21 Top Full-Service Research Companies in 2021

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A Quirk's resource guide covering full-service research companies

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The advantage of full-service agencies lies not only within their ability to offer end-to-end research solutions but also within the expertise required to understand and execute the entire research process.

If you’re looking for an agency that can take your research initiative from start to finish, these companies offer full-service solutions for a wide range of industries and research needs. Let the experts from the following companies solve your business needs, whether CX or UX, B2B or consumer, health care or IT.

a research company

Founded 2016 | 30+ employees

Julia eisenberg, svp.

a research company

Phone 1-888-802-1330 AspenFinn.com

a research company

Decision Analyst Inc.

Founded 1978 | 150 employees, jerry w. thomas, ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-817-640-6166 www.decisionanalyst.com/services/strategy

a research company

The Dieringer Research Group Inc. (The DRG)

Founded 1974 | 75 employees, lanie johnson, president and ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-888-432-5220 www.thedrg.com

a research company

Global Survey

Founded 2008 | 25 employees, mayank bhanushali, founder and managing dir..

a research company

Phone 91-740322-0322 www.globalsurvey.gs

a research company

Founded 2006 | 50 employees

Jeffrey kelsch, managing partner.

a research company

Phone 1-208-809-7117 (U.S.) www.holdendata.com

a research company

Information Specialists Group Inc. (ISG)

Founded 1996 | 13 employees, robert mcgarry jr., president.

a research company

Phone 1-800-279-5314 or 1-952-279-5314 isgmn.com

a research company

InsightsNow

Founded in 2003 | 35+ employees, dr. david lundahl, ceo and founder.

a research company

Phone 1-541-757-1404 www.insightsnow.com

a research company

Ironwood Insights Group LLC

Founded 2017 | 320 employees, brad larson, founder and ceo.

a research company

[email protected] Phone 1-801-569-0107, x2110 www.ironwoodinsights.com  

a research company

Founded 1982 | 219 employees  

Jacqueline rosales, president.

a research company

[email protected] Phone 1-818-989-1044 www.isacorp.com

a research company

Issues and Answers Network Inc.

Founded 1988 | 400+ employees, mohit gour, evp.

a research company

[email protected] Phone 1-757-456-1100 www.issans.com

a research company

Just The Facts Inc.

Founded 1994 , bruce tincknell, managing director.

a research company

Phone 1-847-506-0033 www.justthefacts.com www.justthefacts.com/testimonials-x-30

a research company

Karchner Marketing Research LLC

Founded 2003 , helen karchner, ceo and co-founder.

a research company

Phone 1-610-564-9624 www.KMRResearchStudio.com  

a research company

Murray Hill National

Founded 2013 | 30 employees, susan owens, coo.

a research company

Phone 1-972-707-7645 www.murrayhillnational.com

a research company

NextON Services

Founded 2013 | 20 employees, naim ul qadar, founder and ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-971-50-941-9689 (UAE); 1-818-453-1793 (U.S.) www.NextONServices.com

a research company

Founded 2010 | 45 employees

Frank nappo, ceo, frank hayden, coo.

a research company

Phone 1-603-766-5858 www.op4g.com

Founded 2017 

Jim whaley, ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-212-653-8750 www.ovationmr.com

a research company

Radius Global Market Research

Founded 1960 | 150 employees, jamie myers, executive director.

a research company

Phone 1-212-633-1100 radius-global.com

a research company

Research America Market Research Solutions

Founded 1985 | 300 employees, robert porter, ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-610-356-1800 www.ResearchAmericaInc.com

a research company

RTi Research

Founded 1979 | 40 employees, david rothstein, ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-203-653-4221 www.rtiresearch.com

a research company

Founded 2008 | 100+ employees

Andrew cooper, founder and ceo.

a research company

Phone 1-312-205-7417 www.addverve.com

a research company

Wakefield Research

Founded 2008 | 50 employees, paul bragan, managing partner, nathan richter, managing partner.

a research company

Phone 1-888-527-WAKE www.wakefieldresearch.com

Putting the next generation of segmentation tools to work Related Categories: Research Industry, Consumer Research, CX/UX-Customer/User Experience Research Industry, Consumer Research, CX/UX-Customer/User Experience, Market Segmentation Studies, Segmentation Studies, Automotive, Consumers, Data Analysis, Shopper Insights

Quirk's Time Capsule – January 1998 Related Categories: Research Industry, Consumer Research Research Industry, Consumer Research, Consumers, Mystery Shopping, Shopper Insights

In Case You Missed It...January/February 2024 Related Categories: Research Industry, Consumer Research Research Industry, Consumer Research, Competitor Customer Research, Consumers, In-Store Research, Product Development Research, Product Purchasing Studies, Shopper Insights

9 Top 
Physician Research Companies Related Categories: Research Industry, Health Care (Healthcare) Research Research Industry, Health Care (Healthcare) Research, Physicians, Data Security, Health Care (Healthcare), Health Care-Rare Patients, Medical, Nurses, Patients , Focus Group-Online, Journey Mapping

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2020 Top 50 U.S. Market Research and Data Analytics Companies

2020 Top 50 U.S. Market Research and Data Analytics Companies

Diane Bowers

2020 U.S. Top 50 ranking of the research and data analytics industry

A full ranking of the top market research and data analytics companies in the U.S. for 2020

The “2020 Top 50 U.S. Report”—formerly known as “The Gold Report”—is developed by Diane Bowers and produced in partnership with the Insights Association and Michigan State University . The report is also sponsored by the AMA, ESOMAR and the Global Research Business Network . The report includes a ranking of the top 50 companies, a breakdown of trends by Bowers , and an analysis of the market research and analytics industry  by Michael Brereton, Melanie Courtright and Reg Baker.

pots filled with gold

50. RTi Research

Founded: 1979 2019 U.S. revenue: $12.9 million Percent change from 2018: -3% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $12.9 million U.S. employees: 45

In a world awash in data, the challenge is to turn data into something meaningful, something that can be communicated simply and acted upon effectively. RTi Research meets that challenge head-on, turning data into meaning through smart research design, flawless execution and innovative storytelling. Everything the company does is aimed at helping its clients move their ideas and insights through their organizations to influence change. 

RTi has conducted research in just about every category in the U.S. and globally. Informed by 40 years of experience across categories and cultures, RTi knows what works and what doesn’t, when to leverage new technology and methods, and when traditional approaches are best.

49. Hypothesis

Founded: 2000 2019 U.S. revenue: $18.3 million Percent change from 2018: -4.7% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $18.3 million U.S. employees: 61

Hypothesis uses insights, strategy and design to help important brands do amazing things. The company specializes in tough questions that take creative, multidimensional approaches, thoughtful strategy and a broad business perspective. Hypothesis’ approach combines inventive consumer-centric qualitative research, advanced analytics, strategic thinking and data visualization. Its award-winning design team translates complex information into compelling, easy-to-understand deliverables to socialize learnings and engage teams. 

In 2018, Hypothesis added important new capabilities with the launch of Momentum, a strategy that turns insight into application with downstream marketing and implementation planning. The Momentum team has worked alongside Hypothesis consultants on strategic engagements with clients focused on brand strategy, product development, and led dozens of workshops with senior and C-level executives to socialize insights and ideate on next steps. 

In 2019, Hypothesis’ focus on growth continued with its expansion to the Midwest and establishment of its Chicago office. From this office, the company will be able to service new and current clients in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

48. Bellomy Research

Founded: 1976 2019 U.S. revenue: $21 million Percent change from 2018: 1.4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $21 million U.S. employees: 116

Bellomy is a privately held, family-owned, full-service market intelligence company. Bellomy focuses on driving successful business outcomes through the design and delivery of solutions that yield deeper customer understanding. The company surrounds its clients’ business challenges with an unparalleled mix of knowledge and experience, marketing science and proprietary research technology. 

Bellomy’s work involves both B2C and B2B environments—with qualitative and quantitative insight solutions spanning market segmentation, customer experience and journeys (including digital user experiences), brand equity, product innovation, shopper insights, marketing optimization, social research platforms and research technology. Bellomy works with clients across a broad range of categories and industries including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, restaurant and hospitality, telecommunications and technology, apparel and textiles, utilities, healthcare, insurance and home improvement.

Bellomy serves as an extension of its clients’ marketing research and customer experience departments by integrating a broad set of capabilities and areas of expertise, including segmentation, customer (and digital experience), shopper insights, social research platforms, brand equity, product innovation and marketing optimization. In addition, Bellomy clients leverage SmartIDEAS, the firm’s enterprise consumer knowledge and insight platform. 

47. Edelman Intelligence

Founded: 1999 2019 U.S. revenue: $21 million Percent change from 2018: 12.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $11.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 35.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $32.5 million U.S. employees: 131

Edelman Intelligence (EI) is the global research and analytics consultancy of Edelman, the world’s largest global communications firm. Based in New York, with employees in 18 offices internationally, EI houses more than 200 consultants, strategists, researchers, data scientists, data visualization specialists and analysts worldwide. Its specialists are method-agnostic and leverage the best of primary and secondary research, advanced analytics and business science to solve business and communications issues for its clients. EI’s offering spans the full spectrum of client needs, from mapping the current environment and targeting key audiences, to optimizing content and measuring business impact. 

EI partners with early-stage start-ups and Fortune 100 companies alike, providing strategic research, analytics, and insights-based marketing and communications counsel for a broad range of stakeholders and scopes, including government and public affairs, corporate reputation and risk strategy, crisis and issues management, employee experience and talent advisory, executive positioning, strategic communications and public relations, marketing and branding strategy, customer experience and insights, mergers, acquisitions and market entry strategy and more.

Key accomplishments in 2019 included advancement of its Edelman Trust Management (ETM) capabilities, including an evolution of its offering focused specifically on providing guidance for measuring and building trust in brands. Developed building from its 20-plus years studying trust through the Edelman Trust Barometer and the initial iteration of ETM (which explores corporate trust), this proprietary model for brand trust measurement was created in partnership with renowned academics from Harvard Business School and INSEAD, Edelman Brand experts and external marketing thought leaders. In recent months, this model has been engineered to consider fundamental transformations to consumer/brand relationship dynamics that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated.

46. KS&R

Founded: 1983 2019 U.S. revenue: $21.7 million Percent change from 2018: -1.4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $3.6 million Percent from outside U.S.: 14.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $25.3 million U.S. employees: 100

KS&R is a privately held strategic consultancy and full-service marketing research company. For nine consecutive years, KS&R has received the highest Gold Index composite score of any provider in the Prevision/Inside Research survey of marketing research buyers. This is a testament to the company’s passion for excellence and client-first business philosophy—wherein KS&R empowers its clients with timely, fact-based insights so they can make smarter decisions and be confident in their actions.

KS&R creates and executes global custom market research solutions for some of the best-known corporations in the world in more than 100 countries and 50 languages. It has extensive and diverse industry experience with particular strength in healthcare (pharma and device), technology, entercom, transportation, professional services, and retail and e-commerce. Team members often include business strategists with client-side experience and deep industry knowledge.

In 2019, KS&R leveraged its expansive network of pharmacy panels to build world-class capabilities for pharma inventory measurement and healthcare insights. Its marketing scientists have driven marked advances in pricing decision support, which have now been validated by positive in-market results. KS&R expanded its portfolio to include insights fusion across multiple channels of content (primary research, social media, web-based information, etc.). And finally, it introduced its KS&R Win-Loss program that provides actionable insights for how organizations can improve their value proposition and sales performance to close more deals.

Founded: 1911 2019 U.S. revenue: $22.7 million Percent change from 2018: 12.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $22.7 million U.S. employees: 78

NAXION guides strategic business decisions globally in healthcare, information technology, financial services, energy, heavy equipment and other B2B markets, drawing on depth of marketing experience in key verticals and skilled application of sophisticated and inventive methodologies. The firm’s NAscence Group helps life science innovators develop commercialization strategy through clinical trials design and selection of target indications, forecasting, brand planning and other research-based consulting services.

Engagements routinely include market segmentation, opportunity assessment and innovation, demand forecasting and pricing, positioning, brand health, market monitoring and lifecycle management. The firm deploys multiple data streams including primary research (qualitative and quantitative), secondary data, customer databases and other complex datasets to develop an integrative perspective on business problems. The firm also builds custom panels for B2B markets.

Project leaders with sector experience and research proficiency are supported by in-house methodologists and a wide portfolio of advanced analytic tools, including proprietary modeling services and software, all of them highly customized. The firm continues to invest significant resources in intellectual capital to enhance enterprise decision support with cutting-edge methods, including specialized “small data” choice models, new predictive techniques using big data and brand-customized text analytics. Its Farsight suite supports the building of highly dynamic models capable of producing forecasts for complex market scenarios, including paradigm-shift technologies, and gives market monitoring programs a forward-looking perspective that guides timely market interventions. Other services include litigation and regulatory support, often involving expert testimony in cases involving trademark confusion, deceptive advertising and brand equity. NAXION’s strong commitment to operational excellence is reflected in ISO certification and in-house operations capabilities to deliver exceptional levels of quality control. 

Founded: 1991 2019 U.S. revenue: $24.2 million Percent change from 2018: -3.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1.2 million Percent from outside U.S.: 4.7% 2019 worldwide revenue: $25.4 million U.S. employees: 144

Gongos is a consultative agency that places customers at the heart of business strategy. Partnering with insights, analytics, marketing, strategy and customer experience groups, Gongos operationalizes customer centricity by helping companies both understand their customer needs and deliver on them better than anyone else.

From product innovation to portfolio management, customer experience to consumer journeys, pricing strategies to marketing optimization, and trend analysis to predictive modeling, Gongos provides both outside-in and inside-out approaches across organizations to drive greater customer attraction, retention and lifetime value.

Gongos further serves as a translator to help cross-functional teams fuel the competency to gain and apply consumer wisdom, transform decisions into action and navigate organizational change. Coalescing enterprise data with primary research and curating insights for multiple audiences further empowers stakeholders to achieve greater ROI by ensuring information is designed to influence actions and behaviors from executives to the frontline. 

Gongos’ consultative tools stem from change management principles that help organizations navigate the transformation often necessary to create a more outside-in perspective as they reorient around the customer. Gongos’ approaches to engage multiple audiences include communication strategies and tactics grounded in frameworks such as its adoption-to-advocacy model and human-centered design.

43. Maru/Matchbox **

Founded: 2016 2019 U.S. revenue: $28 million Percent change from 2018: 3.7% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $14 million Percent from outside U.S.: 33.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $42 million U.S. employees: 150

Maru/Matchbox began disrupting the market research industry in 2000. Powered by proprietary technology, its expert teams are deeply invested in key sectors of the economy, including consumer goods and services, financial services, retail, technology, healthcare, public services, and media and entertainment. Maru/Marchbox provides organizations with the tools and insights to connect with the people that matter most, so they can build and maintain a competitive advantage. 

In 2019, Maru/Matchbox released a series of innovative research solutions. 

  • Digital Media Measurement is a campaign evaluation approach that enables clients to better understand how content, channels and brands interact to deliver effective communication. 
  • Creative Insight measures people’s implicit and explicit responses to advertising, giving clients a complete picture of how their ad is working. It is designed to evaluate any type of ad or brand communication, across all channels, with best-in-class benchmarks.
  • Lissted analyzes how members of communities relevant to clients react to content, tweets and even websites. 
  • Brand Emotion utilizes visual semiotics to identify and leverage the emotional profile of a brand. 

Maru/Matchbox continues to demonstrate innovation and thought leadership through relentless publication of articles and whitepapers.

42. Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB)

Founded: 1984 2019 U.S. revenue: $28.7 million Percent change from 2018: 20.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $28.7 million U.S. employees: 90

CMB is a research and strategy firm, helping the world’s leading brands engage, innovate and grow amid deep disruption. The company leverages the best of advanced analytics, consumer psychology and market strategy to tackle critical business initiatives, including market identification, segmentation, brand health, loyalty and advocacy, and product and service development.

For more than 35 years, CMB has helped the most successful brands and their executives give voice to their market through a relentless business decision focus, creative problem-solving and storytelling, deeply consultative approach and flawless execution. With dedicated financial services, media and entertainment, tech and telecom, retail and healthcare practices, CMB’s expert teams understand the complex and evolving technological, social, cultural and economic forces that drive disruption and create opportunity.

In 2020, CMB continued its growth trajectory, including building expertise in gaming and digital platforms and expanding its qualitative and advanced analytics teams. A thought leader in the application of consumer psychology to real world business issues, CMB conducted self-funded research among tens of thousands of consumers to capture the four core benefits that motivate decision-making—identity, emotion, social and functional—providing an in-depth look at more than 80 global brands. Further self-funded research explored the accelerating journey and path to purchase of today’s gamers.

41. Screen Engine/ASI

Founded: 2010 2019 U.S. revenue: $33 million Percent change from 2018: 10% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1.9 million Percent from outside U.S.: 5.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $34.9 million U.S. employees: 132

Screen Engine/ASI is a research-based consumer insights firm that stands for delivering its entertainment and media clients actionable insights and recommendations, not simply data. SE/ASI strives to help clients mitigate risk and maximize the potential for success. Through its Motion Picture and TV Groups, SE/ASI works across all distribution platforms for both domestic and internationally produced content. 

