Identifying Company Strengths & Weaknesses
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Use this for complex financial statement and comparables analysis, financial modeling, sector analysis and charting for companies worldwide. -
Mergent OnlineFind company financials, competitor, customer, and supplier information, recent analyst reports, and more on US and global companies. Also includes industry reports and country snapshots.
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ESG ManagerEnvironmental, social, governance ratings of global firms
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InvestextFind investment research reports containing detailed information and analysis on publicly traded companies in a wide variety of industries. The reports are written by analysts at leading brokerage houses, investment banks and research firms worldwide.
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Business Source Premier - EBSCOhostSearch for articles and reports about the company or industry you are researching.
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Business Insights: EssentialsEasily find information on companies, industries and more in the context of timely news, statistical data, and in-depth reports.
Finding Opportunities & Threats
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Fitch Connect (formerly BMI)Country risk, industry reports, and company coverage in global markets. Includes news, reports, and data.
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IBISWorldSearch by NAICS code or keyword to find thousands of U.S. industry research reports, includes Global Industry reports with some China coverage.
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Standard & Poor's Net AdvantageUS industry surveys discuss all aspects of how the industry operates and factors that influence the industry..
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ProQuest One AcademicGreat source for articles & reports covering all business-related topics as well as social sciences. Includes Hoover's Profiles, WSJ, NYT, many Massachusetts newspapers, and more.
For market research resources, see the Market Research Guide.
Questions to ask
Identifying Strengths
- What does your company do better than its competitors?
- What are your company's core competencies?
- What unique resources does your company have?
- What are its most valued assets?
- What intangible assets does your company possess?
Identifying Weaknesses
- Where is your company struggling? Where is it losing money?
- Where does your company lack resources?
- What are its competitors doing better? How can your company improve?
- How is your company perceived by its customers or the public?
(Source: Louise Klusek, Newman Library, Baruch College)
Identifying Opportunities
- What are the technology trends in your industry that you could take advantage of?
- Could any current social trends benefit your industry?
- Have any recent economic or regulatory changes affected the way your industry operates?
- Do your current customers have unmet needs? If your customer base is changing, what can you offer these new customers?
Identifying Threats
- What negative trends in the environment impact your company's performance?
- Are any economic, political, regulatory, technological, or social factors changing how your industry operates?
- Are any technological, social, or cultural changes affecting your customer base?
- What are your competitors doing that could threaten your business?
(Source: Louise Klusek, Newman Library, Baruch College)