How to Find Company Information

Finding a SWOT Analysis

There are various strategies for finding a SWOT analysis. Not every resource listed here will provide a SWOT for every company you may be interested in researching. You may have to try more than one avenue before you hit pay dirt.

SWOT Analysis: How to do the research

Analyst Reports

Annual Reports

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

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SWOT Analysis: How to do the research

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NetMBA
Provides a simple framework, explaining the different elements of a SWOT analysis.

Bplans.com
A nice article, explaining what goes into creating a SWOT analysis.

SWOT Analysis: How To DO The Research.
This is a one-page guide to SWOT, prepared by Steven Bell, Director of Gutman Library at Philadelphia University. It includes information on how various library databases may help with the analysis. Baker University Library's electronic business databases can provide access to the information needed for the SWOT analysis.

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Analyst Reports

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Consult the following databases that provide SWOT analyses:
See the videos beside each list of steps to see the process.

Business Source Premier Start at the Collins Library home page. Under Find Articles and More, select: Start with databases. From the list of subject headings, select: Business Scroll down and select: Business Source Premier The screen will open up in the Basic Search screen. Under the search box, select: Advanced Search. In the first search box, type the company name. For example, microsoft In the first search box on its right, change the field to: CO Company Entity In the second search box, type: swot Search Open the .PDF Datamonitor report.
Business and Company Resource Center Start at the Collins Library home page. Under Find Articles and More, select: Start with databases. From the list of subject headings, select: Business Scroll down and select: Business and Company Resource Center Select: Company Search In the Company name box, type your company. For example, McDonald's. In order to eliminate a long list of companies that might use that name, be sure and fill the radio button next to: Ultimate Parent Search When the list of companies appears, select: McDonald's Corp. (MCD) If there is a "Download S.W.O.T." symbol above the company name, click on it to open the SWOT report.
Lexis/Nexis Academic Start at the Collins Library home page. Under Find Articles and More, select: Start with databases. From the left navigation area, under Popular Databases, select:Lexis/Nexis Academic Slide to the right and under "Get Company Info", select: Company Profiles In the first box, type the name of your company. For example, Starbuck's. Change the field designation to:Company Name In the next box, type: swot. Search All the results come from the source, Global Markets Direct. Scroll down until you find the report that includes "SWOT Analysis" in its title.

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AnnualReports

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Often, you will find that much of the kind of information you need may be found in a company's annual report. Most public companies will feature access to their annual reports on their web pages.

TIP:	On a company web site, Annual Reports are frequently located under "Investor Relations." Other alternatives may include (but are not limited to) "Shareholder Information," "Earnings Releases," "Company Reports," "Company Profiles," "Financial Information," "Customer Service," or "About".

Look for headings such as "Risks" in the Table of Contents to locate the issues that will comprise a SWOT Analysis. As an example, see p.78 of Wells Fargo's Annual Report to see their discussion on Risk Factors.

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Articles

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Newspaper and periodical articles can provide extensive and varied types of information on companies--for example, new ventures, marketing campaigns, analyses of financial situations, pending lawsuits, scandal or ethics issues, trade barriers, regulatory issues, information about new competitors, workforce shifts, and the weak economy.

You can find business related articles in all of our Business Databases.