The company is centered on assessing the “abilities” of content as it migrates from the earliest stages of development through multi-channel distribution. The Motion Picture Group is the leader in traditional and digital in theater and online recruited audience screenings. Offerings also include PostTrak, a syndicated domestic and international in-theater exit poll, and ScreenExperts, an early assessment of critical response, creative ad testing, positioning and brand studies, custom work, and location-based and online focus group research. A cross-platform team within this group works with home entertainment, over-the-top and gaming clients. 

The TV group is the leader in location-based ViewTrac dial testing of pilots, programs and ongoing series and conducts online dial testing as well. Other offerings include location-based and online focus groups, promo testing, positioning and brand studies, and a variety of custom studies including custom trackers. SE/ASI syndicates Tracktion trackers including a TV tracker, a theatrical movie tracker, a home entertainment tracker and a premium video-on-demand tracker. All groups work in the company’s media lab equipped for biometric and new technology research. When appropriate, SE/ASI engages in advanced analytics techniques including, but not limited to, segmentation, conjoint, maxdiff and TURF analysis. 

ore smelters

40. MarketVision Research

Founded: 1983 2019 U.S. revenue: $33.2 million Percent change from 2018: 2.5% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $33.2 million U.S. employees: 140

MarketVision Research is a full-service marketing research firm, providing clients with actionable insights about their markets, customers, brands and products. Research areas of focus include product and portfolio development, pricing, branding, segmentation and customer experience. The company offers a full suite of quantitative and qualitative research capabilities and works across industry groups. These include:

  • Optimization and discrete choice modeling as it applies to product and service development, branding, packaging and pricing.
  • Online communities that are managed and developed entirely in-house with a focus on improving participant engagement and with additional support for mobile participation.
  • Hybrid research, which uses 20 in-house moderators, along with marketing science professionals and global project managers, to facilitate qualitative and quantitative research seamlessly.

39. The Link Group

Founded: 1994 2019 U.S. revenue: $34.2 million Percent change from 2018: 23.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $0.3 million Percent from outside U.S.: 0.9% 2019 worldwide revenue: $34.5 million U.S. employees: 85

The Link Group executes research for Fortune 500 firms in the healthcare, retail, CPG and finance industries across both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and around the globe. TLG attributes its success to its core business philosophy: smarter research and better service. Its commitment to smarter research has allowed the company to take a creative, custom approach to its clients’ business needs that results in actionable and insightful reports. TLG delivers better service by maintaining a consistent research team across projects, allowing the team to anticipate and respond to client needs. This business philosophy has resulted in 99% of revenue coming from repeat clients.

This past year, TLG has continued to hone its research approaches to help elevate traditional research methods. For its messaging and positioning work, TLG developed a framework that triangulates quantitative survey data to determine how well messaging concepts will activate, communicate and engage the customer. In its segmentation studies, TLG blends science and art to create models that align with the client’s brand strategic vision by creating differences that are meaningful and actionable from a marketing perspective. TLG has leveraged its knowledge of behavioral economics to develop a validated, proprietary quantitative methodology—LinkEQ—that allows the company to reveal latent emotional associations.

Founded: 1983 2019 U.S. revenue: $34.3 million Percent change from 2018: -1.2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1.2 million Percent from outside U.S.: 3.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $35.5 million U.S. employees: 233

SSRS is a full-service market and survey research firm led by a core of dedicated professionals with advanced degrees in the social sciences. 

SSRS surveys support numerous media and academic partners looking to report on public attitudes and beliefs about a wide range of salient issues such as elections and public policy. SSRS is the polling partner for CNN, and conducts public opinion polling for ABC News, The Washington Post, Politico and CBS News. 

Beyond national polls, SSRS regularly conducts research at a state level, and among subpopulations such as Latinos and political partisans, and specializes in reaching hard-to-reach and low-incidence populations. SSRS has extensive experience in public policy, public affairs and health policy research. Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, SSRS has completed numerous studies surrounding its implementation and assessing Americans’ attitudes and experiences with the law. 

Since 2016, SSRS conducts the monthly Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll. SSRS is well-known for its weekly telephone Omnibus poll. The firm also offers the SSRS Opinion Panel, which allows clients to conduct probabilistic surveys quickly at low cost. The SSRS/Luker on Trends Sports Poll is the first and longest-running tracking study focusing on sports in the U.S. 

37. BVA Group **

Founded: 1970 2019 U.S. revenue: $36 million Percent change from 2018: 2.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $147 million Percent from outside U.S.: 80.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $183 million U.S. employees: 120

BVA Group is a fast-growing research and consulting firm, an expert in behavioral science, ranked in the top 20 worldwide agencies. BVA brings data to life and converts deep understanding of customers and citizens into behavior change strategies. BVA operates both for public and private clients with methodologies fueled by data science and behavioral science. 

Its FMCG specialist—PRS IN VIVO—is a global leader in packaging and shopper research. PRS IN VIVO helps consumer marketers to succeed through: 

  • In-store and online studies to better understand shopper behavior, in both physical and e-commerce shopping contexts.
  • Qualitative studies to develop, screen and refine new product, packaging and merchandising concepts.
  • Quantitative studies to pre-test and quantify new packaging, merchandising and display systems (for physical stores and e-commerce).
  • Volume forecasting and product testing for both innovations and brand restages.
  • “Nudge” initiatives to facilitate behavioral change, create new consumer habits and drive category growth. 

BVA Group is a European leader in customer experience research. More than 100 leading brands use BVA’s behavioral insights to provide seamless shopper journeys and design successful new products and services, including solutions from its multi-awarded Global Nudge-Unit.

36. radius | illumination

Founded: 1960 2019 U.S. revenue: $42 million Percent change from 2018: — 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1 million Percent from outside U.S.: 2.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $43 million U.S. employees: 127

Radius│illumination is the product of a merger between Radius Global Market Research and Illumination Research in 2018. Together, it’s one of the largest independent custom insights providers in the world. Its focus is on guiding brands at critical points along their growth journey, tackling issues such as identifying compelling innovations, creating relevant customer segmentations and developing strategies for deeper loyalty and engagement.

Radius | illumination partners with Fortune 500 leaders as well as challenger, disruptor and emerging brands in the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its top sectors include financial services, personal care, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, technology, home improvement and durables, media and entertainment, packaged foods, beverage, retail and transportation.

Its 2020 initiatives to fuel brand growth for its clients include:

  • Provide agile and robust solutions such as InnovationSprint to accelerate new product and service development.
  • Increase its information design capabilities so clients can easily take action on the results.
  • Focus on driving deeper insights by combining its advanced analytics strength with immersive customer understanding in its designs.
  • Expand solutions through the integration of new technologies and behavioral approaches.

35. Market Force **

Founded: 2005 2019 U.S. revenue: $50 million Percent change from 2018: 2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $7 million Percent from outside U.S.: 12.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $57 million U.S. employees: 375

Market Force Information provides location-level customer experience management solutions to protect clients’ brand reputation, delight their customers and make them more money. 

Market Force operates at scale across the globe. Each month, the company:

  • Completes more than 100,000 mystery shops.
  • Collects, processes and analyzes millions of employee and customer experience surveys.
  • Manages more than 100,000 inbound calls to its contact center.
  • Hosts more than 1 million user logins on its KnowledgeForce reporting platform.

Market Force’s multi-location solutions provide a robust framework for measuring and improving operational excellence, customer experience and financial KPIs. Measurement channels include mystery shopping, customer experience surveys, contact center calls, social media and employee engagement surveys via the KnowledgeForce technology platform and Eyes:On mobile app. Market Force employs predictive analytics to determine what matters most and the ROI for investing in improvements. The firm takes a dual-headed approach to market research services (e.g., customer segmentation, attitude trial and usage studies and custom research projects) and strategic advisory services to design and implement effective measurement systems and improve performance.

Founded: 1991 2019 U.S. revenue: $52 million Percent change from 2018: 4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $6 million Percent from outside U.S.: 10.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $58 million U.S. employees: 400

As a leading customer experience management firm, SMG helps clients get smarter about their customers and employees to drive changes that boost customer loyalty and improve business performance. SMG combines technology and services to collect, analyze and share feedback and behavioral data, so it’s easier for clients to deliver and activate customer insights across their enterprise.

SMG partners with more than 350 brands around the globe to create better customer and employee experiences, which drive loyalty and performance. SMG uniquely combines technology and insights to help clients listen better, act faster and outperform competitors. SMG is a technology-enabled research firm with a global footprint—evaluating more than 150 million surveys annually, in 50 languages across 125 countries. 

Strategic solutions include omniCXTM, Brand Research and Employee Engagement. SMG’s omniCX solution uses multiple research methodologies in capturing solicited and unsolicited consumer feedback across in-store, online, contact center and social channels. Results are aggregated and reported via smg360TM—a real-time, role-based reporting platform providing access to all customer and related data. 

SMG’s research professionals partner with clients to derive business-changing insights. Within Brand Research, SMG offers traditional brand tracking as well as access to dynamic customer and competitor data through market intelligence tool BrandGeek. Fueled by SurveyMini—SMG’s location-based mobile research app—BrandGeek contains consumer feedback and behavioral data relating to more than 4,500 brands across more than 500,000 locations.

33. Hanover Research

Founded: 2003 2019 U.S. revenue: $52.7 million Percent change from 2018: 14.1% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $2.6 million Percent from outside U.S.: 4.7% 2019 worldwide revenue: $55.3 million U.S. employees: 358

Hanover Research is a brain trust designed to level the information playing field. Hanover is made up of hundreds of researchers who support thousands of organizational decisions every year. One of the industry’s fastest-growing companies, Hanover attributes this market success to its unique positioning as the only firm that provides tailored research through an annual, fixed-fee model. 

Hanover serves more than 1,000 organizations and companies worldwide from established global organizations, to emerging companies to educational institutions. Hanover’s research informs decisions at any level and across any department capitalizing on the exposure to myriad industries and challenges. 

Founded in 2003, Hanover operates on an annual fixed-fee model, and partnership provides its clients with access to a team of high-caliber researchers, survey experts, analysts and statisticians with diverse skills in market research, information services and analytics. There is no limit on the type of challenge that can be asked for on the quantitative and qualitative approaches Hanover uses to deliver solutions—most of which are very difficult to replicate internally.

Hanover’s custom research services include:

  • Secondary research: market segmentation and evaluation; labor and demographic trends and forecasts; vendor and product reviews; best practices reports. 
  • Survey: survey design, administration and analysis; open-ended response coding. 
  • Qualitative primary research: focus group design and administration; in-depth interview design, outreach, administration and analysis. 
  • Data analysis: data segmentation and mining; conjoint analysis; linear regression; descriptive and predictive analytics; data forecasting and modeling. 

32. Directions Research

Founded: 1988 2019 U.S. revenue: $54.2 million Percent change from 2018: 17.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $54.2 million U.S. employees: 181

Independently recognized as one of the leading business decision insight firms in the nation, Directions Research combines a highly experienced staff with a unique mix of innovative and proven approaches to answer pressing business issues. Directions and SEEK routinely combine primary and connected data from multiple sources to create holistic and actionable analytic stories for their clients. Through digital dashboards, infographics, written reports and other unique visualizations, the firm communicates its knowledge in a manner that is right for today’s leaders. 

Directions and SEEK excel in innovation, optimization, customer and brand experience, brand strategy, strategic business intelligence and visualization across a wide range of industries. The firm offers B2C and B2B services globally, surveying audiences using a broad selection of data collection techniques and combining those insights with existing client knowledge. Directions’ and SEEK’s staff have an excellent mix of client- and supplier-side experience. The organization allows senior researchers to work with clients on a day-to-day basis.

SEEK (acquired in 2018) is a qualitative insight and innovation consultancy, operating as an independent but connected division of Directions. SEEK empathically connects brands with the humans they serve, transforming the brand-to-consumer relationship into a human-to-human one. The SEEK approach builds brand advocacy for clients with the human-centric approach to innovation, activating empathy as an innate problem-solving capability.

31. Fors Marsh Group (FMG) *

Founded: 2002 2019 U.S. revenue: $57.5 million Percent change from 2018: 22.1% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: — Percent from outside U.S.: — 2019 worldwide revenue: $57.5 million U.S. employees: 263

FMG applies behavioral and data science to improve organizational processes, business solutions and customer experiences. This work is conducted within seven core U.S. markets: health, defense, technology, finance, homeland security, policy and consumer. 

FMG’s work for its clients wins industry and federal awards. FMG has been named as a top market research company by GreenBook and the American Advertising Federation and has been named to the American Marketing Association’s list of top market research companies in the U.S. for five consecutive years. FMG was also a finalist for the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council’s Igniting Innovation 2018 award for creating an innovative e-learning program that improved program awareness and usability for the General Services Administration’s Center for Acquisition Professional Excellence. 

For 2019 and beyond, FMG is focused on continuing this momentum and expanding in important areas. In its human capital practice, FMG is furthering its work in the cybersecurity industry to help the Department of Defense attract top cyber talent and to protect the nation’s infrastructure. FMG is also expanding its efforts in public service recruiting through new partnerships with the U.S. Army, U.S. National Guard and AmeriCorps. The company is proud that its partnership with these institutions will help shape the future of the U.S. For its health division, FMG is leveraging its deep experience in health communications to fight the opioid crisis by reducing stigma and removing barriers that victims face in receiving help—potentially one of the biggest challenges facing America today. 

mine carts

30. National Research Group (NRG) **

Founded: 1978 2019 U.S. revenue: $59 million Percent change from 2018: 1.7% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $4 million Percent from outside U.S.: 6.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $63 million U.S. employees: 200

National Research Group, acquired by Stagwell Media from Nielsen in 2015, is a leading global insights and strategy firm at the intersection of entertainment and technology. Rooted in four decades of industry expertise, the world’s leading marketers turn to NRG for insights into growth and strategy for any content, anywhere, on any device. Working at the confluence of content, culture and technology, NRG offers bold insights for storytellers everywhere. 

Some agencies specialize in qual, others focus on quant—but NRG connects the two disciplines with hybrid teams expert in both modalities. The company is a one-stop, custom consultancy that tailors its approach to solve clients’ biggest challenges. 

The foundation of NRG’s qualitative work is a team of passionate, subject matter experts who connect deeply with consumers in any environment. NRG uses qual to discover the subconscious drivers that fuel our quantitative truths. Its quantitative work is anchored in sophisticated techniques with a focus on agility, creativity and rigor. NRG is method-agnostic and works collaboratively with its clients to solve complex problems in a simple way.

29. Cello Health * **

Founded: 2004 2019 U.S. revenue: $64.5 million Percent change from 2018: 23.3% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $58.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 47.6% 2019 worldwide revenue: $123 million U.S. employees: 260

Cello Health consists of four global capabilities that enable the company to offer best-in-class services and an integrated partnership approach to its clients. This unique mix of capabilities, combined with its collaborative approach, results in a unique fusion of expertise, providing powerful advisory and implementation solutions.

  • Cello Health Insight is a global marketing research company, providing business intelligence to the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Cello Health Insight specializes in getting to the heart of its clients’ questions, using a large pool of creative and academic resources and providing design of materials and deliverables through a hand-picked project team—selected to best meet the needs of each individual project.
  • Cello Health Consulting is the strategic consulting arm of Cello Health, focused on delivering business results by unlocking the potential within organizations, people, assets and brands. Cello Health Consulting works alongside clients to create practical solutions that ensure buy-in and build relationships. 
  • Cello Health Communications combines science, strategy and creativity to unlock the potential of brands and assets. Its services underpin differentiated positioning and deliver brand optimization, focusing on multiple areas of development and launch, through commercial maturity.
  • Cello Signal is a full-service digital capability bringing impactful messages alive in communications campaigns, content and film.

28. Macromill Group **

Founded: 2000 2019 U.S. revenue: $68.5 million Percent change from 2018: 2.2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $260 million Percent from outside U.S.: 79.1% 2019 worldwide revenue: $328.5 million U.S. employees: 275

Macromill Group is a rapidly growing global market research and digital marketing solutions provider bringing together the collective power of its specialist companies to provide innovative data and insights that drive clients’ smarter decisions. Macromill’s industry-leading digital research solutions deliver rapid and cost-effective solutions to the challenges businesses face today. 

The group’s leading business units are Macromill and MetrixLab. Macromill stands at the forefront of innovation, delivering unique marketing solutions. It offers exclusive access to the highest-quality online panels with more than 2 million members. Using its self-developed platform AIRs, Macromill provides full-service online research including automated survey creation and completion, data tabulation and analysis. Today, its business portfolio includes services such as offline quantitative research, mobile research, point-of-service database research (QPR), digital marketing (Accessmill), a DIY survey platform (Questant) and more. 

Metrixlab turns data from online surveys, social media, mobile devices and enterprise systems into valuable business information and actionable consumer insights. This helps leading companies drive product innovation, brand engagement and customer value. Owned and group panels provide expansive access to global respondents in mature and emerging markets. Its teams deliver strategic and tactical decision support by pushing the boundaries of data analysis innovation, combining cutting-edge technology with data science and proven marketing research methodologies. Clients across the globe rely on the company’s hyper-efficient data and insights ecosystem to deliver fast and affordable results.

27. C Space **

Founded: 1999 2019 U.S. revenue: $70 million Percent change from 2018: 2.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $18 million Percent from outside U.S.: 20.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $88 million U.S. employees: 354

C Space, part of the Interbrand Group, is a global customer agency that marries art and science to create rapid customer insight and business change. 

