Business Research

A Company Profile is used to gain insight into the background, history, and current positioning of a company.

A SWOT is used to analyze the status of a company and determine directions and goals. A SWOT helps to understand the current state of the company and where to focus effort. Examples of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats might be:

• Strengths: Positive brand recognition, strong supply chain, dedicated, long-standing employees
• Weaknesses: Lack of representation in key markets, low supply of key resources, supply chain challenges 
• Opportunities: Under-served markets; emerging consumer demographic
• Threats: New competition in marketplace, new environmental legislation 

Use the following databases to find company profiles and SWOT analyses: 

Business Source Premier 

To find a "company profile" in the Business Source Premier library database:

• Enter the name of the company and the words company profile into the search box of Business Source Premier
• Note: not all companies are covered in the database so "no results" may appear if the company is not included

To find a "SWOT analysis" in the Business Source Premier library database:

• Enter the name of the company and SWOT into the search box of Business Source Premier. SWOT analyses will appear in the results
• Note: Not all companies are covered in the database so "no results" may appear if the company is not included

Statista

The library database Statista also includes company information.

• Simply type the name of the company into the search box in Statista
• Or, from the top navigation menu, choose "Reports/Companies & Products reports" and then enter the name of the company

Canadian Business and Current Affairs

The library database Canadian Business and Current Affairs contains newspapers, industry trade journals, and magazines.

• Type the name of a company in the search box to locate news articles about it 
• You may find trends and analyses about the latest developments regarding a company that you can use for your SWOT analysis

Other Tips

Not finding any results? Double-check to make sure you've spelled the company name correctly and that you have the correct name!

• A search in Google can sometimes help you to identify the correct name of a company. Scan the results lists for the company's website and check to ensure you have the correct company name and spelling
• Not all companies are included in the library's databases. Try searching the websites listed in the "Company Research" box in the tab "Websites" located on the "Resources" page of this Guide

Geographic/demographic data tells you where your potential consumers live and key data points about them such as age, gender, housing, etc. 

The Canadian Census is a key resource for this type of information and is undertaken every 5 years by Statistics Canada. It provides information about the Canadian population such as:

• Age
• Income
• Education
• Household and family information
• Labour, and more!

Canadian Census: Steps

1. Visit the Census homepage
2. Type the city or region you are interested in, into the search box
3. Options will appear. Click the link for the region you are interested in - for example, Hamilton (Census Metropolitan Area) 
4. Review the information such as population, average age, etc. 
5. Look for and click on the link "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population"
6. A "Profile table" appears. Under "Add or remove data" deselect the "Select all topics" checkbox and then select the areas you are interested in (e.g., age, education, income, etc.). Select a gender, if required. Click "Apply" to generate the results

Psychographic/behavioural data tells you about the values, attitudes, and behaviours of your potential consumers. These are important aspects to be aware of as they can indicate purchasing patterns and preferences. 

• Review the resources found in the "Consumer Behaviour" box on the "Resources" page of this guide
• The library database Statista also contains data on consumer behaviour. Enter keywords or the name of a company to find information 

The following resources are recommended for finding news about a company:

Enter the company name into the search box. You may want to combine the company name with another search term if you are examining a particular trend or facet.

• For example: climate change, employee rights, employee engagement, profit, etc.

In this case, your search could be, for example: BP Oil and climate change

• Refine your search by date range to ensure you find the most current news - the example shown below is in the Business Source Premier database where you can limit by date on the search page under "Filters"

A Country Report can provide cultural information that can help you as you navigate the business climate in a region. More importantly, the country report can provide economic and financial analysis to aid in decision-making. 

The PESTLE Analysis provides you with insights you can use to prepare your business plan and to help you decide if and how to conduct business in a region. For example, PESTLE examines: 

• Political factors such as government policies and regulations or political structures, and stability in a country
• Economic factors such as currency exchange rates, market conditions, and economic stability
• Social factors such as cultural norms, demographic shifts, and consumer preferences
• Technological factors such as levels of technological development and innovation, communication networks available, and research and development expenditures
• Legal factors such as employment laws, environmental regulations, VAT rates, and industry regulations
• Environmental factors such as environmental offsets and carbon taxes, fuel taxes, renewable energy adoption, geographical location, weather, and climate change impacts

Three databases provide information you can use to conduct a search for a country profile and/or PESTLE analysis:

1) Business Source Premier

Business Source Premier includes PESTLE analyses in some of their Country Reports.

• To find a Country Report, type the name of a country and the words "country report" in the search bar and click the "Search" button

• The results will contain country profiles and reports, any of which will provide information you can use to develop a PESTLE analysis

TIP: "MarketLine Country Profiles" contain PESTLE analyses already completed

• Look for "MarketLine Country Profile" in the results list
• Click "Access options" and choose "Online full text" 

• On the right side of the screen, look for the "Table of Contents". Within the Table of Contents, click "PESTLE Analysis" to view the analysis

2) Statista

The database Statista also has information about countries that you can use to develop your own PESTLE analysis. There are two ways to search for this information: 

• Type the name of a country in the search box
• Look for "Statistics & Facts" or "Economy & Society" for example
• Use the information provided to create your PESTLE analysis

• Another way to find country reports is to choose "Reports" from the navigation menu and then choose "Country & Region Reports"
• On the screen that appears, type the name of a country into the search box to view a variety of reports on that country

3) CultureGrams World Edition

The database CultureGrams World Edition includes Country Profiles.

• Type the name of a country in the search box 
• Click on a result 
• Information on the people, customs, society, economy, etc. is available, which you can use to create your PESTLE analysis

The following resources contain industry profiles:

Business Source Premier

• To find industry profiles in Business Source Premier, type the name of the industry into the search box, for example: sports beverages, tourism, etc. 
• The results list page appears
• Click the "Source Types" menu
• From the drop-down menu, choose "Industry Profiles"
• Click the "Apply" button 

Note: In some cases, you may not see the "Industry Profiles" option in the dropdown menu. In these cases, the database either does not contain profiles on the industry or the content is filed under a different name. Try different search terms; for example, instead of "vacuums", try "household appliances".

Statista

• To find industry profiles, type the name of the industry into the search box
• You may also select "Statistics" from the top navigation bar and then "All Industries" to browse by industry

• You may also select "Reports" from the top navigation bar and then "Industry & Market Reports" to browse for reports

Other Resources

• Browse for an industry or browse by NAICS code
• Number of establishments, employees, wages, and in some cases, financial performance data is provided

• Create a report on a Canadian industry to view revenues, expenses, and balance sheet data

See the "Markets, Industry & Trade" box on the "Resources" page of this guide for more resources.

Here are just a few examples of where you might enter NAICS codes to retrieve industry information. 

Business Source Premier: Enter the NAICS code to see industry reports. 

Canadian Industry Statistics: Enter NAICS code to see Government of Canada statistics. 

Statistics Canada Business Counts: Enter the NAICS code to view number of businesses in that industry for a certain time period. 

Statista: Enter the NAICS code to see reports on that industry.