Entrepreneurship
Library Research Guide
SWOT Analyses
K-State subscribes to a few databases that provide company profiles that include a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a framework that entrepreneurs use to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a company. Read What is a SWOT Analysis and How Can it Help Your Business? on the Kauffman Foundation FASTRAC website to learn more.
- Business: InsightsFind Global Markets Direct SWOT Reports for public companies.
- Business Source Premier
Publication Dates Covered: 1965 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
Business Source Premier is a basic resource for researching business topics providing full text for more than 2,100 journals, as well as market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses. All disciplines of business are covered, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, banking, and finance. There are instructions available for finding company and industry profiles.
Company Profiles
- Hoover's Company Records (through ProQuest)Hoover's company reports provide brief, up-to-date information on companies, industries, and executives. Covers publicly traded companies as well as some private companies.
Private Company Financial Information
The library has access to several databases with information on private companies. Two, Mergent Online and ReferenceUSA, provide limited financial information for private companies. In most cases, private companies are not required to disclose financial information, so this financial information is self-reported or estimated.
- Mergent OnlineK-State's subscription to Mergent Online includes the D&B 20M Plus Private Company Database, which covers both US and international companies and provides a sales number.
- Data Axle Reference SolutionsThe ReferenceUSA US Business database has records for millions of small private businesses. Records include an estimated location sales volume, credit rating scores, and estimated business expenditures for categories such as accounting, advertising, and technology.
Public Company Financial Information
- Mergent OnlineSimultaneous users: 50 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Information found in this database includes financial statements and company histories covering approximately 20,000 U.S. and foreign public companies. - Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)Paid for by K-State's College of Business Administration
Register for an account here . Accounts must be approved by K-State's College of Business Administration before they can be used to access WRDS.
WRDS is a comprehensive economic and financial data management system intended for graduate and faculty-level research. The data, from various sources, covers multiple disciplines; covers thousands of companies; includes security prices and trading volume, income and balance sheet items, stock market indices, bond prices and interest rates, mutual fund and stock ownership information, options data, and a wide array of macroeconomic time series. International data, marketing and industry reports are also available. The data sets are downloaded and can be manipulated using Excel, SPSS, or SAS.
Company Lists: Data Axle (formerly Reference USA)
- Data Axle Reference SolutionsEntrepreneurs can use ReferenceUSA to generate lists of specific types of companies in particular geographic areas. This feature can be used to identify competitors or customers.
Use ReferenceUSA to generate a list of companies.
To start select the U.S. Businesses Database and choose the Advanced Search.
Select options on the Advanced Search screen.
1. Under Record Type, check the Include Unverified Businesses box. (Recommended because it expands search results.)
2. Choose Keywords/SIC/NAICS under Business Type to search for specific types of companies.
3. Choose Geography to limit to companies in a specific geographic area.
4. Choose Update Count to see number of results, or View Results to see the company list.