C Space works with some of the world’s best-known brands—such as Walmart, Samsung, IKEA and more—to build customers into the ways companies work and deliver on customer-inspired growth. By building real, ongoing relationships with customers—online and in-person—brands can stay relevant, deliver superior experiences, launch successful products and build loyalty. Through its “customer as a service” approach of research, consulting and communications, C Space helps businesses minimize risk and maximize growth.

The company integrates customers into the ways its clients work. By bringing stakeholders together around the customer, C Space’s clients create greater clarity and alignment in the actions that will most effectively drive customer growth.

C Space’s customized programs are tailored based on specific business needs and include private online communities, immersive storytelling, data and analytics, activation events, innovation projects and business consulting. C Space continues to invest in its people, existing capabilities like data and analytics, as well as new initiatives.

26. Engine Insights**

Founded: 2004 2019 U.S. revenue: $71 million Percent change from 2018: 4.4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $44 million Percent from outside U.S.: 38.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $115 million U.S. employees: 240

Engine is a new kind of data-driven marketing solutions company. Powered by data, driven by results and guided by people, Engine helps its clients make connections that count—leading to bottom-line growth, an inspired workplace and business transformation. 

Engine Insights (formerly ORC International) connects traditional market research with cutting-edge products to deliver clients a 360-degree view of their customers, employees and markets. Engine’s extended suite of solutions and products are designed to support business growth, from helping clients understand and outperform the competition to operationalizing both survey and behavioral data to identify, attract, engage and retain their audiences.

Engine Insights’ client services and products include custom research and omnibus surveys; customer experience, customer retention and brand engagement studies; and data management and data analytics. 

These services help clients:

  • Think beyond products and services to drive business revenue.
  • Use insights to inform more relevant messaging and creative.
  • Get a complete 360-degree view of their customers.
  • Segment audiences for better targeting.
  • Develop the perfect product and take it to market.
  • Create unique experiences that engage their customers and keep them loyal for a lifetime.
  • Build an internal culture that attracts, retains and engages the best talent.

Founded: 1931 2019 U.S. revenue: $71.1 million Percent change from 2018: 9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $6.9 million Percent from outside U.S.: 8.8% 2019 worldwide revenue: $78 million U.S. employees: 253

Since 1931, Burke has consistently redefined expectations in the marketing research industry. From segmentation to customer engagement programs, product innovation and brand tracking, Burke prides itself on designing and executing objectives-driven quantitative and qualitative research. Working across a variety of industries, Burke helps its clients gain actionable perspective on their most critical business challenges, providing a range of solutions from agile to integrated strategic decision support.

Today, Burke continues to push the boundaries of what marketing research can be, seamlessly uniting research, strategy and education. Backed by Seed Strategy—its strategic consulting subsidiary—Burke has the capabilities to support its clients throughout every phase of the product or service life cycle, with expertise in strategy, innovation, branding and marketing. In addition, Burke provides comprehensive training on research fundamentals and best practices through the Burke Institute—its dedicated education division and the industry’s leader in research and insights training. Wherever its clients find themselves on the path to success, Burke is uniquely equipped to help them move forward with clarity, confidence and purpose.

Continuing its long tradition of research innovation, Burke recently unveiled two new offerings: Geode|AI, an integrated insights system that analyzes multiple data sources to uncover patterns, relationships and critical insights that are often hidden; and Quantiment, a robust machine-learning solution that jointly extracts richer insights from structured and unstructured data.

24. YouGov *

Founded: 2000 2019 U.S. revenue: $76.8 million Percent change from 2018: 11.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $107.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 58.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $184.3 million U.S. employees: 212

YouGov is a global provider of analysis and data generated by consumer panels in 42 markets. Its core offering of opinion data is derived from the proprietary YouGov Global Panel of more than 9 million people. The YouGov Global Panel provides the company with thousands of data points on consumer attitudes, opinions and behavior. YouGov captures these streams of data in the YouGov Cube, its unique connected data library that holds more than 10 years of historic single-source data. In 2019, YouGov panelists completed more than 25 million surveys.

YouGov’s data-led offering supports and improves a wide spectrum of marketing activities of a customer base, including media owners, brands and media agencies. YouGov works with some of the world’s most recognized brands.

Its syndicated data products include the daily brand perception tracker, YouGov BrandIndex and the media planning and segmentation tool YouGov Profiles. Its market-leading YouGov RealTime service provides a fast and cost-effective solution for reaching nationally representative and specialist samples. YouGov’s Custom Research division offers a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research, tailored by sector specialist teams to meet users’ specific requirements. YouGov data is delivered through Crunch, the most advanced analytics tool for research data, combining fast processing with drag-and-drop simplicity. YouGov has a strong record for data accuracy and innovation. 

23. Phoenix Marketing International

Founded: 1999 2019 U.S. revenue: $77 million Percent change from 2018: -3.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $4.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 5.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $81.5 million U.S. employees: 343

Global advertising and brand specialist Phoenix Marketing International operates in all major industries, utilizing modern technology, innovative research techniques and customized approaches to help clients elevate their brand, refine their communications and optimize their customer experience. 

With the launch of Phoenix’s AdPi Brand Effect Platform, clients now have access to continuous advertising measurement and performance improvement insights through a single platform, providing the ability to analyze their campaigns at any stage in the advertising life cycle, and the flexibility to draw upon each piece as needed. Through more than 20 years of experience and testing thousands of ads per month, Phoenix developed 19 category-specific ad measurement models that uncover the drivers and creative attributes that explain the “whys” behind an ad’s creative performance, with forward-looking estimates for ad memorability and brand linkage.

Phoenix continues to evolve its CX solution, launching Competitive Customer Experience, a measurement of how consumers perceive their overall experience with a brand, including key touchpoints along the journey. Grounding recent experiences with a client’s brand, competitor brands and non-categorical benchmarking, Phoenix is able to evaluate brand opinion, understand what drives great CX outside of the category, focus on emotional drivers of brand CX, and provide an external view of culture, consistency and brand promises.

22. Concentrix **

Founded: 1983 2019 U.S. revenue: $95 million Percent change from 2018: 11.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $130 million Percent from outside U.S.: 57.8% 2019 worldwide revenue: $225 million U.S. employees: 253

Concentrix is a wholly owned subsidiary of SYNNEX Corp., specializing in technology-enabled customer engagement and improving business performance for clients around the world. With more than 225,000 staff in more than 40 countries, Concentrix provides services to clients in 10 industry verticals: automotive, banking and financial services, insurance, healthcare, technology, consumer electronics, media and communications, retail and e-commerce, travel and transportation, energy and the public sector. 

The Concentrix Voice of the Customer solution combines technology with experience management services provided by its in-house team of hundreds of CX professionals. 

Powered by analytic tools and artificial intelligence, its customer feedback platform ConcentrixCX helps companies listen, analyze and act on omnichannel customer feedback at any point in the customer journey, at scale. Features include data capture and integration, real-time reporting and analytics, and coaching and employee engagement tools. Concentrix continues to invest in enhanced platform functionality—for example, multi-source data expansion of its proprietary text analytics engine, including structured and unstructured customer feedback sources such as surveys, social, messaging, complaints and email. New digital data collection capabilities include a conversational feedback bot and embedded micro-journey surveys. 

Concentrix experience management services range from program management to strategic advisory services and are custom tailored to free clients’ internal teams to focus on transformational impact. Its CX experts specialize in quantitative and qualitative techniques, delivering data-driven insights through solutions such as survey design, relational loyalty research, CX journey analytics, digital channel optimization, customer segmentation, customer effort assessment and integrated CX analytics.

21. Escalent

Founded: 1975 2019 U.S. revenue: $97.1 million Percent change from 2018: -3.4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $5.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 5.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $102.6 million U.S. employees: 352

Escalent is a human behavior and analytics firm specializing in industries facing disruption. The company transforms data and insights into an understanding of what drives human behavior, and it helps businesses turn those drivers into actions that build brands, enhance customer experiences and inspire product innovation. 

Escalent specializes in automotive and mobility, consumer and retail, energy, financial services, health, technology and telecommunications. Focusing on select industries allows Escalent to function as a trusted business partner who knows the challenges its clients face and understands how to engage their most valuable audiences. 

Escalent has three centers of excellence: Qualitative Research combines emerging technologies, anthropology and ethnography to tap into human insights that reveal real needs and potential; Marketing & Data Sciences combine survey, behavioral, transactional and third-party data to solve tough research challenges; and Insight Communities provides private, online platforms for brands to engage with groups of stakeholders to quickly and easily draw insights.

a research company

20. dunnhumby **

Founded: 2001 2019 U.S. revenue: $100 million Percent change from 2018: -3.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $335 million Percent from outside U.S.: 77% 2019 worldwide revenue: $435 million U.S. employees: 230

Dunnhumby is a customer science company that analyzes data and applies insights for almost 1 billion shoppers across the globe to create personalized customer experiences in digital, mobile and retail environments. Its strategic process, proprietary insights and multichannel media capabilities build loyalty with customers to drive competitive advantage and sustained growth for clients. Dunnhumby uses data and science to understand customers, then applies that insight to create personalized experiences that build lasting emotional connections with retailers and brands. It’s a strategy that demonstrates when companies know and treat their customers better than the competition, they earn more than their loyalty—they earn a competitive advantage.

Dunnhumby was established in the U.S. to help retailers and manufacturers put the customer at the heart of their business decisions. Analyzing data from millions of customers across the country, dunnhumby enables clients to use this insight to deliver a better shopping experiences and more relevant marketing to their customers.

By putting best customers at the center of every decision, dunnhumby’s approach delivers measurable value, competitive edge and even more customer data to fuel ongoing optimization, setting clients up for long-term success.

Dunnhumby serves a prestigious list of retailers and manufacturers in grocery, consumer goods, health, beauty, personal care, food service, apparel and advertising, among others. Clients include Tesco, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Macy’s and PepsiCo.

19. Informa Financial Intelligence**

Founded: 2016 2019 U.S. revenue: $107 million Percent change from 2018: 1.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $36 million Percent from outside U.S.: 25.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $143 million U.S. employees: 500

Informa Financial Intelligence is a leading provider of business intelligence, market research and expert analysis to the financial industry. The world’s top global financial institutions and banks look to Informa Financial Intelligence for its authority, precision and forward-focused analysis. 

Informa Financial Intelligence consists of key research, analysis and industry experts, such as Informa Research Services, EPFR Global, Informa Global Markets, iMoneyNet, Informa Investment Solutions, eBenchmarkers and Mapa Research.

Informa Financial Intelligence provides fund and wealth managers, traders, insurers, analysts, and investment and retail bankers with the intelligent advantage to make informed decisions, understand past trends, forecast future performance, drive profitability and increase returns.

Because of their strong background in the financial industry, the research teams of Informa Financial Intelligence are highly qualified to help financial institutions with their market research needs. Informa’s researchers are experts in benchmarking studies, competitive intelligence, new product development and usability testing, customer and member satisfaction and loyalty research, brand and advertising awareness research, and mystery shopping services for sales and service quality evaluation, legal and match pair testing, compliance, discrimination and misleading sales practices testing. Informa is considered a leader in the use of market research to limit the risk associated with allegations of discrimination, UDAAP (unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices), predatory lending and misleading sales practices.

18. NRC Health

Founded: 1991 2019 U.S. revenue: $113 million Percent change from 2018: 10.8% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $3.6 million Percent from outside U.S.: 3.1% 2019 worldwide revenue: $128 million U.S. employees: 448

NRC Health (formerly National Research Corp.) has helped healthcare organizations illuminate and improve the moments that matter to patients, residents, physicians, nurses and staff for more than 38 years. The company offers performance measurement and improvement services to hospitals, healthcare systems, physicians, health plans, senior care organizations, home health agencies and other healthcare organizations. 

NRC Health solutions help organizations stay at the forefront of healthcare by understanding the totality of healthcare consumer and staff experiences. Primary solutions include: 

  • Experience solutions capture personal experiences, while delivering insights to power a new benchmark: n=1. Developing a longitudinal profile of customers’ healthcare wants and needs allows for organizational improvement, increased provider and staff engagement, loyal relationships and personal well-being. 
  • The Loyalty Index, composed of seven aspects that combine to provide a 360-degree view of healthcare consumer loyalty—a single, trackable metric to identify emerging trends in consumer behavior and benchmark against peers. 
  • Market Insights is a large U.S. consumer database that gives partners access to the opinions of 310,000 healthcare consumers in 300 markets, and access to resources to better understand target audiences and gauge consumer response to communications.
  • The Transparency solution calculates star ratings from existing patient, resident and family survey data, and publishes those ratings to organizations’ websites. 
  • The Governance Institute supports the efforts of healthcare boards across the nation—to lead stronger organizations and build healthier communities. NRC Health partners with organizations to improve governance efficiency and effective decision-making by providing trusted, independent information, tools and resources to board members, executives and physician leaders. 

17. MaritzCX **

Founded: 1973 2019 U.S. revenue: $118 million Percent change from 2018: — 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $44 million Percent from outside U.S.: 27.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $162 million U.S. employees: 600

MaritzCX is a software and research company that focuses on customer experience management for big business. The company offers a unique combination of award-winning CX software, industry-leading data and research science, deep vertical market expertise and managed program services. MaritzCX provides a full-service professional CX approach designed to continuously improve the customer experience across an enterprise’s customers, employees, prospects and partners. 

MaritzCX’s research insights include its leading CXStandards competitive benchmarking research that delivers quarterly benchmarks for 55 CX categories across 16 industries. Its CXEvolution study of more than 10,000 practitioners’ feedback informed large enterprises of their CX gaps. 

The company’s focus is to leverage the MaritzCX platform, its industry-leading studies and research services to drive more meaningful experiences between its clients and their customers by adding product and research services and continued thought leadership in the CX market. In addition, MaritzCX has received CMS-certification for HCAHPS surveys, becoming the industry’s first CX platform company to offer an inclusive CX-based patient experience platform.

MaritzCX specializes in solutions for key industries, including automotive, financial services, retail, technology, B2B and more. Its global reach includes more than 900 full-time employees and 800-plus part-time or contract employees in 19 offices around the world. MaritzCX provides solutions to more than 500 clients and 1.6 million users who speak 72 languages in 100 countries. MaritzCX is committed to being its clients’ customer experience research partners.

In March 2020, InMoment acquired MaritzCX.

16. DRG (Decision Resources Group) **

Founded: 1990 2019 U.S. revenue: $140 million Percent change from 2018: 2.2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $53 million Percent from outside U.S.: 27.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $193 million U.S. employees: 399

DRG, the Health Science & Analytics Division of Piramal Enterprises, is a global information and technology services company that provides proprietary data and solutions to the healthcare industry. DRG has brought together best-in-class companies to provide end-to-end solutions to complex challenges in healthcare. DRG reframes these challenges, enabling its customers to see the opportunities. Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology and managed care companies rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions critical to their success.

Framing the current status and future trends in target healthcare markets using data, primary research and secondary research is a core competency of DRG. Product offerings include high‐value analytics, syndicated research, proprietary databases, decision support tools and advisory services.

DRG has a number of key specialties, including syndicated research focused on new therapeutic opportunities; portfolio planning, changing industry dynamics and global treatment patterns; insights and data on physician and consumer healthcare e‐marketing; and proprietary databases and analytics covering more than 90% of the U.S. managed care markets. 

15. Wood Mackenzie **

Founded: 1973 2019 U.S. revenue: $150 million Percent change from 2018: 3.4% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $335 million Percent from outside U.S.: 69.1% 2019 worldwide revenue: $485 million U.S. employees: 337

Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business, is a leading research and consultancy business for the global energy, chemicals, metals and mining industries. Wood Mackenzie launched in 1923 as a small, relatively unknown, Edinburgh, Scotland-based stockbroker. By the 1970s, it had become one of the top three stockbrokers in the UK, renowned for the quality of its equity research. 

Its success has always been underpinned by the clear and simple principle of providing trusted research and advice that would make a difference to clients. This was true when the first oil report was published by its equity analysts in 1973 and remains just as relevant to it today. So much so that, over the past four decades, Wood Mackenzie has drawn upon its heritage to create a global research and consultancy business that has grown alongside the needs of its clients. 

Having cultivated deep expertise in upstream oil and gas, Wood Mackenzie has carefully broadened its focus to deliver the same level of detailed insight for every interconnected sector of the energy, chemicals, metals and mining industries it now serves around the world. But heritage is more than just history. Its expert analysts and consultants have connected the company to some of the most significant events of our time—creating insight for governments, boards and CEOs who have helped shape the future direction of the world’s natural resources industries and their impact on society. 

14. Material *

Founded: 1973 2019 U.S. revenue: $166.7 million Percent change from 2018: 0.3% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $57.9 million Percent from outside U.S.: 25.8% 2019 worldwide revenue: $224.6 million U.S. employees: 1,038

In 2019, Material (under the name LRW Group) acquired five companies: Killer Visual Strategies, an award-winning visual communication agency based in Seattle; Greenberg Strategy, a Bay Area research and strategy consultancy with a strong presence in the tech community; Karma Agency, a strategic communications firm based in Philadelphia; Salt Branding, a Bay Area consultancy; and T3, an Austin, Texas-based digital marketing agency. This year, Material is taking steps to unify these companies under one brand, integrating their services and building a collaboration that will provide seamless, end-to-end marketing solutions for clients. This year, LRW Group rebranded as Material, formally integrating 10 companies into one modern, unified offering.

