Business Library

Scope of This Guide:

Consulting companies belong to a diverse industry group that provides advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on a wide range of issues to address challenges relating to management, environmental concerns, scientific and technical issues, and many others. Consultants provide knowledge, experience, special skills, creativity or manpower to organizations that lack such assets in critical areas.

Clients include large and small companies in the private sector; Federal, State, and local government agencies; institutions, such as hospitals, universities, unions, and nonprofit organizations; and foreign governments or businesses.

Industry Definitions: Description by NAICS Sector / Sub-Sector

Databases for Industry Research

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage

• Industry surveys
• Bond ratings
• Company profiles and corporation records
• Stock, bond and fund research

• Industry sector analysis and research
• Industry trends and statistics
• Market research and trends
• Company profiles

• Real-time full-text investment research
• Reports cover companies and industries
• Over 750 contributing firms

• Aggregate data and analysis on industries
• Reports, articles, and company highlights

ABI/Inform (via ProQuest)

• Indexes over 1000 business periodicals
• Trade journals, business magazines, academic journals and other news sources
• Most articles full text

IBISWorld

• Over 700 full-text industry reports
• Over 700 US industry risk rating reports
• Information on over 8000 Publicly Traded Companies
• Hundreds of economic and demographic profiles

For additional database choices, see:

1. Database Descriptions
2. Database Comparison Chart

Selected U.S./World Industry Data & Company Sites

Selected Companies

Top 50 Consulting Firms Rankings / Vault

• Company Snapshot
• Company Stats
• Gold Surveys
• Employee Message Board
• Salary Surveys (Survey's details are not free)

Best Firms Survey / Consulting Magazine 

Company list based on Ward's Business Directory and Vault:

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.

McKinsey & Company

Hewitt Associates Inc.

Boston Consulting Group Inc.

A. T. Kearney Inc.

Bain and Company Inc.

Deloitte Consulting LLP

IBM Business Consulting Services

Mercer Management Consulting

Monitor Group

Resources for Identifying Companies in the Industry

Hoover’s Online

• Proprietary company overviews
• Industry breakdowns and explanations
• Competitor listings
• Financial synopses

Lexis/Nexis Corporate Affiliations
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A219

• U.S. corporate directory
• Holding company directory

Mergent Online

• Information on 11,000 U.S. public companies and 17,000 non-U.S. Public companies
• Detailed, standardized financial statements
• Searchable by company name, industry codes, revenue levels, and other characteristics
• Comparative analysis among companies
• Access to SEC reports

Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A56

• Listings organized by NAICS code
• Ranks public and private companies by revenues/sales

Library Collections: Selected Reference Titles & Call Number Ranges

Selected Reference Titles

For additional materials, contact the Schreyer Business Library.

Industry-related:

The world's newest profession: management consulting in the twentieth century
3rd Floor Paterno: HD69.C6M395

The basic principles of effective consulting
3rd Floor Paterno: HD69.C6S77

Management consulting today: strategies for a challenging environment
3rd Floor Paterno: HD69.C6M367

Career-related:

WetFeet Insider Guide, Series

Bain & Company
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.B35

Deloitte Consulting
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75. D45

IBM Business Consulting Services
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.I26

McKinsey & Company
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.M35

Killer Consulting Resumes
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.K55

Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
Business Library, Reference: HF5381.E52
See: Management Analysts and Consultants

Vault College Career Bible
Business Library, Reference: HF5381.V38
See: Management Consulting

Vault Guide to the Top 25 Technology Consulting Firms
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.T435

Specialized consulting careers : health care, human resources, & information technology / WetFeet Insider Guide
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.S63

Careers in Management Consulting / WetFeet Insider Guide
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.M36

Ace Your Case II Fifteen More Consulting Cases / WetFeet Insider Guide
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.75.F54

Trade Associations: Selected Industry Associations Web Sites

Association of Internal Management Consultants, Inc. (AIMC)

American Management Association

Association of Management Consulting Firms

Human Resources Consultants Association

Institute of Management Consultants USA (IMC USA )

• See also Associations Unlimited for association listings by subject or keyword.
• See also ABI/Inform for articles reporting trade association data.

Career Information: Selected Sources for Employment Information

Vault (with webpage for consulting industry)

WetFeet

Vault Online Career Library (Currently, Vault Guides are facing problems opening in Adobe Reader 8.x. Please see here for using FREE Adobe Digital Editions to access these guides)

1. Vault provides full-text career and industry guides
2. Includes company profiles, occupation descriptions, and career-related articles

Career Guide to Industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.5.U5 C3162

Occupational Outlook Handbook  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
CAT record for print copies
Business Library, Reference: HD8051.A623

Career Resources Page

3rd Floor, Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802
Reference Desk:
814-865-6369