share: A portion of the market/industry controlled by a particular company or product (usually a percentage).

Market Size: The number of potential buyers or sellers in a particular market, industry, product segment.

Revenue: Income generated from the sale of goods or services; before any costs or expenses are deducted.

Stock exchanges: AMEX, NASDAQ, New York, etc.

Stock indexes: S&P 500, Dow Jones.

SWOT Analysis: An assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that currently characterize a company or industry.