Material is a radical collaboration of the top research and analytics firms seamlessly paired with the most creative and strategic marketing agencies, all with the shared mission of igniting growth for the world’s top B2B and B2C brands, from Fortune 500 companies to disruptive start-ups. Material offers a full range of marketing services—from data analytics and insights, to consulting and strategy development, to customer experience programs and creative executions. Material employs a roster of 1,200 strategists, creators, technologists, designers, researchers and storytellers that work side-by-side with clients to solve modern-day problems, build customer loyalty and make an impact on the world around us.

Founded: 1969 2019 U.S. revenue: $173.7 million Percent change from 2018: 0.5% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $52.6 million Percent from outside U.S.: 23.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $226.3 million U.S. employees: 5,311

ICF is a global consulting services provider with more than 7,000 professionals focused on making big things possible for its commercial and government clients in the U.S., Europe and Asia. 

Clients work with ICF on issues that matter profoundly to their success, whether it’s a product or program that matters to the business or a social issue or policy that matters to the world. ICF offers comprehensive survey research services that empower clients to gain valuable and actionable insights on issues that matter. 

For more than 40 years, ICF has demonstrated design, methodological and statistical knowledge through the implementation of large and complex survey research projects. Its clients consist of U.S. federal, state and local agencies, universities, nonprofits and commercial organizations. 

Its survey research services include: 

  • Analyzing, reporting and presenting findings.
  • Conducting surveys through a variety of data collection methods. 
  • Designing samples, data collection protocols and instruments.
  • Protecting all processes and data through quality assurance and system security.

ICF recently completed the installation of a state-of-the-art, fully integrated and security-enhanced data collection system, allowing the company to securely and most efficiently collect survey research data across all modes. ICF continues to be dedicated to solving the world’s most complex challenges and tackle problems with ingenuity on issues that matter profoundly to its clients.

12. J.D. Power **

Founded: 1968 2019 U.S. revenue: $217 million Percent change from 2018: 3.3% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $113 million Percent from outside U.S.: 34.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $330 million U.S. employees: 744

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. Those capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. J.D. Power offers market research, forecasting, consulting, training and consumer surveys of product and service quality, customer satisfaction and buyer behavior. The company’s independent industry benchmark studies, innovative data and analytics products, and customized advisory services provide insights and help companies improve quality, engagement and business performance.

Annual syndicated studies are based on survey responses from millions of consumers and business customers worldwide. The firm does not review, judge or test products and services for its syndicated studies. It relies on the opinions and perspectives of consumers who have used the products and services being rated. 

J.D. Power is most often recognized for its work in the automotive industry, where its metrics have become the industry standard for measuring product quality and customer satisfaction. A team of associates worldwide conducts quality and customer satisfaction research across industries including automotive, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, travel, healthcare utilities and consumer electronics. 

11. Forrester Research Services **

Founded: 1983 2019 U.S. revenue: $233.7 million Percent change from 2018: 32.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $65 million Percent from outside U.S.: 21.8% 2019 worldwide revenue: $298.7 million U.S. employees: 525

Forrester Research Services is the research component of Forrester, one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. Forrester works with business and technology leaders to develop customer-obsessed strategies that drive growth. Its unique insights are grounded in annual surveys of more than 675,000 consumers and business leaders worldwide, rigorous and objective methodologies, and the shared wisdom of its most innovative clients. 

Forrester’s research offerings consist of a library of cross-linked documents that interconnect its playbooks, reports, data, product rankings, best practices, evaluation tools and research archives. Research access is provided through role-based websites that facilitate client access to research and tools that are most relevant to their professional roles, including community tools that allow interaction between and among clients and analysts.

Forrester’s research and decision tools enable clients to better anticipate and capitalize on the disruptive forces affecting their businesses and organizations, providing insights and frameworks to drive growth in a complex and dynamic market. 

gold bars

Founded: 1934 2019 U.S. revenue: $320 million Percent change from 2018: 3.2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1,280 million Percent from outside U.S.: 80% 2019 worldwide revenue: $1,600 million U.S. employees: 860

GfK connects data and science. Innovative research solutions provide answers for key business questions around consumers, markets, brands and media—now and in the future. As a research and analytics partner, GfK promises its clients all over the world “Growth from knowledge.” 

The increasing speed of product innovation, the rise of new channels and emerging customer needs are all part of business today. GfK’s clients are businesses around the globe. To make the best possible business decisions every day, they need more than purely descriptive data—they require actionable recommendations based on advanced analytics and powered by leading-edge technology. GfK is in the unique position to leverage proprietary and third-party data to create indispensable predictive market and consumer insights and recommendations.

GfK’s industry focus provides its market researchers with a thorough understanding of business issues and questions specific to their concerns. Industries covered include automotive, consumer goods, fashion and lifestyle, media and entertainment, retail, technology, and travel and hospitality.

9. comScore * **

Founded: 1999 2019 U.S. revenue: $336.1 million Percent change from 2018: -6.5% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $52.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 13.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $388.6 million U.S. employees: 870

ComScore is a global information and analytics company that measures advertising, content and the consumer audiences of each across media platforms. ComScore creates its products using a global data platform that combines information on digital platforms (smartphones, tablets and computers), television and movie screens with demographics and other descriptive information. 

ComScore has developed proprietary data science that enables measurement of person-level and household-level audiences, removing duplicated viewing across devices and over time. This combination of data and methods enables a common standard for buyers and sellers to transact on advertising. This helps companies across the media ecosystem better understand and monetize their audiences and develop marketing plans and products to more efficiently and effectively reach those audiences. ComScore’s ability to unify behavioral and other descriptive data enables it to provide audience ratings, advertising verification and granular consumer segments that describe hundreds of millions of consumers. 

ComScore offers several solutions to help advertisers maximize cross-platform marketing effectiveness—be it measuring brand impact, viewability or ad and audience delivery validation—as well as power cross-platform advertising for better targeting and stronger advertising ROI. ComScore Advanced Audience segments go beyond age and gender to help advertisers better target consumers based on lifestyles, behaviors, demographics and interests. ComScore pioneered this concept in digital, local and national TV. 

8. The NPD Group

Founded: 1966 2019 U.S. revenue: $339.5 million Percent change from 2018: 8.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $104.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 23.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $444 million U.S. employees: 1,185

NPD’s global information and advisory services help the world’s leading brands achieve data-driven growth. NPD combines data, industry expertise and prescriptive analytics across more than 20 industries to help its clients measure markets, predict trends and improve performance.

NPD syndicated services include retail tracking, distributor tracking and consumer tracking. NPD offers weekly data, store-level enabled data for looking at geographies or custom store groupings and account-level information for participating retailers. Point-of-sale data is collected from more than 600,000 doors worldwide, plus e-commerce and mobile platforms. Consumer information is collected via online surveys and NPD’s Checkout service, which uses receipt harvesting to track and analyze purchasing and behavior. Prescriptive analytics include market forecasting, new product forecasting, pricing and promotion evaluation and segmentation. 

With deep expertise in more than 20 industries, NPD provides thought leadership to the C-suites of many of the world’s leading brands. Senior industry advisors are available for strategy sessions to guide long-range planning or address specific needs, such as preparing for earnings calls. Topics include industry and category performance, the state of retail and winning strategies of best-in-class companies.

7. Westat **

Founded: 1963 2019 U.S. revenue: $590 million Percent change from 2018: 3.5% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $7 million Percent from outside U.S.: 1.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $597 million U.S. employees: 1,900

Westat is a 100% employee-owned research and professional services company. Westat provides extensive survey design and operations capabilities in support of modern data collection from households, institutions, businesses and individuals. Westat applies multiple modes of data collection and survey management to achieve maximum response rates.

The company’s focus areas and capabilities include: 

  • Statistical analysis and methodological research in survey design, experiments and testing, data science and analytics, statistical disclosure control and qualitative research.
  • Program, process and outcome evaluation using diverse methodologies from design to implementation to guide each program to success.
  • Health research, including behavioral and mental health, clinical studies and clinical trials, public and international health, healthcare delivery, patient safety and health communications campaigns.
  • Social policy research and technical assistance for implementing innovative evaluation, quality improvement and service delivery systems.
  • Education programs for supporting teachers, conducting evaluations and providing technical assistance.
  • Transportation studies of travel behaviors, safety and human factors using advanced technologies such as instrumented vehicles and simulators, field observational studies, and online and mobile device-based surveys.

To support its research projects, Westat designs tailor-made approaches for clients as well as invests in many general and specialized IT technologies and products. Westat also provides licensing, training and support for Blaise, a major data collection software system produced by Statistics Netherlands and used internationally. 

Founded: 1975 2019 U.S. revenue: $682 million Percent change from 2018: 16.2% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1,685 million Percent from outside U.S.: 71.2% 2019 worldwide revenue: $2,367 million U.S. employees: 2,025

Ipsos, through its subsidiaries, engages in collecting, processing and delivering survey data for brands, companies and institutions primarily in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It explores market potential and market trends, tests products and advertising, helps clients build long-term relationships with customers, studies audiences and their perceptions of various media and measures public opinion trends. Ipsos offers advertising research services, including advertising tracking and brand equity evaluation services that help advertisers in the development, evaluation and improvement of their advertising efforts.

It also provides marketing research services that help clients to identify business opportunities and innovation platforms, develop strategies at point of sale, generate insights and ideas, develop and optimize their mix, and model and forecast sales volumes, as well as offers custom innovative products and solutions to address stakeholder experience and brand-building business goals.

In this unique year, Ipsos has remained strong and reaffirmed its ambition and sense of purpose to deliver reliable information for a true understanding of society, markets and people. Ipsos activates this vision for more than 5,000 customers through its presence in 90 markets both globally and locally. Ipsos covers the whole information production and analysis chain, from the collection of raw data to the activation of the insights. It has a solid tradition of innovation expressed by new methodological developments and continuously renewed product range.

5. Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) **

Founded: 1979 2019 U.S. revenue: $815 million Percent change from 2018: 1.9% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $510 million Percent from outside U.S.: 38.5% 2019 worldwide revenue: $1,325 million U.S. employees: 3,639

IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help consumer packaged goods, over-the-counter healthcare organizations, retailers, financial services and media companies grow their businesses. A confluence of major external events—a change in consumer buying habits, big data coming into its own, advanced analytics and personalized consumer activation—is leading to a seismic shift in drivers of success in all industries. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand, cloud-based technology platform, IRI is empowering the personalization revolution, helping to guide its more than 5,000 clients around the world in their quest to remain relentlessly relevant, capture market share, connect with consumers, collaborate with key constituents and deliver market-leading growth.

In 2019, IRI announced the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into its leading suite of analytics solutions, retained 100% of its major CPG clients and welcomed new strategic partnerships with top retailers in the U.S. IRI added several innovators to its leadership team while continuing to invest in its employees by providing ongoing training. 

4. Kantar **

Founded: 1993 2019 U.S. revenue: $950 million Percent change from 2018: 2.7% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $2,900 million Percent from outside U.S.: 75.3% 2019 worldwide revenue: $3,850 million U.S. employees: 3,585

Kantar is one of the world’s largest data, insights and consulting companies, bringing together some of the world’s leading research, data and insights expertise. Kantar’s offer covers the breadth of techniques and technologies, from purchase and media data to predicting long-term trends; from neuroscience to exit polls; from large-scale quantitative studies to qualitative research, incorporating ethnography and semiotics. 

In April 2019, all services and offerings of the various Kantar companies were combined under the Kantar brand name. This operational change enables Kantar to build platforms and offers on a global scale and to remove barriers to collaboration and co-creation within the organization to better meet clients’ needs. 

As part of this branding strategy, Kantar launched several initiatives:

  • Kantar Marketplace, a global on-demand research and insights store.
  • Kantar’s new Brand Guidance System that intelligently integrates validated survey measures with social, search, sales media and behavioral data to provide actionable insights to optimize brand or campaign performance.
  • Integration of big data, artificial intelligence and analytical capabilities from across the company into one resource that unlocks deeper insights to fuel growth.

3. Gartner Research **

Founded: 1972 2019 U.S. revenue: $1,800 million Percent change from 2018: 4.7% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $1,474.5 million Percent from outside U.S.: 45% 2019 worldwide revenue: $3,274.5 million U.S. employees: 4,500

Gartner Research delivers independent, objective advice to leaders across an enterprise through subscription services that include on-demand access to published research content, data and benchmarks, and direct access to a network of approximately 2,300 research experts located around the globe. Gartner Research is the fundamental building block for all Gartner products and services. It combines its proprietary research methodologies with extensive industry and academic relationships to create Gartner products and services that address each role across an enterprise. Gartner’s research agenda is defined by clients’ needs, focusing on the critical issues, opportunities and challenges they face every day. Its proprietary research content, presented in the form of reports, briefings, updates and related tools, is delivered directly to the client’s desktop via its website or product-specific portals.

Within the research segment, Global Technology Sales sells products and services to users and providers of technology, while Global Business Sales sells products and services to all other functional leaders, such as supply chain, marketing, human resources, finance, legal and sales. 

2. IQVIA * **

Founded: 2016 2019 U.S. revenue: $2,220 million Percent change from 2018: 8.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $2,166 million Percent from outside U.S.: 49.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $4,386 million U.S. employees: 6,000

IQVIA is a global provider of information, innovative technology solutions and contract research services focused on helping healthcare clients find better solutions for patients. Formed through the 2016 merger of Quintiles and IMS Health, IQVIA applies human data science—leveraging the analytic rigor and clarity of data science to the ever-expanding scope of human science—to enable companies to reimagine and develop new approaches to clinical development and commercialization, speed innovation and accelerate improvements in healthcare outcomes. 

IQVIA has three operating segments: Technology & Analytics Solutions, Research & Development Solutions and Contract Sales & Medical Solutions. Powered by the IQVIA CORE, IQVIA delivers unique and actionable insights at the intersection of large-scale analytics, transformative technology and extensive domain expertise, as well as execution capabilities to help biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, government agencies, payers and other healthcare stakeholders tap into a deeper understanding of diseases, human behaviors and scientific advances, in an effort to advance their path toward cures.

IQVIA has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of healthcare information in the world, which includes more than 800 million comprehensive, longitudinal, non-identified patient records spanning sales, prescription and promotional data, medical claims, electronic medical records, genomics and social media. Its scaled and growing information set contains more than 35 petabytes of proprietary data sourced from more than 150,000 data suppliers and covering more than 1 million data feeds globally. Based on this data, IQVIA delivers information and insights on more than 85% of the world’s pharmaceuticals, helping its clients run their organizations more efficiently and make better decisions to improve their clinical, commercial and financial performance. 

1. Nielsen **

Founded: 1923 2019 U.S. revenue: $3,875 million Percent change from 2018: 1.6% 2019 non-U.S. revenue: $2,623 million Percent from outside U.S.: 40.4% 2019 worldwide revenue: $6,498 million U.S. employees: 10,300

Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides a complete and trusted view of consumers and markets worldwide. Nielsen is divided into two business units: Nielsen Global Media and Nielsen Global Connect. 

Nielsen Global Media provides media and advertising clients with unbiased and reliable metrics that create the shared understanding of the industry required for markets to function, enabling its clients to grow and succeed across the $600 billion global advertising market. Nielsen Global Media helps clients define exactly who they want to reach and optimize the outcomes they can achieve. The company’s cross-platform measurement strategy brings together the best of TV and digital measurement to ensure a more functional marketplace for the industry.

Nielsen Global Connect provides consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers with accurate, actionable information and a complete picture of the complex and changing marketplace that brands need to innovate and grow their businesses. Nielsen Global Connect provides data and builds tools that use predictive models to turn observations in the marketplace into business decisions and winning solutions. The business’ data and insights, combined with its open, cloud-native measurement and analytics platform that democratizes the power of data, continue to provide an essential foundation that makes markets possible in the rapidly evolving world of commerce. With Nielsen Global Connect’s set of guiding truths, businesses have the tools to create new opportunities.

* ‘% change’ calculation reflects adjustment of previously reported 2018 U.S. research revenue due to acquisition or divestiture activity or other business change during 2019.

** Some or all figures are not made available by this company so instead are based on research and estimation by the report author.

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Diane Bowers is a consultant to research and data analytics businesses and industry associations in the U.S. and internationally. She previously served as the president of CASRO, board chair of the Global Research Business Network, a board member of the Americas Research Industry Alliance and a board member of The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University. She is also a past president of the Market Research Council and the Research Industry Coalition, and a long-time member of American Association for Public Opinion Research, AMA and ESOMAR.

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How to Research a Company: The Ultimate Guide

How to Research a Company: The Ultimate Guide

Good company research can take many forms. Depending on your research goals, you might want to look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a market, or drill down into key industry leaders and emerging players to unpack their successes.

If you want to beat the competition, you need to know their business as well (if not better) than your own. The more intel you have, the quicker you’ll be able to spot and leverage opportunities, respond to market changes, and grow.

Read on to discover how to research a company online, tear down its strategies, and take over its market share.

What is company research?

Company research gathers and analyzes information about a business and its customers. This means understanding its performance data and target audience so you can optimize your own strategy.

