MKTG 6000: Marketing Strategy: Company & Industry Info.

You'll find the search tool for PrivCo at the top of the page:

As an example, we'll take a look at Smashburger.

You'll find most of the information you need on the company web page.

• The Business Summary will tell you basic information, included when the company was founded, what they produce, and the size and number of locations.
• The Overview & Corporate Organization section provides key information about the year founded, location, employee growth, contact information, and the company's web presence.
• You'll find the company's SIC ans NAICS codes under Industry Information. By following the links provided you ca learn about competitors in these industries.
• Competitors and Comparables lists the company's top competitors.
• You'll find finanical information about the company under Charts, Financials, and Statistics.
• The Detailed Business Description will help you better understand the rest of the information found in the company report.

You'll most likely want to start by searching U.S. businesses.

I recommend using the Custom Search feature.

You'll find lots of search options here.

You can search just using the company name:

You can narrow your search by location, including city, county, state, zipcode, etc. 

If you search for a particular company you'll be provided with a list of all of their locations:

Click on the name of the location you'd like to learn more about.

Inside the report you'll find lots of useful information...

• The Industry Profile will list the company's SIC and NAICS codes
• Business Demographics will provide information on the number of employees, sales, etc.
• The Management Directory provides information on company officials.
• Use the Nearby Businesses tab to find other businesses located close by; perhaps you can market your products to them!
• The Competitors Report will list those competitors within close geographical range

A SWOT Analysis can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses inside your organization and outside of it, and help you plan to build on these strengths, or overcome the weaknesses.

SWOT stands for

Strengths-what is your company or industry doing really well?

Weakness-what are some areas which could use improvement?

Opportunities-are there areas for potential growth or expansion within your company and/or industry?

Threats-what factors could jeopardize your future?

If your company is publicly traded start your search for a SWOT analysis using Business Insights: Global. Type the name of your company into the search box:

Under the Company Profile you can see of there is a SWOT analysis available:

You can also try searching for a SWOT analysis in Business Source Premier.

Enter the name of the company in the first search box, and SWOT analysis in the second box:

When browsing through your results list pay close attention to the date of the analysis. Don't discount older ones as they may be able to provide insight into how the company has grown and challenges they've overcome!

NOTE: SWOT analyzes are not available for all companies in these databases. If you don’t find one or if your company is a private company, you may need to put together a SWOT analysis yourself..

You can put together a SWOT analysis using information you find in various databases.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Find a company profile and look for information on area in which that company is a business leader or is particularly innovative. Look at recent news reports or articles to find areas where the company is struggling.

Opportunities & Threats

Use Hoovers to find an industry profile for the company. Carefully read the Industry Forecast and Business Challenges sections to learn about area for potential growth and challenges which must be overcome.