Library Guides: MKTG 301: Principles of Marketing (Behrend): Company Information

Locating SWOT Analyses

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
Locate SWOT analyses in Business Source Premier by first searching for a company. On your results page, navigate to the "Source Types" menu on the left hand filter menu. Select "SWOT Analyses" from the list of publication types.
An essential article database for business research providing the full text for more than 2,000 periodicals, including about 1,000 scholarly journals. Covers virtually all disciplines in business and economics, including: accounting, economics, econometrics, finance, marketing, management, MIS, QMM and supply chain management.

What if I can't find one for my company?

Look at the list of competitors and see if you can find a SWOT analysis for any of those companies. Companies in the same industry will face similar opportunities and challenges. This is also helpful if you are research a private company -- look for public companies in the same industry for more information.

Finding Company Information

Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Search for proprietary company and industry information by name, ticker symbol or NAICS/SIC codes. Access information on public and private companies. Also access company news, information on initial public offerings, and career and personal finance information.
Provides data on over 100 million privately held companies.

You can also locate company profiles in following databases, but coverage may vary.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
Essential article database for business research.
An essential article database for business research providing the full text for more than 2,000 periodicals, including about 1,000 scholarly journals. Covers virtually all disciplines in business and economics, including: accounting, economics, econometrics, finance, marketing, management, MIS, QMM and supply chain management.

Public and Private Companies

Public Companies

Public companies, which have shareholders and are traded on the stock exchange, are legally required to release specific financial information and other information about their business practices, making them much easier to research. You will often find much more information about public companies when conducting database research for companies.

Private Companies

Private companies are not traded publicly and therefore can keep much of the information about their financials and business practices private. Laws regarding private company disclosures vary from country to country, but private companies in the US are not required to release much information to the public. If you choose to research a private company, you may want to locate public competitors as a way of identifying information about the industry that would also apply to the private company.