Company research definition: Company research is the process of gathering and analyzing information about competitors and their customers.

In today’s fiercely competitive markets, doing good company research is a game-changer. In fact, a 2022 report on competitive intelligence found that 98% of businesses believe researching their competitors is vital for success.

If you have the right tools to collect accurate competitive intelligence , you’ll be able to anticipate your competitors’ moves and emerging threats to stay ahead and succeed.

How to do company research in 8 steps

Researching a company is a bit like doing detective work. The deeper you go, the more questions you ask, and the more curious you are, the better the outcome will be.

Here are eight steps to steer you through the process of doing company research.

1. Track top competitors

You want to know exactly what your rivals are doing, where they’re going, and how the competitive landscape is changing. With this data, you can carefully plan your next move and take action when and where it’s needed most. Competitive tracking tools like Similarweb give you the ability to track what your rivals are up to. You can measure each competitor’s digital footprint, and identify any changes or growth over time.

Did someone experience a sudden uptick in website visits? Would you like to know why and how? Perhaps they launched a new feature or ad campaign, or maybe its social channel is driving growth.

With Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence, you get alerts about changes so you can be sure you’ll never miss a beat.

Similarweb mobile tracker.

Analyzing the top performers in your industry will give you new ideas and provide targets for what is achievable for you.

Similarweb’s Analyze Industry Leaders tool will tell you who is winning in your industry based on their website performance. A Market Quadrant Analysis graph, or competitive matrix , provides a visual snapshot of the websites in your industry and how they compare based on different metrics. The industry leaders may inspire you to try new things, while the weaker competitors in your industry can provide you with swift opportunities to chip into their market share.

Similarweb industry leaders in travel.

Pro tip: Similarweb’s Similar Sites tool helps you uncover up to 40 domains that are similar to yours. Finding these domains can be infinitely useful when conducting a competitive content analysis . You can audit these domains to learn more about their content strategy and upgrade your own.

Similarweb Similar Sites.

2. Benchmark

Now that you have a good view of the market, you need to drill down into your competitors’ performance. You want to understand their metrics and KPIs so you can benchmark them against your own.

A company research and analysis tool can help you understand your competitors’ digital reach and performance. You can look at multiple websites or domains owned by a single company to analyze their aggregated data or look at a specific market. This will give you a good idea of the business’ size and market share .

You’ll also want to look at their engagement metrics and any changes over time. If you see their metrics improving, they are probably investing in a digital strategy . You should look into this to see what has been working for them. We’ll show you how in the next section.

Similarweb traffic and engagement data on footlocker.com

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to look at mobile app intelligence too. There are five key metrics you’ll want to track when benchmarking an app:

  • Demographics

3. Compare traffic and engagement

These days, it’s no longer enough to consider website traffic and engagement metrics on their own. The complete digital perspective of any company includes mobile app intelligence, alongside traditional desktop and mobile web metrics. You need to see the full picture before you make any judgments or decisions.

Using Similarweb digital intelligence, I wanted to view the key players in the travel industry –specifically travel booking sites, like booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb. First, I want my company research to focus on mobile web and desktop traffic alone.

Traffic and engagement in the travel industry with Similarweb

Using Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence , I can see the overall benchmarks for traffic and engagement. This shows metrics like monthly visits, unique visitors, pages per visit, bounce rate, and visit duration. 

The top websites include booking.com , Airbnb , Expedia , Agoda , and Hotels.com . So, in essence, these are my industry leaders .

However, knowing how important apps are these days to consumers, I want to consider app intelligence in my company research too. When I add this data into the mix, things look a little different.

On both Android and iOS: Expedia, Airbnb, VRBO, booking.com, and Hopper are my top five.

Now, my view of industry leaders has changed . We’ve got three key players who are leading desktop, mobile web, and app platforms; and four others, who respectively dominate different channels.

image of traffic and engagement in company research

Here, you can see a range of engagement metrics that apply to mobile apps on Android. Including active users, number of sessions, and session times; which shows engagement, upturns, downturns, and opportunities at a glance.

So, when you view traffic and engagement metrics, make sure you explore desktop, mobile web, and app intelligence to get an accurate picture of what’s really going on.

4. View audience interests

Understanding cross-browsing behavior tells you what other sites your users are interested in. Maybe they are looking at other products and solutions like yours!

This audience interests tool allows you to evaluate the browsing behavior of your target audience, helping you understand user intent and their purchasing process. You might even discover new markets or a specific niche audience , and come up with new audience acquisition strategies.

Similarweb audience interests.

5. Pinpoint audience overlap

Who else holds your potential customer’s attention? With Similarweb’s Audience Overlap feature, you can analyze metrics and insights on the overlap of visitors across up to five websites for a selected time period and geographical region. You’ll be able to determine the size of your total addressable audience , evaluate what part of the audience is shared, and pinpoint your unreached audience potential.

This is also a good way to gauge audience loyalty . You’ll see the proportion of monthly active users who look at multiple sites in the same category or just one site.

Similarweb audience overlap.

6. Analyze specific pages

While a company may be your competitor, you may not be competing on every front. You might only want to look at a particular segment of a business when doing your company research. This ensures that your insights are specific and useful, and leave out less relevant information.

Similarweb’s Segment Analysis tool lets you slice the URL of a website to analyze just the parts that are relevant to you. You can deconstruct their website to look at a specific category, topic, brand, or whatever else interests you. This can help you benchmark a specific line of business or individual products.

This analysis is extremely powerful for marketing and sales managers, data analysts, and BI specialists who want to optimize their strategies for specific business segments. For example, if you are a clothing retailer looking to launch a line of kids’ clothes, you can use this tool to analyze your competitors’ kids’ clothing lines.

Similarweb traffic and engagement overtime for gap.com.

7. Reveal successful conversion strategies

What makes customers convert? The only way to know for sure is to analyze conversion data across your industry. You need to understand the conversion funnel , which keywords and marketing channels drive traffic, and which trends your potential customers are interested in.

You can get a unique view of your industry’s conversion data with Similarweb’s Conversion Analysis tool. Check out each company’s conversion efficiency and how they scale over time. You can identify efficient marketing channels , go-to-market strategies, and their ROI for marketing spending. You can also benchmark your metrics across the industry average.

Understanding conversion strategies also reveals opportunities for your own growth. You can examine category performance at top retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target, and identify what consumers are searching for at the different retailers and what converts. When you understand the customer journey, you can better position yourself to guide them toward purchasing from you.

Similarweb conversion analysis for popular shoe brands online.

8. Research mobile app performance

When you research a business, you need to look at all customer touchpoints. Today, that means analyzing apps alongside web and mobile web traffic. You want to know how well your competitors’ apps rank so you can focus on your own app strategy. With rapid consumer adoption of mobile-first spending ( 46% of people now complete a full purchase via mobile ), app intelligence is a key consideration for any type of company research. In almost every industry, the digital landscape changes when you add app intelligence metrics.

If you’re looking at apps competitively, you want to consider:

  • Monthly/Daily Active Users
  • No. of sessions/session time
  • Sessions per user
  • Overall rank
  • Category rank
  • User retention
  • App demographics

Similarweb App Intelligence Premium now provides a few ways to help you view rankings, downloads, engagement, and usage metrics across both Android and iOS. From benchmarking an app to unpacking the successes of those with apps in your market; good company research should include app analysis. By unifying digital insights, you see a truer picture of a company’s successes online.

How to research a company like an expert

Follow these eight steps and you’ll quickly be able to research any company in any niche like a pro. Uncover key insights that tell you more about a market, target audience, or competitors to shape your own strategy for success.

Ready to get growing? Grab a free trial of Similarweb today.

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Why do company research?

Your business doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You’re competing with other companies and operating in an industry that has its own norms and expectations. If you want to succeed, you need to research other companies in your industry to ensure your strategy is aligned, but also positioned to give you a competitive advantage . You won’t be able to do this without researching other companies.

What to look for when researching a company?

You want to review all their company metrics, including traffic and engagement metrics, and look at their strategy, focus, processes, and content. You should search for any interesting ideas and identify where the company excels. All the data you collect will be valuable for you to compete.

What can company research tell you?

Good company research shows you how a market, company, and its target audience’s interests change over time. It can help you develop your own strategy for growth, and shows trends and emerging threats to watch out for.

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How to research a company: top tips on gathering information about employers

Researching a company doesn't just prove to an employer you're enthusiastic about the opportunity. It also helps you pitch your application and perform better at the interview, demonstrating your match to the organisation's culture and values.

In 'How I landed a place on HSBC's graduate programme' ,

Belal Kulasy said: "I made sure I knew exactly what the bank valued and how it operates, and I tried to match these values to the experiences that I had. This showed the company that I would fit well within their organisation."

Much of the information you'll need to be an interested and well-informed candidate is easily available online.

The company itself

The job description is an obvious starting point. Does the role fit within your overall career strategy? Will it give you career-building opportunities or allow you to develop new, marketable skills? Understanding the role requirements and potential also help you work out where your strengths intersect with company needs, and whether you'll need to address any skills or experience gaps in your application.

However, if the job description is vague, be prepared to dig deeper. Contact the recruiter or HR department with a brief, polite email to ask for more detail.

Read the company website and press releases for information about the company's history and progress: innovations, key milestones and so on, as well as their corporate values, often written into mission or vision statements. This will help you with the almost inevitable interview question "Tell us what you know about the company" or "Why are you interested in working with us?" Check out the 'Working with us' page – not just to find out about vacancies or the typical application process, but also an idea of what they look for in employees, in terms of technical skills or personal attributes.

Industry associations

Read publications, newsletters or blogs for in-depth information and analysis on the health of the sector as a whole, as well as for snippets of news or gossip. Find out all you can about the main players, current threats or opportunities, which companies are doing well, and so on. This knowledge will help you ask thoughtful questions at interviews and shows your interest in working in the sector.

Social networks

Social networks help you develop contacts who can share information and they enable you to build relationships with other industry professionals and with those who have hiring authority. LinkedIn is especially useful for this, with recent data showing a high percentage of members aged between 25 and 54 in higher income groups.

On LinkedIn, use the company tab to search by industry keyword for a list of companies sorted by relevance (relationship to you, for example). You can see primary or shared connections, and then request an introduction to that shared connection to get an insider's view on working for the company. Digging around on the company's page also gives you useful information on hiring statistics and patterns (where employees come from or go to), annual company growth, key skills of employees, and job postings.

Other social networks such as Google+ and BraveNewTalent

allow you to connect with employers directly. Use Twitter to follow people within companies you're interested in, and the company pages on Facebook to find out more about their working culture.

Review sites

Sites like Glassdoor (you'll need to search for UK companies) and What Are They Really Like (WATRL) provide employee reviews on salaries, working environments, along with other insights.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional . To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Careers update .

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How to Research a Company - Top 9 Tips for 2024

Background Image

There are a lot of benefits to researching potential employers.

For one, you’re better prepared for the interview. When the interviewer asks if you have any questions about the role or company , you are able to give more educated answers.

Moreover, it becomes much easier to spot red flags about potential employers. If you find that every other review about the company you’re applying for is negative, chances are, they’re not the best employer in the world.  

That said, how, exactly do you research a company?

Well, we’re about to teach you just that, starting with:

How to Research a Company - Top 9 Tips

Tip#1. start with the employer’s website.

What’s a better place to start researching a potential employer than their “front door?”

Start by visiting the company’s website and looking for information on:

  • What product or service does the company offer? Is it something you personally find interesting?
  • How big is the company? Is it a young startup, a multi-national corporation, or something in-between?
  • What’s the company culture like? Is the work environment more casual or formal?
  • Is there a dress code?
  • Does the company have prospective growth opportunities outlined on its website? 

In your job search , you can use this information in 2 main ways.

For one, you can decide if a company is a good fit for you culture-wise. If you’re a young professional who hates wearing a suit and loves having a flexible schedule, chances are, Goldman Sachs is NOT your ideal employer. If the company you’re looking into has a culture that doesn’t represent your values, you might want to consider applying elsewhere. 

Alternatively, this information can help you ace the interview . It’s almost guaranteed that the interviewer is going to ask you questions about how familiar you are with their brand.

The more you know about the company, the more invested you’ll appear and the more likely it is that the interviewer will pick you over the other candidates.

Tip #2. Find Company Employees via LinkedIn

You can use LinkedIn to find who’s currently working at the company you’re researching.

For example, if you look up “People” under “Apple” on LinkedIn, you’ll get a view of their employees worldwide:

Find-Company-Employees-on-LinkedIn

From there, you can filter by specific location (E.g. Austin, Texas), and then filter by role (E.g. Marketing).

So - how can you use this information?

For one, you can connect with someone in the department you’d like to work in and ask them questions about the company, culture, department, or the role you’re applying for.

The key here, though, is not to be too pushy. The people you contact don’t owe you an answer or a reply. However, if you’re being courteous, there’s a very good chance you’re actually going to get one.

Best case scenario, if they like your questions and initiative, they might even refer you to the team lead or department head personally!

Tip #3. Look Up News About the Employer  

Look up the company’s name and hit “News” to see what the company has been up to recently.

Look Up News About the Employer

You can also find such information on the News or Blog page on the employer’s website.

There are a lot of ways you can use such information, some of which include:

  • You can dodge companies that have had recent scandals.
  • You can impress the interviewer with how up-to-date you are with the employer.
  • You can learn more about recent company development. For example, what products they’re working on, which countries they’re expanding to, etc.

Tip #4. Look Up Company Reviews on Glassdoor

Glassdoor is an employer review website where you can read information about prospective employers.

You can use it to find reviews about the company and its CEO. For example:

Look Up Company Reviews on Glassdoor

Moreover, you can check out specifics like:

  • Salary averages for any given position.
  • Reviews of their interview process.
  • Reviews of the benefits offered by the company

You can use such information to find an employer you’re going to love, ask for the right salary, or dodge companies with high turnover rates and negative reviews.

Tip #5. Tap Into Your Network

Using LinkedIn, you can see if anyone in your network is working at the company you’re researching.

Then, you can just reach out to them and directly ask questions about the role/employer.

If you’re close with the person you’re reaching out to (or have had professional relations in the past), you can even ask them for a referral directly!

Tip #6. Research Company’s Social Media Pages

Go through the company’s social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) to get a grasp of how they communicate with their target demographics.

Follow them to get updates whenever they post anything. You can even like and comment on their posts which can help you fall into their radar, especially if they’re a small team.

Tip #7. Look Up Posts on Social Media 

You can look up what people are discussing about the company on social media to get a more unbiased view of the organization.

For example, you could Google something like this: site:reddit.com "apple” "job" to get a complete list of all threads on Reddit where people are discussing Apple as an employer:

look-up-companies-on-social-media

Tip #8. Get an Edge on the Interview Process With Glassdoor

Using Glassdoor Interview Q&A Section , you can find the exact questions employers ask their interviewees. For example:

interview-process-big-companies

You can use this to better prepare for the upcoming interview, as well as get a general idea of what kind of questions you’re going to be asked.

Tip #9. Learn About Company Salary Averages

You can use a tool like 

 to find salary averages for the company you’re applying for based on department or role:

Companies-Salary-Averages

You can then take advantage of this information to ask for the right sum and avoid getting low-balled.

Why Research Employers? Top 4 Reasons

At this point, the reason for researching employers should be pretty self-explanatory, but we thought we’d cover the topic just in case!

The 4 main reasons for researching a company are:

  • Get an edge over the interview. Employers love it when you’re knowledgeable about their company. After all, they want to hire people who want to work there specifically, not the ones that are just randomly applying everywhere. The more company knowledge you demonstrate during the interview, the more likely it is that you’ll get the job.
  • Uncover red flags (and avoid bad employers). You can find a lot of skeletons in company closets if you just do some research online. This can actually help you save a ton of time and effort from applying (or getting hired) at the wrong place.
  • Find the right job for you. There are a lot of companies out there - not all of them are the right fit for you. By researching companies online, you’ll be able to tell right from wrong more easily.
  • Negotiate a better salary. You can find information on average salaries at a specific company online, so you have a better idea of what kind of range you can ask for.

Key Takeaways

And that just about sums up all you need to know about researching a company online! Before you go, though, let’s do a quick recap of what we learned:

  • When researching an employer, start by looking at their website and social media pages to learn more about their culture and product/service.
  • Look up news about the company to avoid employers with recent scandals.
  • Find company reviews on Glassdoor and uncover potential employer red flags.
  • Use LinkedIn to find people who work at the company you’re applying for and reach out to ask questions about the job or the employer.
  • Use all the information you learn from researching the company to get an edge over the interview and negotiate a better salary.

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How to Conduct Company Research for Investment?

how to research a company

March 06, 2023

There are many possible reasons for researching a company. Job applicants might research potential employers to prepare for the interview process. On the other side of the process, the hiring manager of the potential employer might research companies that are competitors for the same talent.

In this article, we will discuss how to research a company with another goal in mind  - investment decisions. In this field, company, and market research could drive the most profitable choices.

Types of information needed for researching a company

Any investment analysis is built on information. Researching a company for investment involves leveraging various types of data. Firstly, there is, of course, firmographic information like the company’s location, revenue, and size.

This type of information should be supplemented by public web data on the company’s growth trends. For example, changes in online job postings or headcount data might indicate the firm’s growth or decline. Meanwhile, technographic data provides insight into how well the company adjusts to the fast-paced technological development.

