BA 495 Business Strategy: Company
Places to Start Research (is it public, private/subsidiary, or nonprofit?)
- Company/Organization Website: history, mission/vision/value statements (if available),10-K (for public companies) and annual reports (if available), other policy type documents (e.g., CSR/sustainability reports), media/news/press releases.
- Public companies: library databases contain company profiles (e.g., history, news, financials, competitors, analyst reports, etc.)
- Private Companies: information on public companies is much more readily available than info on private companies or subsidiaries.
- Nonprofits: check out the PSU Nonprofit Sector research guide and the Library of Congress Nonprofit Sector resource guide.
Annual Report & 10-K
While the term "annual report" is often used to describe either a Form 10-K or an Annual Report to Shareholders (or ARS), there is a difference.
A public company's 10-K (or 20-F for certain foreign companies) is an excellent source of information on its business, strategies, risks, financials, and more. It presents the company's point of view on its current condition and future direction. Other SEC filings reveal important information as well. ** Private companies or subsidiaries are not required to release detailed financials, and therefore don't need to file 10-K (annual report), 10-Q (quarterly report), etc.
- How to read a 10-KSections of the 10-K, differences between 10-K and Annual Report to Shareholders.
- Company WebsitesRecent and some historical annual reports are usually available on a company's website, usually in a section called Investors or Investor Relations. Or, google company name investor (e.g., Best Buy investor) to get to the Investor section.
- SEC EDGAR: company filingsCompany filings (including 10-Ks) from 1994 to present. ** Useful guide on researching public companies through EDGAR
SWOT Analysis in Library Databases
Library databases below may have a readily available SWOT report on select companies. Not all companies have a such a report, and even when there are SWOT reports, they are other people's opinions that you can consult and cite. You should, however, always create your own analysis.
- Investext (via Mergent Online)
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Search by company ticker/name and keyword (search whole report) SWOT. Check out the tutorial (click on question mark above) for details. - Business Source Premier
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Click on Company Profiles on the top menu bar to get the MarketLine Report, which may contain a SWOT section. - Business Insights: Global
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Search for company profile; a SWOT report may be available for some companies. - Passport (by Euromonitor)
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Search for company profile. There isn't a specific SWOT section, but the content (from a marketing perspective) can be used for SWOT analysis. - IBISWorld
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There is a "SWOT in the Industry" section (under "Industry at a Glance") in an industry report. NOTE: this is SWOT analysis of an industry, not a specific company.
Company Profiles
Recommended
- Business Insights: Global
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Provides company and industry profiles, including SWOT reports, market share reports, investment reports, articles, financials, and case studies. - Mergent Online
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Provides detailed information on US and international public companies. - Business Source Premier
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Provides full text and citations to articles in various business publications; also includes company profiles, industry profiles, and country information.
Others
- PrivCo
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Business and financial information on US-based private companies. Searchable by companies, investors, funding, and M&A deals.
PSU faculty/staff/students please create a personal account using your PDX email - Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA)
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Provides profiles of U.S. companies, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. - Investext (via Mergent Online)
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Provides reports written by analysts at investment banks, brokerage houses, and consulting firms. Reports cover financials and analysis on companies and select industries. - Passport (by Euromonitor)
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Provides profiles on select (mostly large) companies. - Statista
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Provides statistics from over 18,000 free and proprietary sources on a wide range of topics such as business, media, and demographics.
Earnings Conference Calls - Transcripts
Earnings Conference Calls provide insights on a public company's strategies, responses to issues, as well as industry environment and competition. Transcripts may be freely available on company website along with audio and presentations, or through a Google search. Main sources for transcripts:
- FD (Fair Disclosure) Wire (via Nexis Uni)Use the following search terms: [company name] [quarter number] [year] call. For example: Starbucks Q3 2017 call.
- SeekingAlpha.comFree registration to read full transcripts.