Here is a research approach for gaining insights on a company's culture:
Step 1: Check company job ads; talk to people you know who currently work there or have worked there in the past.
Step 2: Check the company’s website for indications of company culture (conservative / liberal / leader / follower / risk-taker, work-life balance, etc.). Look for a posting of the company's values or mission statement. Lastly, there may be videos that discuss the company's approach to diversity and/or the existence of affinity groups.
Step 3: Search in business databases (see suggestions below) or in Mardigian Search for additional clues from magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc. Along with the company name, here are some additional search terms that may prove useful:
| Social responsibility |
Business ethics |
| Workplace diversity OR equity OR inclusion |
Employment discrimination |
| Union OR organized labor |
Discrimination |
| Career path |
Work-life balance |
| Remote work |
Workplace safety |
| Job satisfaction |
Climate OR sustainability |
Suggested databases:
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ABI/INFORM Complete: Provides in-depth coverage of business, finance, and management publications as well as local and regional business publications, trade and industry magazines, and newsletters. Covers business conditions, trends, corporate strategies and tactics, management techniques, competitive and product information, industry reports, and a wide variety of other topics.
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Business Source Complete: Contains business-related periodicals covering topics such as management, economics, finance, accounting, marketing, banking, and international business. This includes full text of management journals such as Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Journal, and the Journal of Marketing.
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Factiva: Company and industry financial data and news stories, as well as full text articles from 6,000 trade publications, newspapers, newswires, and magazines.