Information about the key employees of the company is also crucial and ranges from contact and professional to leisure and interest data. 

Finally, effective company and market research involves news data analysis. This includes company reviews and other direct mentions, as well as market events and industry trends that could affect the firm.

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How to conduct effective company research?

Identify the company.

The first step is, of course, identifying the object of our analysis. Thus, researching a company starts with finding out its defining features, for example, whether it is a public or private company. Public companies are easier to investigate as they are traceable by a ticker symbol and are required to disclose financial information. Other key identifiers of the company are its industry, market share, and where it is registered.

Clarify research questions

Research is effective when it has clearly defined goals. Think about what sort of questions need to be answered for you to be able to reach an investment decision about a specific company. Naturally, the main questions will revolve around the company’s products, services, sales, growth trends, management capabilities, and financial health.

Determine which sources are reliable and relevant

You are going to need a lot of data to answer the questions that you have raised. Thus, when choosing data sources, consider what information is relevant to your goals. If you seek to know more about company culture, for example, employer review sites are what you need.

The source should also be reliable. Financial data can come from the company’s annual reports and publicly available governmental sources. Meanwhile, market news should only be retrieved from trusted media outlets. Relevancy and reliability are the most important factors when choosing a third-party data provider.

Utilize data gathering and analysis tools

Finally, you will need to use the right tools to do the company analysis efficiently. While a manual google search or review of the company website might get you started, it won’t take you all the way. 

Aggregating business news and analyzing public sentiment will require considerable automation. Below you will find more information on the tools and resources to use when researching companies.

company headquarters

Essential tools and resources for gathering information

Public companies operating in the US are required to file accounting and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You can use its Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval (EDGAR) tool to search SEC filings. 

EDGAR allows you to search for keywords in various documents describing everything from the company’s historical performance to current business operations and acquisitions. Thus, when it comes to traditional business data, EDGAR is certainly your friend.

Coresignal’s APIs

When it comes to public web data, Coresignal is the right place to be. Consider trying our APIs which allow searching for multiple data points and retrieve what you need immediately. The APIs will fetch you everything from general firmographics to in-depth information about the company’s employees .

Subscription resources

Library of congress provides multiple subscription-based tools that optimize company research for investment purposes. For example, Mergent Online archives past and present company information that can be searched by financial and textual criteria. 

Meanwhile, Factiva holds premium business publications in 26 languages and from 200 countries all over the world. The complete list of subscription tools as well as the complete guide on how to access and use them can be found on the Library’s website .

Linkedin and other social media websites

When considering investing in a business, you want to know what kind of person or persons are running it, what they are interested in, who they network with, and other information found on social media profiles might make you aware of red flags that would otherwise be missed.

Linkedin is the leading social network where prospects on a job search gather information about a potential employer. It might just as well be used to research a company for investment decision-making. In addition to people’s data, social media pages are sources for public company reviews.

company buildings on a coastline

How to apply the gathered information to investment decisions?

Using the analysis results for investment decisions is all about putting it in the context of market trends and the competitive landscape faced by the business. Thus, your findings should be leveraged against the knowledge acquired by deeper market research into similar products and services.

First, look at the detailed information about the company’s performance and financial stance. If everything seems to be good there, check for red flags. News about the company and reviews by employees and customers will be the most useful for this purpose. Information from the news and social media websites will also help when considering market trends that will affect the business in question. 

The final step of the analysis is scrutinizing every publicly available information about the key decision-makers in the company of interest. Insights from their online presence should supplement data on their department, role in the organization, and expertise.

The importance of company research

Investors need to research a company thoroughly before making their decision. Otherwise, they would have to pay not only the price of a bad investment but also that of a lost opportunity to invest in a better business. Only a deep analysis of the organization, its competitors, and industry conditions will give a good idea of its value. 

Additionally, researching a company for its business model and the people that are involved has potential long-term benefits. The knowledge acquired might be used in deciding upon future opportunities when the same people or a similar business is encountered.

Thus, researching businesses is the smart thing to do before arriving at any important investment decision.

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Research Tips

Company research can include a lot of different types of Information.  This guide focuses on the best databases the Commerce Research Library has to offer for corporate profiles and corporate family research.

If you're looking for where a company or subsidiary is officially registered check their location in one of the database below and then check the official government website for the relevant state to find official documentation.  Here is an example of the Delaware website , a popular state where many companies register.

Databases can provide incomplete and conflicting information.  Use clues like shared company names, shared executives, and shared websites to determine if two entities are connected even if they do not appear to have a parent/subsidiary relationship.

Best Bets Company Profiles

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For access, request an account . Public and private company profiles and research on both domestic and international companies. Users can search by company name, industry (keyword and NAICS or SIC codes), geographical region, employee and revenue size, and corporate family tree.

Bureaus billed back by ID. Access is limited to HCHB staff, ITA regional, and BEA regional offices

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CourtLink A detailed collection of federal and state court dockets and documents, including relevant briefs, pleadings, and motions.

Nexis Diligence Diligence enables you to conduct thorough due diligence on companies and individuals, going beyond credit scores and watch lists to develop a comprehensive due diligence report utilizing global news sources, sanction lists, company information, legal history, and public records.

Nexis Dossier Take advantage of a broad collection of company financials, industry analysis, hard-to-find contact data and more—from a single interface.

Nexis Gain unique insights from over 40,000 sources, including trusted up-to-date and archived news, company profiles, public records, industry information and social media content – all in one place.

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Other Company Research Resources

As part of the EBSCOhost Business Source Premier database, Company Profiles provide MarketLine/Medtrack Reports, which cover company overview, SWOT analyses, key facts, top competitors, company products and services, subsidiaries, etc.

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This directory features listings across the government, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. Find individuals holding high-level positions and their support staff or locate departments, agencies, major offices, and smaller bureaus by subject areas or organization.

ProQuest's ABI/INFORM includes full-text journals and key trade publications, dissertations, market reports, industry reports, business cases, global and trade news, local and regional business information, SSRN working papers, and other industry-focused information, as well as the Wall Street Journal back to 1984.

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The Getting Started tab above will quickly walk you through best bests for databases to research a company and lead you through a five-step methodology for quickly researching large public and private companies. For more detail, use the Advanced Topics section on the left.

There are many resources you can use to research companies.  Answer these questions first using the Internet before jumping into research databases to efficiently search.

  • What is the complete, official name of the company? (Disney is actually “The Walt Disney Company”)
  • Is it a publicly-held or privately-held company? A publicly-held company is one that openly sells stock to the public on a stock exchange. Just because it’s big dosen’t mean it isn’t private. (Mars Inc., maker of M&Ms and Twix Bars, is private)
  • Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Mergent Online provides U.S. company data as well as international company data including U.S. company data for over 15,000 public companies and their SEC filings, U.S. annual reports, international company data for approximately 17,000 companies, international annual reports, FactSheets, and country information. Records may be retrieved by company name, product or service category, or tradename. more... less... Resource URL: http://www.mergentonline.com Abbreviation: mergenton Vendor: Mergent Subjects: Business, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Type: Datasets / Statistics, Directories, Reports
  • NetAdvantage (Standard & Poor's) This link opens in a new window Find business, company and financial reports, plus investment, stock and mutual fund research. Provides financial content for public companies globally as well as hard-to-find private company information. Contains Company Stock Reports, Industry Surveys, Funds Reports, Stock Screener, Corporations, Executives and Directors Screener, Mutual Fund Screener, Corporate Bond Screener, and Compustat Excel Analytics. more... less... Resource URL: https://na.capitaliq.com/ip/fsulib Abbreviation: nasp Vendor: Standard & Poor's Subjects: Business, Communication, Economics, Finance, Hospitality Type: E-Book Collections
  • Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Nexis Uni offers a simple, intuitive research experience with flexible search options and tools to help guide students through common research tasks. Nexis Uni offers the same trusted content collection of more than 15,000 news, legal and business sources that students and librarians alike have come to expect from LexisNexis, while also providing a better research experience. more... less... Content : Briefs, Pleadings and Motions Cases Company and Financial Directories Law Reviews and Journals Legal News News Statutes and Legislation Resource URL: http://www.nexisuni.com Abbreviation: nexis Vendor: LexisNexis Subjects: Business, Business Legal Studies, Communication, Hospitality, Law, Psychology, Public Administration and Policy, Sociology Type: Directories, Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires, Proceedings
  • Factiva (20 concurrent user limit) This link opens in a new window Factiva.com, from Dow Jones, includes access to a wide range of information from newspapers, newswires, industry publications, websites, company reports, and more. The broad range of content provides both local insight and global perspective on business issues and current events – especially with regard to research requiring current information on companies, industries, and financial markets. more... less... There is a 20 concurrent user limit . Resource URL: http://global.factiva.com/en/sess/login.asp?XSID=S00Zcnl3XNb2dmnNdmnNDMrMTYrMDas5DByWcNGOTNHYdNZUUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUEA&=cookie=on Abbreviation: djfac Vendor: Dow Jones Subjects: Business, Communication, Finance Type: Newspapers and Newswires
  • PrivCo This link opens in a new window PrivCo is a source for business and financial data on major privately-held companies, including family owned, private equity owned, venture backed, and international unlisted companies. PrivCo covers over 165,000 companies, including financial data, over 30,000 M&A transactions, and over 15,000 funding rounds. PrivCo also has over 10,000 investors, and advance search options by company, deal or investor, giving you the ability to generate fields of data within seconds based on criteria such as location, sub-industry, revenue and employee sizes, financial backing and more. Note : create or sign in to your personal user account to access PrivCo. more... less... Resource URL: https://system.privco.com/academic Abbreviation: priv Vendor: PrivCo Subjects: Business, Finance Type: Datasets / Statistics
  • Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window Business Source Complete is the world's definitive scholarly business database, providing the leading collection of bibliographic and full text content. As part of the comprehensive coverage offered by this database, indexing and abstracts for the most important scholarly business journals back as far as 1886 are included. In addition to the searchable cited references provided for more than 1,200 journals, Business Source Complete contains detailed author profiles for the 20,000 most-cited authors in the database. Journal ranking studies reveal that Business Source Complete is the overwhelmingly superior database for full text journals in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Additional full text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more. more... less... Resource URL: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=bsi Abbreviation: bscomp Vendor: EBSCO Coverage: 1886–Current Subjects: Business, Business Legal Studies, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Hospitality, Insurance, Management & Strategy, Marketing, Real Estate, Retail Entrepreneurship, Sport Management, Urban and Regional Planning Type: Datasets / Statistics, E-Book Collections, E-Journal Collections, Encyclopedias & Dictionaries, Proceedings, Reports
  • ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window Documents in ABI/INFORM Collection (the most comprehensive version of ABI/INFORM) number over 40 million. Over 90% of the articles can be found right in the database. For the remaining 10%, summaries and links to other resources are provided. Publications are precisely indexed and various search aids and tools are provided in the ProQuest platform to help users find information. Tools for citation generation, emailing and printing articles of interest are also provided on the platform. more... less... Subjects include : Business Economic conditions Corporate strategies Management theory Management techniques Business trends Competitive landscape and product information Accounting Finance Tutorials : Introduction to ABI/INFORM Collection  (PowerPoint) Overview of ABI Market Research Sources  (PowerPoint) Tip for Teaching: ABI/INFORM Collection Uncovering SWOT Analyses   (03:51 minutes) Set up a My Research Account in ProQuest to save documents, searches, alerts and more (go to the top right corner of any ProQuest database). ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry - Features limited content compared to the Browse Search in ABI/INFORM Complete ABI/INFORM Dateline - Browse Search not included ABI/INFORM Global - features limited content compared to the Browse Search in ABI/INFORM Complete Resource URL: http://search.proquest.com/abicomplete?accountid=4840 Abbreviation: abi-com Vendor: ProQuest Subjects: Accounting, Business, Business Legal Studies, Communication, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Hospitality, Insurance, Real Estate, Risk Management, Urban and Regional Planning Type: Indexes / Catalogs

Start your research with Google, using as much of the company name as you know. Verify the full company name and whether the company is publicly owned (trades on a stock market) or privately-held. NetAdvantage and Mergent Online provide summaries of publicly traded companies (for private company information, see "Private Companies" tab above.) These summaries cover a company’s products and services, business segments, company executives, financial data list of competitors, sometimes stock information. U.S. public companies must file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission and can be found in Mergent Online or NetAdvantage . Private companies can sometimes be found in PrivCo , Nexis Uni (Company Dossier) , and NetAdvantage . You can find annual reports, SEC filings, and stock reports in many of the library's company databases .

Articles published in business magazines and trade journals often provide added depth and insight into a company's operations, strategy and competition. Both ABI/INFORM and Business Source Complete index, abstract, and provide full-text for leading English language business and economics magazines and journals. Take advantage of the Library's subscriptions to Factiva and Nexis Uni to find both current news and business articles. More information is covered in the “Articles & Journal Databases” subject guide. You can also check any of the excellent business Websites devoted to business news such as Bloomberg , MarketWatch , Yahoo! Finance or Google Finance . Also look at the company’s website for more information.

Public companies issue annual and quarterly report cards containing income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements that reveal their financial soundness and profitability. The daily stock market reflects investors' collective opinion on publicly traded companies' current performance and future prospects. You can find fully exportable financial statements in Mergent Online . EDGAR (SEC) filings and standardized financials along with ratio comparisons are available through Factiva , Mergent Online and NetAdvantage . Mergent Online provides worldwide company reports, analytics and market data. Value Line Investment Survey Online provide quarterly summaries of the business, financial and market performance of public companies. Seeking Alpha and Yahoo! Finance offer free stock reports along with premium services. Check for additional sources in the "Business Data" Tab on the right.

U.S. Public Companies usually succinctly state their Business Strategy in "Item 1. Business" of their Form 10-K, which is the annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 10-Ks are included in EDGAR , Factiva , Mergent Online , Yahoo! Finance and many other Websites. For IPOs, look for the Registration Statements, S-1s, and their amendments in 424s. The Business overview in the 10-K provides a detailed discussion of the company's strategy, products and services, operations, marketing, distribution, international business, suppliers and government regulation as well as competitive conditions in the industry. Analysts at leading investment firms such as CreditSuisse, Deutsche Bank, and other firms regularly produce research reports on both U.S. and international publicly traded companies. These reports are written by industry specialists who follow and analyze all developments that impact a company's fortunes. You can often find reports or relevant sections of investment reports using Seeking Alpha .

No company operates alone. Each company is affected by industry conditions and the actions of its competitors. IBISWorld Industry Market Research reports features reports on U.S. industries. All IBISWorld reports use Michael Porter's Five Forces Framework. NetAdvantage ’s "Industry Surveys" provide timely, sophisticated analyses of more than 50 major U.S. and Global industries. Nexis Uni enables you to create your own lists with criteria that you specify, such as total sales or number of employees. Mergent Intellect has industry overviews and First Research Industry Reports . Business Insights: Essentials combines industry essays with statistics, market share data and company ranking. BCC Research reports explore major economic, scientific, and technological developments in industrial, pharmaceutical, and high technology organizations. Industry analysis and market forecasts for advanced materials, high-tech systems and components, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the forefront of the company's expertise. The Value Line Investment Survey organizes its individual company reports by industry and includes a quarterly overview. Business Source Complete now features industry reports from Datamonitor and other sources. Search the Articles databases for both industry and competitor information. Be sure to check the “Industry Research” Tab on the left for a step-by-step tutorial on finding industry intelligence.

Now that you have gathered information about the company, industry, and competition, you can fully utilize it by taking advantage of a special feature in NetAdvantage 's "Industry Surveys". Each survey has a section on how to analyze a company in that specific industry. This feature clues you into what special factors to consider when you evaluate the company and what to look for in the financial statements. First Research Industry Reports is a great tool for finding out what industry trends and problems are important to senior leadership in a company in that industry. Mergent Online allows you to build several different types of reports. Factiva also permits you to run a Custom Report in the Company section that pulls together a stock quote, profile, articles and financial statements for public companies. Templates to perform a SWOT analysis or Porter’s Five Forces are available in many places online.

Once you have discovered the company you are researching is private, research becomes more difficult. Private companies are not required to generally provide financials or company information. Subsidiaries or divisions are usually treated like private companies and can be very difficult to research. Private company profiles can sometimes be found in PrivCo , Nexis Uni (Company Dossier) , and NetAdvantage , mainly based on size and importance.  PrivCo is a database that is focused solely on tracking private company financial data, private market deals, and private investor profile for larger, 10M+ -privately-held companies. There are sometimes no profiles for privately-held companies. You can estimate some of their information by comparing them to larger publicly traded companies using ratios. Company summaries can cover the products and services, major company executives, some brief financial data, and sometimes a list of competitors. There are sometimes no profiles for privately-held companies. U.S. public companies must file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission and can be found in Mergent Online or NetAdvantage .

