Finding company information for your business proposal and dashboard
1. What you need to do
For your business proposal and dashboard you will need to find company and industry information to support your discussion. This guide will help you to do this.
Remember: Always read all of the information on your course website related to the assessment.
2. Company website
Start by searching for your company's website. Here you will be able to find key information, such the history of the company, the industry, previously run promotions and media releases, and annual reports.
Tip: Look for things like 'About us' or 'Our story'.
Below are some of the key questions to find out about your company. Knowing this information will help you find the right databases to search in.
- Is your company Australian or international?
- Is the company private, public, or non-profit?
- What information do you need about the company? Annual reports, market research, campaign information, news media?
- What industry does your company operate within?
3. Is your company public, private, or non-profit?
- Company360Provides access to Australia's most in-depth business and analysis tool covering over 50,000 of Australia's leading private and public companies.
You can check the Company360 database to see if your company is public or private. Search example in Company360:
- Type the name of your company in the search bar (top right)
- The listing tells you whether the company is public or private. Select the company's name from the results list to see more information.
Tip: Make sure spelling is accurate. For example, search for Oz Harvest not Ozharvest.
- ACNC - Australian Charities and Not-for-profits CommissionThe ACNC register is a good place to check if your company is a non-profit (Australian) organisation.
4. Determining the industry
If you are unsure what industry your company operates within:
- Search for the company in Company360.
- Select the company name from the results list.
- Select the Industries tab from the menu on the right to view the industry that this company operates within.
Tip: Your company might operate within more than one industry.
5. Where to search
- Company and Industry InformationLook at this guide to look up real company or industry data. It can help you find public and private company and industry information, financial data, annual reports, and country information.
Key databases for finding Australian company and industry information are as follows:
| Company information top picks: | Industry information top picks: |
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More help
- Where to find Company and Industry Information - PDF (202 KB)A printable quick reference table of where to search for Company and Industry Information.
6. Finding industry reports
- IBISWorldIBISWorld provides detailed industry reports on Australian industries and selected US and Chinese industries.
Industry reports include information such as:
- SWOT analyses
- Major competitors
- Products and markets
- competitive landscape
To find industry reports type your industry in the main search box, e.g., wine, then select search.
Tip: From the results page, you can filter your results by Country (Australia) to show relevant results. You can also filter results by Report > Industry or Company.
- PassportPassport is a global market research database providing statistics, analysis, reports, surveys on industries, countries, and consumers worldwide.
To find industry information:
- On the home page, select Industries then your chosen industry (e.g., Drinks) on the top of the page.
- Go to the Explore Analysis box.
- Select the industry of your company/brand, choose Country Report for the analysis field, choose the product's category, then choose the appropriate country from the drop down menu, and select Go.
- Your country report should automatically open.
- Using the menu at the top of the report, you can navigate through different information such as industry analysis, datagraphics, and related industries.
- Business Source UltimateBusiness Source Ultimate gives access to company profiles, industry reports, country reports, SWOT analysis, and market research reports. The database is USA-focused but includes some Australian and international companies and industries also.
To search for an industry profile, enter the name of the industry (e.g., wine) in the search box and click Search.
On the left hand side under Refine Results, choose Source Types, and click Show More to see full range of sources.
In the pop-up box, select Industry Profiles then hit the Update button.
7. Finding your company in the news
News articles can be a good place to find information on key trends, recent challenges, or specific priorities for your company.
- NewsBankThis news database consolidates current and archived information from thousands of newspaper titles and other publications. It helps to pinpoint information from primary sources at the local, state, regional, national and international levels.
- News Media GuideThis guide provides an overview of some of the main news outlets and the different types of media you can look at and search through.
8. Put it all together
Once you have all your information it is time to put it all together. Watch this short video (2 min 53 sec) for tips on how to write a report:
More help
- Reports - PDF (311 KB)A learning document on reports created by UniSA Learning Advisers.
- Study Help: ReportsResources on how to write effective reports.
9. Referencing support
- Referencing websiteResources on different referencing styles. Find examples of in-text citations and references for diverse formats including articles, books and book chapters, websites and more.
Note: Always check your Course Outline or LearnOnline site for the referencing style required for your course.
Managing your references
What do you do with all those references you have found? You can use a bibliographic management software to store, organise, and cite your references.
There are many free systems available. The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote. EndNote automates citing your references and allows you to create and organise a library of references. For more information and to download the software, check out the EndNote Guide: