Guides: BADM 101: Competitive

Competitive Research

"Competition: Alternative firms that could provide a product to satisy a specific market's needs." - Kerin, R., Edwards, G., Tibbo, G. (2005). Marketing: The core. McGraw-Hill Ryerson; Toronto. (p. 65).

ASK:

Who are the direct and/or indirect competitors of business/product/service that I am researching?
What are the leading companies in the business/product/service area that I am researching?
What other businesses are operating in the geographic area?

Visit CapU library's Company Research guide for more competitive research resources and tips.

Annual Reports

Annual reports from incorporated (public) companies are distributed to shareholders and, generally speaking, are required by regulations. Typically annual reports include audited finanical statements and information on the company's performance.

SEDAR (System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval)
"www.sedar.com is the official site that provides access to most public securities documents and information filed by public companies and investment funds with the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) "
EDGAR
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions' portal to public company filings.
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Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system

TIP: Look for the MD&A (Management Discussion & Analysis) in annual reports. MD&As will provide "information to the reader that management believes is useful in understanding the company’s operating results, cash flows, and financial condition" (Full Disclosure Background, 2006).

Directories

Use directories to identify companies within industries, and to learn more about the companies such as locations, histories, and employees, officers, and directors.

Online:

Canadian Trade Index
"First published in 1900 as Canada's original and only industrial directory, Canadian Trade Index has grown to become Canada's leading online industrial sourcing tool for manufacturers, exporters, distributors and service companies."
Frasers Industrial Business Directory
Frasers provides information on Canadian industrial wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors and their products and services.
Government of Canada Directories
Find registered Canadian suppliers, competitors, company incorporation statuses.
Indigenous Business Directory
The Indigenous Business Directory is designed to assist and support Indigenous businesses in the pursuit of business opportunities, including federal procurement.

Lists and Rankings

Business in Vancouver Book of Lists 2024
British Columbia's top companies, top employers and fastest growing businesses
BC Business : Top 100 in 2019
Shows revenue for the last two years for top companies.
Canada's Top 100 employers 2024
STARTUP 50: The Complete Ranking of Canada’s Top New Growth Companies
This link from Canadian Business lists the top 50 new companies based on growth.

Best Databases

Business Source Ultimate
Thousands of business journals, industry magazines, and industry & market reports.
Business Source Ultimate provides full-text access to a wide range of peer-reviewed journals, trade publications and general business magazines in addition to indexing and abstracts for scholarly business journals. Additional content includes case studies, company profiles, industry reports, SWOT analyses, and market research reports.
Canadian Business & Current Affairs (CBCA)
Comprehensive coverage of Canadian topics, including business, politics, literature, history and news events.
Canadian Business & Current Affairs (CBCA) provides broad coverage from a Canadian perspective, including scholarly journals, dissertations, magazines, and wire services. Subject list spans agriculture, business and economics, education, government and politics, health sciences, history, literature, medical sciences, social sciences, and many more areas.

View all recommended business databases.