Private company information is sometimes found in trade and industry magazine articles and might be all that is available. The articles may be about anything from the company's new products and services to financial figures to the opening of a new location.  Business Source Complete or Regional Business News are good starting points. Using good Google search strategies can also be efficient. The information available will vary from company to company, but can be used to develop an impression of the company's financial condition. By using the information in NetAdvantage 's "Industry Surveys" that has a section on how to analyze a company in that specific industry, you can use the private company information you have collected to compare to publicly traded companies that are of equivalent nature (sales, employee size, industry)

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How Companies Should Weigh In on a Controversy

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  • Sandra J. Sucher,
  • Peter Tufano

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Executives need guidance about managing their organizations’ engagement with societal issues—including hot-button topics such as gender, climate, and racial discrimination. Success in this realm does not mean avoiding public controversy or achieving unanimous support among key stakeholders, the authors write. Rather, it results from adhering to certain processes and strategies, which they have derived from recent global survey research along with examples from managerial best practice.

They offer an approach that is anchored in data but sensitive to values and context. It can be helpful in figuring out which issues to address and how; in ameliorating disappointment among stakeholders; and in managing any potential blowback.

Data can tell you what your various stakeholders care about, they write, but judgment is necessary to act in careful consideration of conflicting preferences while being consistent with your company’s values.

A better approach to stakeholder management

Idea in Brief

The challenge.

Given today’s widespread social and political polarization, executives need better guidance as they navigate hot-button topics such as gender, climate, and racial discrimination.

The Insight

Success at handling these subjects does not mean avoiding public controversy or achieving unanimous support among key stakeholders.

Executives can take stands on issues and skillfully address both internal and external pushback if they acquire a more sophisticated understanding of their stakeholders’ concerns.

On April 1, 2023, just as the March Madness college basketball tournament was getting underway, the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney uploaded a sponsored post to Instagram to promote Bud Light. The backlash was immediate and cut deep. The beer brand was condemned by social conservatives across the United States, who launched a boycott.

  • DB David M. Bersoff is the head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute, a think tank dedicated to advancing the study of trust in society.
  • Sandra J. Sucher is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. She is the coauthor of The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, and Regain It (PublicAffairs 2021).
  • PT Peter Tufano is a Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School , senior advisor to Harvard’s Salata Institue for Climate and Sustainability, and a former dean of Said Business School at the University of Oxford.

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A look at black-owned businesses in the u.s..

The owner of Marcus Book Store, the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the U.S., talks with her employee about a shop display in Oakland, California, in December 2021. (Amy Osborne/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

More than one-in-five Black adults in the United States say owning a business is essential to financial success, according to a September 2023 Pew Research Center survey . While Black-owned businesses have grown significantly in the U.S. in recent years, they still make up a small share of overall firms and revenue, according to our analysis of federal data.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to examine the characteristics of Black-owned businesses in the United States. The analysis relies primarily on data from the 2022  Annual Business Survey  (ABS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

The survey – conducted annually since 2017 – includes all non-farm U.S. firms with paid employees and receipts of $1,000 or more in 2021. Firms are defined as businesses “consisting of one or more domestic establishments under its ownership or control.” Majority business ownership is characterized in the survey as having 51% or more of the stock or equity in the firm. The Census Bureau counts multiracial firm owners under all racial categories they identify with; Hispanic firm owners may be of any race. Read more about the ABS methodology .

A bar chart showing that about 3% of U.S. businesses were Black-or African American-owned in 2021.

In 2021, there were 161,031 U.S. firms with majority Black or African American ownership , up from 124,004 in 2017, according to the latest estimates from the Annual Business Survey  (ABS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Science Foundation. Black-owned firms’ gross revenue soared by 43% during this timespan, from an estimated $127.9 billion in 2017 to $183.3 billion in 2021.

Despite this growth, majority Black-owned businesses made up only about 3% of all U.S. firms that were classifiable by the race and ethnicity of their owners in 2021. And they accounted for just 1% of gross revenue from all classifiable companies that year. By comparison, in 2021, roughly 14% of all Americans were Black.

As has  long been the case , White majority-owned businesses made up the greatest share of classifiable firms (85%) and their revenue (93%) in 2021. About one-in-ten classifiable firms (11%) were majority-owned by Asian Americans, and no more than 7% had majority ownership by someone from another racial and ethnic group.

The Annual Business Survey classifies businesses as “majority Black- or African American-owned” if a Black owner has at least 51% equity in the firm. The same standard holds for business owners of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The U.S. Census Bureau counts multiracial firm owners under all racial categories they identify with; Hispanic firm owners may be of any race. 

Not all U.S. businesses are classifiable by the race or ethnicity of their owners. In 2021, about 4% of all businesses in the U.S. were  not  classifiable by the race and ethnicity of their owners – though these firms accounted for 61% of total revenue. Ownership and revenue figures in this analysis are based on the roughly 5.7 million firms that  were  classifiable by the race and ethnicity of their owners in 2021, most of which are smaller businesses.

How many workers do Black-owned businesses employ?

Black or African American majority-owned firms provided income for roughly 1.4 million workers in 2021. Their annual payrolls were estimated at $53.6 billion.

Still, most Black-owned firms tend to be smaller businesses. Two-thirds had fewer than 10 employees in 2021 ; 13% had 10 to 49 employees and just 3% had 50 or more. Another 16% reported having no employees. (The ABS determines employment size by the number of paid workers during the March 12 pay period.)

What’s the most common sector for Black-owned businesses?

By far, health care and social assistance. About 45,000 of the roughly 161,000 U.S. companies with majority Black or African American ownership, or 28% of the total, were part of this sector in 2021.

Looked at a different way, 7% of  all  classifiable U.S. businesses in the health care and social assistance sector were majority Black-owned that year .

A chart showing that health care and social assistance is the most common sector among Black-or African American-owned businesses.

Other common sectors that year included:

  • Professional, scientific and technical services (comprising 14% of all Black-owned businesses)
  • Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (8%)
  • Transportation and warehousing (8%)
  • Retail trade (6%)
  • Construction (6%)

Where are Black-owned businesses located?

A map showing that Black- or African American-owned businesses made up greatest share of firms in District of Columbia, Georgia and Maryland in 2021.

Most Black or African American majority-owned businesses (87%) are located in urban areas. Just 5% are in rural areas – that is, places with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants, under  the Census Bureau’s definition .

Some of the most populous states also have the greatest number of Black majority-owned businesses. Florida had 18,502 such businesses in 2021, California had 15,014 and Georgia had 14,394.

Black majority-owned businesses made up the greatest  share  of all classifiable firms in the District of Columbia (15%), Georgia and Maryland (8% each).

Who are Black business owners?

  • They’re more likely to be men than women. Some 53% of Black-owned firms in 2021 had men as their majority owners, while 39% had women majority owners. Another 8% had equal male-female ownership. The gender gap is larger among classifiable U.S. firms overall: 63% were majority-owned by men in 2021, 22% were majority-owned by women and 14% had equal male-female ownership.
  • They tend to be middle-aged. Roughly half (49%) of Black or African American business owners who reported their age group were ages 35 t0 54 in 2021. Another 28% were 55 to 64, and just 7% were younger than 35.
  • A majority have a college degree. Among owners who reported their highest level of education completed, 27% had a bachelor’s degree and 34% had a graduate or professional degree in 2021.

What motivates Black entrepreneurs?

When asked to choose from a list of reasons why they opened their firm, about nine-in-ten Black or African American majority owners who responded said an important reason was the opportunity for greater income; a desire to be their own boss; or wanting the best avenue for their ideas, goods and services. Balancing work and family life (88%) and having flexible hours (85%) were also commonly cited.

For most Black or African American majority owners, their business is their primary source of income . Seven-in-ten of those who reported income information in 2021 said this was the case.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published on Feb. 21, 2023.

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8 facts about Black Americans and the news

Key facts about the nation’s 47.9 million black americans, facts about the u.s. black population, african immigrants in u.s. more religious than other black americans, and more likely to be catholic, across religious groups, a majority of black americans say opposing racism is an essential part of their faith, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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Find a Job You Really Want In

In order to land your dream job , you’ll need to set yourself apart from other candidates in your cover letter, resume, and interview by showing off your stellar qualifications and winning personality.

One of the ways you can do this is by researching the company so that you know and can talk about how you align with their values and why you’re the candidate they’ve been searching for.

Key Takeaways:

When researching a company, look for their values, presence in the news, and gauge their financial health.

Use the company’s website and social media to help you figure who will be working with and for.

Give yourself plenty of time to research a company and take notes while you do for future reference.

Researching a company gives you an edge in the application and interview process.

How To Research A Company

What To Look For When Researching A Company

Tips for researching a company, why researching a company is important.

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Although researching a company is pretty straightforward, it is still important to break down the process into three key steps.

Schedule time to do research. Give yourself the time to do adequate research. 15 minutes to an hour should be plenty of time. This depends on your level of interest with the company, but be reasonable. Your research does not have to be exhaustive, just enough for you to get a good idea of the company with enough information to help you apply and/or interview.

Go online and look for important factors. When researching a company you want to get an accurate portrayal of the company and make yourself a more informed applicant. Factors such as the company’s values, what benefits it offers, who their competitors are, who works at the company, who is boss , and what type of mission will you help fulfill can all point you in the right direction.

Depending on how much time you have, you may need to prioritize these factors. Base them on what is important to you and what would be important for the job application process.

Take notes and write down questions. Make sure to retain some record of your research. It can be very helpful during the application and interview process. You may find information that will help you tailor your resume and cover letter , or you may find you have questions you would want answered in an interview.

By following these steps you can ensure you are doing your best to learn about a potential employer.

When you’re researching a company, there are a few things you want to be sure to find out about the organization.

Look for the company’s values and make sure they align with yours. This should be one of the most effortless pieces of information to find about an organization, as most companies post them on their websites along with their mission and vision.

Even if they aren’t specifically labeled as such, the pages providing information about the organization should give you some idea about what the company’s focus is.

Once you find them, ask yourself if those are values you can get behind. If you can’t, that may be a sign that this position isn’t a good fit for you.

Research employee benefits the company provides. As you probably know, asking about benefits in the first few interviews is a big no-no. Knowing about the benefits policies early on can be incredibly helpful in your decision-making process , though.

The good news is that many organizations share at least the basics of these policies on their websites, so you can look them up yourself.

Search for articles featuring the company. Reading about an organization from someone else’s perspective can give you more insight than you would get from simply perusing the company’s website.

You’ll be able to find awards they won, achievements they’ve made, and charities they’ve donated to, as well as any negative press they’ve been involved with.

Just make sure you do your research to ensure this information is from reliable sources before you mention it in an interview (and use extreme caution when talking about negative stories).

Look up the company’s main competitors. Having this knowledge at your fingertips can be useful for your general understanding of the company and your ability to answer interview questions , as hiring managers may want to see how well you understand the company and industry.

Find information about your potential future boss. It can be helpful to understand who exactly you’d be working for at the company, so don’t be afraid to do a little research in this arena as well.

Gauge the financial health of the company. While you don’t need to look up enough information to do a full financial analysis or uncover any wrongdoing, getting at least a general idea of the financial state of the organization will help you understand it better and give you a great conversation tool.

Usually, companies (especially large ones) will have publicly available financial reports on their websites. These were made for their investors, and they often include great information about potential growth areas, risky or weak spots, and an overview of their revenue.

Whenever you bring up information that you’ve gleaned from your research in an interview, always make sure you’re adding something relevant and valuable to the conversation.

Don’t just try to show off, because hiring managers can spot that from a mile away and won’t be impressed.

So now that you know what information you’re looking for when you’re researching a company, you need to know how to go about finding it:

Visit the company website. This should always be your first stop because it’s a gold mine of basic information such as the mission, vision, and values, employee directories, news stories, and blog posts.

Browse social media. Take a look at all of the company’s pages, paying special attention to their interactions with their followers. Does it seem like the organization truly cares about its clients by responding to their comments and questions and taking care of complaints?

Look up the company on LinkedIn. When you do this, you’ll not only find posts and articles about the company, but you’ll also be able to see job openings, company statistics, and employees who you may know at the organization.

Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to research. It may take more digging than you’d think to find all of the information than you’re looking for, so make sure you don’t leave this task until the evening before your interview.

Talk to industry experts about the company you’re applying to. If you can, it may be worth asking someone else in the same industry about their perceptions of the organization and the particular position you’re applying for .

If you ask a competitor, remember that their opinion might be biased, but generally, people who have experience in the industry can provide some valuable insight no matter who they work for.

Make notes of the questions you want to ask. No matter how good your memory is, your brain is going to be running at full capacity on the day of your interview, so make sure you give it some help and write down anything you want to ask as you research.

Researching a company before an interview is important for several reasons:

You give yourself an edge in the application and interview processes. By putting in the work to understand the company, you’ll be able to show better why you would be an asset to the organization. You can do this through both your cover letter and interview .

Also, doing your research ahead of time allows you to avoid asking questions that you could answer for yourself easily with a quick Google search. This way, you show that you’re taking the process seriously and have put in the effort to understand what you’re getting into.

You can confidently answer the interview question, “ What do you know about our company? This is a general interview question, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for it.

When you answer, mention the basics such as their mission, vision, and values, but then add something more specific as well to show that you’ve done your research.

You can learn about the company’s business operations. By researching, you can ask intelligent questions that show that you’re interested in the position and support the organization as a whole.

This is important because hiring managers want someone who will jump in and join the rest of the team in pursuing the larger mission. Plus, a hire who already knows how a company works is easier to train and will become productive much more quickly.

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Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.

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More From Forbes

Research breakthrough with 99% accuracy in spending projections.

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Predictive Analytics

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, the ability to predict future revenues with unparalleled accuracy has long been an elusive goal. Also, in the realm of predictive analytics, researchers continually seek innovative approaches to anticipate consumer behavior (spending). The central question confronting data analysts revolves around the choice between using a model as the foundation for predictions or relying on the intrinsic patterns of the data. This ongoing dilemma underscores the complexity inherent in the pursuit of accurate forecasting.

Amidst these challenges, a groundbreaking insight emerges from New Zealand. Shameek Sinha, a researcher and senior lecturer at the University of Auckland Business School, has harnessed a robust dataset spanning two decades of consumer behavior. Employing this wealth of information, the researcher has developed causal models that forecast revenues for various retail categories, achieving an unprecedented 99% accuracy.

These insights, available six to eight weeks prior to government-released data, signify a paradigm shift in predictive analytics, offering businesses an extraordinary tool to navigate the uncertainties of the future. According to Sinha, “ I always strive to find efficient approaches to improve predictions of consumers’ expected behavior based on the available data. Naturally, the behavioral model’s calibration becomes critical. I usually prefer building a model for the data instead of trying to fit the data to a model.”

Shameek has been exploring a dynamic machine-learning based forecasting algorithm for consumers’ purchase behavior (spending) across categories. Such tools usually rely on large multivariate datasets and complicated mathematical foundations of optimization methods. But he was not entirely satisfied with the available approaches, especially given their computational complexities, such as tspDB ( Agarwal, Alomar and Shah, 2021 ) that integrates prediction functionality on an existing multiple time-series database.

This is where he looked for a causal modeling approach that leverages – a. past consumer expenditure patterns; b. expected spending changes; c. perceptions of macroeconomic fluctuations; d. consumers’ psychological states; e. consumers’ shopping trends in terms of the channels, search processes and payment options.

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Even though the importance of a causal model is well understood, there was still some skepticism because prediction accuracies for consumer expenditure depend critically on available individual-level data for long time windows. This once again introduced the issue of dealing with computational challenges.

Shameek’s concerns were alleviated when he was able to access the Prosper Insights & Analytics dataset which provided survey data that has been collected continuously for a period of over 20 years using a representative sample of the US population. The survey design is scientifically adapted to evolving market scenarios and the questionnaire is extremely thorough in capturing not only consumers’ behavioral tendencies and shopping patterns, but also their psychological traits, perceptions and expected adaptations. Another important feature of the dataset is its aggregate nature where data was available at the level of consumer segments rather than for individual consumers. Though this kind of aggregation might have some repercussions in modeling, he was confident that a segment-level analysis would provide him with the necessary prediction accuracies, while avoiding the large dimensionality problems of individual-level data.

As a proof of concept, causal models for the groceries and electronics categories (covering the range of products between essentials and durables) were estimated, with more than 20 years of estimation data. Further, 5 prediction scenarios were considered starting from the short-term (1-month in advance) to medium term (1-year in advance) to the long-term (2.5-year in advance). In each scenario, the data from the beginning of 2002 till the month before the prediction period is used as the estimation sample.

Not surprisingly, in-sample predictions were incredibly accurate for all of the scenarios. For example, in the medium-term (1-year in advance), correlation between predicted and observed values of Groceries spending was 0.9968 whereas for Electronics it was 0.9902.

However, the out-of-sample prediction performances were even more compelling because it is usually expected that correlations between predicted and observed values will be lower in this case. For example, for long-term (2.5 years in advance) out-of-sample forecasts, these correlation numbers were 0.9399 for Groceries and 0.9678 for Electronics. When we look at the medium-term (1year in advance), these correlation numbers were 0.8504 and 0.8234, respectively.

If the prediction window is extended beyond 2.5 years to incorporate a ‘black-swan’ macroeconomic shock, from the beginning of the COVID-19 induced lockdowns (April 2020 onwards), the correlation between out-of-sample predicted and observed values improves further, 0.9767 for Groceries and 0.9869 for Electronics.

In fact, when 1-period advance predictions are considered (e.g., predictions for December 2023 based on data available through November 2023), the margins of errors (percentage differences between actual and predicted consumer spending) were as low as 0.16% for Groceries and 1.43% for Electronics.

