Finding company profiles and SWOT analyses
13/02/2025
If you are researching a company for a project or job interview, a company profile will be really helpful, as will a SWOT analysis.
A profile will give you the basic information you need about the firm and its activities, including a company overview and key facts, information on structure and strategy, details of top competitors, major products and services, prospects etc. A SWOT analysis will highlight the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and you can use this as a basis for further investigation about the company and/or its competitors. Profiles and SWOTs can be found in Factiva, Passport and our journal databases – both EBSCO Business Source Complete and ProQuest One Business. Read on to find out more.
Factiva
Factiva’s Company Snapshots provide a general company overview. You also have access to company performance and segment information including financial results, a peer-group analysis which ranks competitors and links to latest news items. Standard reports can be downloaded to pdf or you can create a report customised to your requirements. To access these, select ‘Companies / Markets’ > ‘Company’ from the tabs at the top left of the Factiva homepage.
EBSCO Business Source Complete
To source profiles and SWOTs from Business Source Complete:
- Open the Advanced search interface on the database.
- Type the name of the company into the search box and select the option for Title in the dropdown menu.
Searching in EBSCO Business Source Complete
- Then click to Search. That’s it.
Searching for company information in EBSCO Business Source Complete
- If you specifically want a SWOT analysis, add the acronym SWOT into the search box with the company name. It’s that simple!
Searching for a SWOT analysis in EBSCO Business Source Complete
ProQuest One Business
Like Business Source Complete, ProQuest also includes company profiles within its collections from sources such as D&B Hoovers and GlobalData. It also includes some brokers and analysts’ reports which have a more financial focus. Some of these publications will have additional terms and conditions that you need to agree to.
Again, simply enter your company name into the search box and click on the ‘Company Reports’ button before you click to Search.
Passport
Passport includes short country-specific profiles for companies within individual industries so if you’re interested in Nestlé’s role in the UK snacks market or similar, these give a more focused view. They will often be presented as a datagraphic. Related reports and data are available to download.
If you have any questions about any aspect of company research, please contact the Library.
Feature image from Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/financial-analytics-blur-business-2860753/
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Referencing the use of generative AI in your work
We recognise that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has, and will increasingly, become a part of our everyday lives and that we need to adapt to it. Hopefully you will have already seen the guidance for staff ...
Finding part-time work whilst studying at Cranfield – is it right for you?
We know that the cost of living in the UK is a real and ongoing challenge for many students. Whether you are still considering postgraduate study or already preparing for life at university, you ...
Leaving Cranfield soon? Have you heard about Alumni Library Online?
We are proud to offer one of the UK’s leading university library services for alumni. Alumni Library Online gives you instant access to thousands of top quality journal articles and the latest thinking to support ...
Want to know more about research methods?
Research methods are the strategies and tools used to gather, analyse and interpret data or evidence to uncover new information or create better understanding of a topic. Research methodology is the theory, justification and assumptions ...
Come for Cranfield, stay for Milton Keynes: how Bucks, Beds and the OxCam region are just getting started
Heard the one about the entry-level job that needed three years of experience? Sadly we all have, and that’s why in a jobs market where practical, hands-on experience is so important, study where collaboration ...
British Standards and ISO standards demystified
We are frequently asked how to find ISO (International Standards Organisation) standards. The best way to find them is to go straight to our British Standards Online (BSOL) service. Why go to British Standards if you ...