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Sport & Recreation

This guide will help JMU students research on sport recreation and sport leadership topics.

Where Can I Find Financial Information for Public Companies?

The amount of financial information available will depend on whether a company is publicly traded or privately held. Case studies or projects in that examine privately-held companies like Sheetz often will lead researchers to encounter a lot of dead ends when searching.

This video summarizes the difference between these two ownership types.

Market research and company analysis reports are among the most expensive types of business information. The companies that provide this information are strict about how their data can be used in AI tools.

Nexis Uni and IBISWorld prohibit the uploading of data or reports to third parties, including Copilot

Where Can We Find Financial Data for a Private Company?

A private company is a company that is not traded on any stock exchange. Private companies as a general rule do not have to file any documents about their financial situation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consequently, finding information on private companies can be very challenging. JMU Libraries has a couple of resources that focus on private companies, but the completeness of the data will vary wildly for each company and those inconsistencies can be frustrating for researchers.

Often, researchers will need to rely on industry benchmarks to estimate the financial situations of privately-held companies.

There isn't one foolproof method for researching a private company. You often will need to make a decision with only a limited amount of data about a company you're investigating. 

This video explains how a business librarian approaches private company research. 

Market research and company analysis reports are among the most expensive types of business information. The companies that provide this information are strict about how their data can be used in AI tools.

PrivCo prohibits the uploading of its data to any AI tool, including Copilot

What Are Industry Financial Benchmarks and How Can We Use Them?

Struck out finding financial information about a competitor using Data Axle or PrivCo? Try using industry financial benchmarks, which provide a sense of the cost structure of similar businesses operating in your industry that anticipate a similar revenue level. 

 

Image source: Storyblocks

Recommended resources from the Libraries for Industry Financial Benchmarks and Ratios.

To find industry financial benchmarks, you'll need to identify your industry. In business research, an industry refers to a group of businesses that produce and/or sell the same, or similar, goods or services (Investopedia, 2024). 

The U.S. government uses the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to collect data about the economic output of industries.

NAICS codes are critical tool when doing business research, because they help you find financial benchmarks to forecast a business' sales, revenue, expenditures, etc. 

Recommended sites to find a NAICS code for your business

Market research and company analysis reports are among the most expensive types of business information. The companies that provide this information are strict about how their data can be used in AI tools.

IBISWorld prohibits the uploading of data or reports to third parties, including Copilot

Where Can I Find Financial Information for Nonprofit Organizations?

Nonprofits are formal organizations in the United States that qualify for tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code. In the U.S., non-profits usually are required to disclose information about their financials.

Tips for Getting the Best Info from Finance Databases

JMU Libraries has created several tutorials in Google Slides to help students use our specialized business resources.

Click on the name of the database to open the tutorial that shows how to search for data and cite the information you find in APA style.