Out-of-Sample Predictions (long-term) for Groceries :

Shameek Sinha, University of Auckland Business School

Out-of-Sample Predictions (long-term) for Electronics :

As mentioned earlier, traditional predictive analytic models require data for extended time periods, use sophisticated mathematical programming approaches for their learning mechanisms, are usually computationally intensive and above all constrained by the technical knowledge of the data scientists implementing them. Shameek is confident that – “My causal model for predicting consumer spending is easy to understand and interpret and can be used by managers and decision makers with minimum methodological expertise. Even with aggregated data, predictions can be made for any length of time (both in-sample and out-of-sample), for any product category under consideration.”

Of course, across the board it is argued that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will provide new predictive analytic methods as we move into an era of data-driven business decision making. Research from MIT predicts the rise of “data products” as a key trend in 2024. However, one has to remember that AI involves the development of intelligent machines capable of intelligent decision making. Machine learning (ML) and predictive analytics are sub-areas of AI. Whereas ML enables machines to make accurate predictions through self-guided classification (thereby making the computational algorithms prescriptive), predicate analytics thrives on historical patterns to forecast forthcoming outcomes relying on data and statistics. Shameek’s approach in the causal model for consumer expenditure predictions is less reliant on autonomous learning from the data, but more on the model specification’s ability to guide the data in accurately mimicking consumer spending patterns.

Behavioral predictive analytics can help companies to forecast, in advance, the behavioral patterns of consumers. Sometimes, these predictions can be made available 4-6 weeks before the official spending data are available from the government. For example, while the Prosper Insights survey data for January (2024) was available mid-January (and hence Shameek had already predicted the Groceries and Electronics consumer spending for January by the 3 rd week), the observed consumer expenditure numbers for these 2 categories will not be released by the US Govt. agencies till the 4 th week of February (2024).

The reliability of these forecasts can be established with historical data, by doing both in-sample and out-of-sample predictions of consumer expenditure. So, corporates, investors and anyone who would want to view the future direction of consumer spending, can access these forecasts. This allows managers to become proactive in decision making regarding resource allocation, versus being reactive to an ever-changing market environment.

Shameek reiterates that the predictions exercises undertaken for the Groceries and Electronics categories are simply proofs of concept. These analyses can be extended to any retail category like clothing, automobiles, eating out etc. Not only that, but the causal model can also be customized for individual companies in each product category, in order for them to measure their share of wallet vis-à-vis their competitors.

Further, the analyses can focus on specific geographic markets that lend the possibility of exploring potential limitations and opportunities that arise from differences in consumer spending across markets. And finally, though the current predictive model is calibrated using aggregated segment level consumer data, it is certainly feasible to apply it with company-level or store-level consumer data that provides a significantly more granular view of consumer expenditure patterns.

What’s new and interesting about this research is the incredible accuracy of the predictions. However, what is fascinating to observe is the importance of certain factors that help in providing this level of perfection. Shameek emphasizes that - “I can certainly identify 3 sets of factors – the respondents’ (consumers) own evaluation of their expected spending patterns (measured through the spending score), their perceptions of the macroeconomic environment and what’s in store for the future and the consumers’ current psychological state”

Gary Drenik

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8 ways Gen Z will change the workforce

Soon there will be more Zoomers working full time than Baby Boomers. Roberta Katz explains how their values and expectations will shape the future of work.

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Image credit: Claire Scully

Gen Z is growing up: In 2024, the generation born between 1996 to 2010 is expected to overtake Baby Boomers in the full-time workforce, according to a recent analysis by Glassdoor .

They are bringing to the office a different set of values, behaviors, and expectations than prior generations, according to research by Roberta Katz , a former senior research scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) . Katz collaborated with a team of researchers to conduct a large, multi-year study to find out what matters to Gen Z and why – findings that culminated in a book and website .

Stanford Report sat down with Katz to talk about this research and what to expect from Gen Z in the workplace.

1. Gen Z expects change

The world Gen Zers came of age in was fundamentally different from that of their parents and even millennials, people who were born in the early 1980s to 1996.

The world of Gen Z has been defined by technological changes happening at rapid speeds that also reshaped social experiences. Disruption and impermanence have always been part of the world Gen Z experienced – for them, it’s a norm, not an exception.

“There is an expectation of constant change,” said Katz.

Growing up amid uncertainty has given Gen Z a unique set of characteristics, including being flexible and resilient. It has opened them up to new ways of thinking about the future and doing things – and questioning the ways things are done, which leads to the next trait Gen Zers will bring with them to work.

2. Gen Z is pragmatic

Gen Z has a strong sense of self-agency.

Gen Z lives in a world that has always been one search engine result away. If they want to know more about something, they readily seek the answer out for themselves ( even if it’s not always the correct one ).

They question everything and everyone – from their peers, parents, or people at work. “They don’t necessarily see elders as experts,” Katz said. “They want to understand why something is done in a certain way. They’re very pragmatic.”

They are also not afraid to challenge why things are done the way they are.

“When an older person says to them, ‘This is how you should do it,’ they want to check that out for themselves. It doesn’t mean they’re always right; it’s a different way of understanding,” Katz explained.

3. Gen Z wants to make a difference

Gen Zers not only expect change – they demand it.

They are inheriting a set of complex problems – from climate change to inequality to racial injustice, to name but a few – and want to fix it. They want to work for a place that they believe is doing good in the world.

Some Gen Zers will hold their employers accountable on the causes and issues that matter to them.

Katz warns that for some employers, it can be challenging – if not untenable – to take a position on politically charged or sensitive topics. “It is impossible for most institutions that represent lots of people and lots of identities to satisfy everybody,” Katz said.

4. Gen Z values collaboration and teamwork

For some Gen Zers, the digital world helped shape their identity: Through social media and in online groups, they found subcultures to connect and interact with.

They grew up with wikis – websites collaboratively built and edited by its users – and fandoms – enthusiastic and energetic communities centered around a shared, common interest. For example, K-pop sensation BTS has its Army , Beyonce has her Beyhive, and Taylor Swift has her Swifties.

“They’re in a posse – even with their headphones on,” Katz said.

To get things done, they value collaboration.

“There is a hope that everybody who is contributing is in it for the good of the whole,” Katz describes. “They want to have a team spirit.”

5. Gen Z wants leaders who guide by consensus

Gen Z is also less hierarchical than previous generations.

“They don’t believe in hierarchy for hierarchy’s sake,” Katz said. “They do believe in hierarchy where it is useful.”

Instead, Gen Zers prefer leadership that is dependent on expertise that is task or time specific. That could mean they favor management where team members take turns leading the group (known as a “rotating leadership” model). Another style they may prefer is “collaborative leadership,” in which people from across the organization participate in decision-making and problem-solving.

Transparency is also important.

Gen Zers value consensus and they look for leaders who are in service of the group (also called “service leadership”).

6. Gen Z cares about mental health and work-life balance

Gen Z grew up in a period that saw the blurring of the 9-to-5 work schedule and the rise of flexible work models – a mode of working that led to older generations feeling a pressure to always be “on.”

“Work and home life are all so integrated that if you don’t pay attention, you could be working all the time,” said Katz. “I think Gen Z is sensitive to that.”

Having a work-life balance and maintaining mental and physical health is also important to Gen Z.

“They’re placing a value on the human experience and recognizing that life is more than work,” Katz said.

7. Gen Z thinks differently about loyalty

Because Gen Z grew up amid so much change, Gen Z has a different perspective on loyalty.

But as Katz pointed out, “they also grew up with workplaces not being very loyal to their employees.”

Gen Zers were raised in the shadows of the global financial crisis of 2008, an event that has had long-lasting impacts on employment and the nature of work. “It used to be that people went to work for big companies thinking they’d be there for their entire career and that the company would watch out for them: providing health insurance, and so on,” Katz said.

But after the 2008 recession, and even more recently following the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have cut back labor costs and implemented other cost-saving measures, like reducing perks and benefits. Meanwhile, mass layoffs have also been rampant.

“There’s a reason that employees don’t feel the same degree of loyalty, too,” Katz said.

Meanwhile, the gig economy has also been present throughout Gen Zers’ lives, as has the rise of contract work. They are entrepreneurial, which is part of their pragmatic tendencies.

8. Gen Z looks for trust and authenticity

Gen Z also values authenticity.

“Authenticity is about trust,” Katz said. “Words and actions need to match.”

Honesty and openness are important.

For Katz, it’s all about mutually respectful communication. “My bottom line always to employers is stay open to hearing about different ways to get things done, because Gen Z has one foot in the future.”

Katz is associate vice president for strategic planning, emerita, and is currently involved in a strategic role with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence . She also serves as vice chair of the board of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS).

Katz studied Gen Z as part of a multi-year CASBS research project with Sarah Ogilvie, a linguist at the University of Oxford and formerly at Stanford; Jane Shaw, a historian who is the principal of Harris Manchester College at Oxford and was previously dean for religious life at Stanford; and Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at King’s College London. The research was funded by the Knight Foundation.

From 2004 to 2017, Katz served under Stanford University Presidents John Hennessy and Marc Tessier-Lavigne as associate vice president for strategic planning, and in 2017 as interim chief of staff.

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Keeping a Mortgage After 65: A ‘No Brainer’ or a Big Risk?

Fueled by once-low rates, more older Americans have mortgage debt, according to new research. But the downsides can be significant, some experts say.

Donna and Gary Jacobs, wearing jeans and winter coats, walk down a tree-lined path with a castle behind them.

By Martha C. White

Conventional wisdom dictates that retiring with debt — especially a debt as large and significant as a mortgage — is financially dicey at best and potentially ruinous at worst.

That’s not how Brian Lindmeier sees it. “It just doesn’t make any sense at all to pay off the house,” he said.

Mr. Lindmeier, 80, a retired purchasing and inventory manager, and his wife, Cindy, who retired from the local public school system, refinanced their home in Orange, Calif., at the end of 2020. They rolled over their balance into a new 30-year loan and slashed their interest rate in half to a rate below 3 percent. Mr. Lindmeier called the move a “no brainer.”

“The money I’d have to take out of my savings or out of my investments is yielding higher interest than the interest I’m paying on the loan,” he said.

For a growing number of older Americans, signing up for a mortgage that is likely to outlive them makes good economic sense. A significant percentage of homeowners have fixed-rate mortgages with historically low rates. Roughly six of 10 mortgage borrowers in the third quarter of last year held loans with interest rates of less than 4 percent, according to the online real estate brokerage Redfin. Nearly a quarter had rates of less than 3 percent.

A campaign of rate increases by the Federal Reserve, which is intended to tamp down inflation, has driven yields that investors can get on ultrasafe instruments like certificates of deposit to 5 percent or higher.

Even those who have spent years saving with the intention of paying off their mortgages with a lump sum at retirement are now finding themselves recalculating. Some are determining that those funds would be better deployed by earning returns on other investments or helping them meet their cash flow needs for everyday expenses.

Eric Zittel, chief lending officer at Financial Partners Credit Union in Downey, Calif., said a number of his members, including Mr. Lindmeier, are keeping their mortgages — and their cash.

“They’re realizing they can get a 4.5 percent to 5 percent rate just for a C.D. When you do the math, it makes a lot more sense for them to keep those funds.”

A number of financial advisers and retirement planners argue that the imperative to pay off a mortgage before retirement is an outdated axiom in the current economic climate.

“While paying off a debt feels like a very conservative, secure move, trading your liquidity for a paid-off mortgage is quite risky,” said Evan Beach, president of Exit 59 Advisory, a wealth management firm focusing on retirement-income planning in Alexandria, Va. “You’re giving up money in your pocket that you may actually need for something else.”

Gary Jacobs, a client of Mr. Beach’s and a retired federal employee, and his wife, Donna, a retired nurse, refinanced the mortgage on their home in Chevy Chase, Md., at the end of 2021 when mortgage rates were at a historic trough.

“Timing is everything, and we timed it just right this time,” Mr. Jacobs, 79, said. Refinancing into a new 30-year mortgage at a rate roughly half of their previous interest rate lowered the couple’s monthly payment by around $300.

“Although we could have, we didn’t feel like drawing down on our cash reserves in order to pay the mortgage off,” Mr. Jacobs said, adding that paying off the mortgage would have taken about half of their savings. “We’re conservative in the sense of wanting to be prepared for eventualities where we might need the cash.”

This dynamic is one factor driving historically large percentages of older Americans to carry mortgage debt into their senior years, according to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. In 2022, researchers found that just over 40 percent of homeowners older than 64 had a mortgage, a jump from roughly 25 percent a generation ago.

Ultralow mortgage rates were a big driver of the increase, said Jennifer Molinsky, project director of the center’s housing and aging society program. “We do think that, for some people, there is a calculated financial decision that they’d prefer to keep their mortgage, even if they could pay it off, and invest it elsewhere,” she said.

But Ms. Molinsky expressed concern that the increase came in tandem with an overall rising debt load among seniors. “There’s a trend among all older adults that there’s a higher level of debt across the board,” she said.

The downside of having a mortgage

Retirees on fixed incomes may struggle to manage higher-interest and variable-rate debt like outstanding credit card balances. In a worst-case scenario, if a health crisis or the death of a spouse destabilizes their life or their finances, older Americans could be at risk of losing their homes.

“For a lower-income senior, homeownership can sometimes become challenging, because when people enter their retirement years, they often see a decrease in income,” said Lori Trawinski, director of finance and employment for the AARP Public Policy Institute.

While the recent run-up in home prices has given homeowners more equity on paper, this can pose a challenge for those on fixed incomes since those higher valuations can lead to higher property taxes and insurance premiums.

Some experts in elder finance and policy point out that because a mortgage is almost always the biggest component of a homeowner’s monthly expenses, homeowners in their 50s and 60s have less resilience to absorb a financial hit like an unexpected job loss or caregiving demands.

“Housing is the biggest chunk of that budget for everybody, so it’s undoubtedly more expensive on a month-to-month basis to have a mortgage than to have a home that’s paid off,” said Beth Truesdale, a research fellow at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

While people might intend to remain employed until they are able to draw Social Security, Ms. Truesdale said, her research indicates that only about half of American workers remain employed throughout their 50s. This suggests that an income-reducing event is more common than many people expect. While the drop in labor force participation is more pronounced among women and less-educated workers, the employment rate drops by about 20 percentage points among all demographics for people in their 50s.

“Even for people who start out with the advantages, there’s no guarantee they can work as long as they want to,” Ms. Truesdale said.

For those who own their homes free and clear, the Joint Center for Housing Studies found that older Americans often struggle to tap the equity locked up in their homes. And those homes might not be as valuable as their owners believe. Ms. Trawinski of the AARP said longtime homeowners might be content living with, for instance, outdated kitchens or bathrooms.

“It often happens that people will not do those kinds of upgrades,” she said. Older homeowners might also have mobility limitations or other physical challenges that make maintenance and upkeep of a property more challenging.

Lower-income senior homeowners, who are more likely to be people of color, are also more liable to struggle to pay for necessary repairs and upgrades. “There’s less ability to invest in that property and maintain it over time,” Ms. Molinsky of the center for housing studies said. “People need to maintain the value of that asset if they want to use that equity later in life,” but, she added, maintenance can entail significant costs.

The effect that housing costs can have on the average household budget can prompt some people to view a mortgage as a risky obligation to carry into retirement — in some cases, whether that concern is warranted or not, said David Frisch, founder of Frisch Financial Group in Melville, N.Y.

“In addition to the financial calculations, it’s also psychological in terms of risk,” he said, adding that even when the math suggests that maintaining a mortgage would cost less than paying it off, some homeowners’ intense aversion to debt influences their choices. “Some people don’t want that mortgage payment hanging over their head even though they’re earning more” by keeping that cash in C.D.s or Treasury securities, he said.

Some financial planners embrace a less-debt-is-better philosophy, as well. Jamie Cox, managing partner of Harris Financial Group in Richmond, Va., said a homeowner’s psychological approach to debt plays a role in his reluctance to encourage a client to hold onto a mortgage.

During the financial crisis, Mr. Cox said, his clients with paid-off mortgages were more sanguine about the drop in their portfolios because they didn’t have that obligation hanging over their heads. “They’re better investors because they’re not afraid of losing their homes,” he said.

Figuring out what’s best for you

No single decision will work for everyone, so financial planners suggest that homeowners at or near retirement consider the specifics of their mortgage terms, cost of living and risk tolerance, along with the following points:

If you took advantage of historically low rates to refinance, it’s possible that you could earn a higher yield by keeping money earmarked for a mortgage payoff in safe investments like C.D.s or Treasuries.

Financial advisers warn against paying off a mortgage if doing so would leave you with little or no emergency savings. Advisers typically suggest keeping an emergency fund of between three and six months’ worth of living expenses in cash or similarly liquid instruments.

Your personal risk tolerance matters. Saving a couple hundred dollars a month shouldn’t come at the price of your peace of mind.

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Whether you’re looking to make your home more energy-efficient, install solar panels or buy an electric car, this guide can help you save money and fight climate change .

Starting this year, some of the money in 529 college savings accounts can be used for retirement if it’s not needed for education. Here is how it works .

Are you trying to improve your credit profile? You can now choose to have your on-time rent payments reported to the credit bureaus  to enhance your score.

Americans’ credit card debt and late payments are rising, and card interest rates remain high, but many people lack a plan to pay down their debt. Here’s what you can do .

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