Company Research: Researching Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Practices
Where to Start
Company Websites
Start with a company's website to learn about their stated priorities and goals.
Examples from REI:
Other relevant words to look for: ESG, governance, employee relations, equity, metrics, gender or racial equality
Be sure to cross-check info with other resources (e.g. news articles, library databases, rankings, etc.).
Business News
See the page News for Business Research for business news sources.
Search strategy tips:
- Include search terms such as “number(s)”, “statistics”, “annual(ly)”, “year”, etc. – these will reduce your results set to a focused, smaller size that’s easier to work with.
- Use Boolean searching and proximity operators – check help/tutorial information in each news source for specific instructions for that database. Boolean search basics
Guides to Researching DEI in Companies
- Researching Diversity in the Workplace (Stanford)Some resources require WRDS access
Note: UNC may not have access to all of the subscription databases listed in these research guides. Go to the UNC Libraries business database list to see which resources UNC does subscribe to and to get access.
Employer-Specific Data: Rankings, Ratings, Etc.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)The EEOC collects data in the Employer Information Report EEO-1 on gender and racial diversity in the workplace. Due to the time it takes the EEOC to process the data, there is a lag between when it is collected and then reported.
- Human Rights Campaign: Corporate Equality IndexAs the national benchmarking tool measuring policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees
- Good Jobs First: Violation TrackerFamily and Medical Leave Act ; Labor Relations; Employment Discrimination; Discriminatory Practices (nonemployment)
- OpenSecretsNonpartisan, independent, and nonprofit research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy
- Sustainable Business (Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG)UNC Libraries research guide
Executives and Boards of Directors
- Search EDGAR for SEC Filings.
Look for the proxy statement or DEF 14A.
A proxy statement is a document containing the information the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires companies to provide to shareholders so they can make informed decisions about matters that will be brought up at an annual or special stockholder meeting. Issues covered in a proxy statement can include proposals for new additions to the board of directors, information on directors' salaries, information on bonus and options plans for directors, and any declarations made by the company's management.
- Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)
- Access Compustat and Execucomp
Compensation data for executive teams
Gender data for executive teams - Access BoardEx
data on board of directors of publicly listed companies in all regions of the world
- Access Compustat and Execucomp
Company Information Databases
- OrbisCovers millions of publicly traded and privately held companies from around the world. Company records include directory facts, financial and ownership details, subsidiaries, names and titles for executives and directors, M&A deals, etc. Privately held companies do not have financial information.
Note: This resource does not currently work with Chrome browser
Note: Disable pop-up blockers to use this resource. - BizMinerFind industry financial ratios, failure rates of businesses, local industry market research statistics, competitive market analysis, and more by US location (state, city, county, zip, or custom location). A great resource when developing business plans, or for any sort of entrepreneurship initiatives where you need to measure peer performance in an industry.
- LSEG WorkspaceSource for information on publicly traded U.S. and international companies: summary financial data with links to company filings, key ratios actual and forward estimates, stock pricing data, key corporate events, officers and directors, analyst rating, and analyst "Aftermarket" reports (formerly Investext). Aftermarket Reports contain full-text industry and company reports written by investment bank analysts. More than 1.2 million reports available back to 1982.
NOTE: Users must first self-register with their UNC email for a user account before accessing this resource. Please consult: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/go65062420 for detailed directions on self-registering for a user account.
User must always authenticate, even when on campus. Please contact Nancy Lovas with any questions.
- Capital IQ (Kenan-Flagler ONLY)Capital IQ allows users to search for and screen for information on companies including in-depth financial information on publicly traded companies, information on investment firms, biographical information on corporate professionals, and transactions in both the public and private capital markets by a very wide range of company identification data, financial statement data, executive’s biographical characteristics, and deal or transaction specifics. (Source Vendor Web site)
Information can be exported to Excel.
SPECIAL NOTE: Because of licensing restrictions: Access to Capital IQ is restricted to current faculty, staff, and students of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Business Research Consultant/Librarian
