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General Business Research

This guide is for the NU specialization General Business. It contains resources available in the NU Library.

Websites for Comapny Information

General Business Websites

Library Databases for Company Information

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analyses are a particular type of company information in which the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed. These reports are particularly useful in identifying both internal and external factors that are essential in decision-making.

Use the databases below to search for SWOT analyses in the Library. Note, however, there are not SWOT analyses available for all companies within these databases. SWOT analysis reports are most often available for large U.S. public companies, though some foreign and private companies might be covered as well. If you are working on a course assignment, you may need to select an alternate company if unable to locate reports for your first choice.

 

Library Databases for SWOT Analyses

Enter SWOT in the top search bar. Enter the name of your company in the second search box and select Company/organization from the drop-down menu.

ABI/INFORM screenshot showing a search for swot in the search box and general electric in the second box with Company/organization selected from the drop-down menu.

Limit Publication Type to SWOT Analysis.

Screenshot of EBSCO Business Source Complete Basic Search screen with SWOT Analysis selected as PublicationType.

  1. Click on the Menu link in the upper left-hand corner of the database’s home page and then on Company Dossier.
  2. Enter a company’s name in the "Company name" search box and click on its name on the results page.
  3. If available, a SWOT analysis can be found by clicking on the Industry Knowledge link on the left-hand side of the company snapshot page and then on the Company SWOT Analysis link from the resulting sub-menu.

Screenshot of the Company SWOT Analysis link in Nexis Uni


Alternatively, you may use the All Nexis Uni search box on the home page. Enter the company name and include SWOT as one of your search terms as shown in the example below.

Screenshot of the All Nexis Uni search box with microsoft SWOT entered as search terms.

PEST/PESTLE Analysis

PEST or PESTLE is a framework for analyzing the external macro environment of a business or industry, usually specific to a particular country. It examines Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors to identify opportunities and threats when starting a new business or entering a foreign market. PESTLE adds Legal and Environmental factors.

See the above boxes for Library Databases for Company Information and Library Databases for SWOT Analyses for resources that may be used for PEST/PESTLE analysis.

 

PEST Analysis image with bulleted points under the headings Political, Economic, Social and Technological.,/c>

BronHiggs. (2017). Pest-analysis [Online image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pest-analysis.jpg

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