MGMT 481 Entrepreneurship: Company
Private Companies
Company Profiles:
- 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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For BIG to SMALL private companies. Sales and business expenditures data are estimates.
- Hoover's In-Depth Company ReportsFor BIG private companies. Search by company name. Accessed via Nexis Uni.
- Portland Business Journal
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Provides access to Portland Business Journal (and other city business journals) and Book of Lists. You must create an individual account to access.
PSU faculty/staff/students please create an account using your PDX email - Investext (via Mergent Online)
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Covers select private firms. Use the Keyword search field (instead of the default Company search field) in the dropdown menu.
Industry Benchmarks:
- RMA Statement Studies
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Provides financial ratio benchmarks data (norms and ratios) and industry default probablity data. This is the online version of the RMA annual statement studies.
Non-PSU Resources:
- Crunchbase (limited free data)Company directory that covers startups and other private companies. Also offers free or discounted access to their full data through their Academic Research Access Program (faculty and graduate students only).
- Mergent IntellectAvailable from the Multnomah County Library with a free library card. Basic information on public and private companies with "as reported" financials (if available).
- OwlerCrowdsourced company data and news alerts.
Business Filings
- OpenCorporatesFind places of incorporation and company linkage.
- Secretary of State ListingsLinks to Secretary of State websites and online company search. Limited information.
- Worldwide List of Company RegistersHosted by Wikipedia
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)
- This link opens in a new window
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.
Free Websites for Company Profiles
The following sites are mostly free, but some content might require a fee from individual users:
- Crunchbase (limited free data)Company directory that covers startups and other private companies. Also offers free or discounted access to their full data through their Academic Research Access Program (faculty and graduate students only).
- IQS DirectoryA directory of manufacturers and suppliers serving major segments of the OEM industrial manufacturing marketplace across the United States and Canada.
- KompassInternational directory of producers, distributors, service providers, exporters, importers, etc. Full version available at the Multnomah County Library - Central Branch.
- ThomasNet (formerly Thomas Register)Directory of manufacturers, distributors and service providers in US. Searchable by brand, product, and company name.
- Yahoo FinanceCompany information (description, financials, news, etc.) and market data (stock and mutual fund performance).
Creating Your Own SWOT Analysis
Create your own SWOT analysis by collecting information from multiple sources, such as company profiles, industry & market information, and news. If you are researching on a public company, take a look at its Annual Report (or 10-K), especially the section "Risk Factors."
Here are some other tips on doing your own SWOT analysis (remember S&W are internal, while O&T are external)
Explore the company website:
- What kind of service/product do they provide?
- What kind of customer needs are they meeting?
- What's their customer value proposition?
Interview the company, if possible. State that you are a student researching on the company for academic work, and that you will agree to sign any non-disclosure agreement. Call and ask them nicely. You might be surprised! * Most of the "internal information" (e.g., HR practices) of small private firms is highly unlikely to be available in secondary sources; in this case, talking with the company is the only way.
Read reviews, if available. Although customer reviews can be biased and unreliable, consistently positive or negative reviews should be taken into account. Consumers often find weaknesses that the company may not be aware of. However, be realistic -- you can't be all things to all people. Always keep your target market in mind.
Take a look at the competitors:
- If your competitors are large/public companies, chances are there are readily available SWOT reports on them. Go through their SWOT to compare your company with them. The opportunities and threats are external factors that will have an impact on all companies, including yours, in the same industry.
- Consider the following:
- What kind of service/product do the competitors provide?
- What are your company's competitive advantages? For example, unique product/service, location, size, customer service, price, etc..? How does your company differentiate itself from others (i.e., what's its niche)?
Research the industry:
- The library database IBISWorld has a SWOT analysis on the industry.
- Current industry landscape
- Industry forecast and emerging trends
Do an environmental scan: what environmental factors may have an impact on the market your company's in? Any emerging trends? Disruptive forces? What are the opportunities and threats? Feel free to incorporate your personal observations and experiences.