LibGuides: BUAD 176 Professional Selling: Company

Target Company - How can the company be described?
Organization?
History?
Mission, vision, slogan?
Products and services?
External environment?

Annual Reports

Annual reports from incorporated (public) companies are distributed to shareholders and, generally speaking, required by regulations. Typically annual reports include audited financial statements and information on the company's performance.

Sources for Annual Reports:

TIP: Company's official websites often contain annual reports.

System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR)
Official website to access most public securities documents, including annual reports filed by Canadian public companies.
Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system (EDGAR)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions' portal to public company filings.

Top Library Sources for Company Information

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Indexing, abstracting and full-text from business sources including journals, news, trade publications and market research reports.
Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new window
Current profiles on public and private companies and key executives worldwide, as well as key industry overviews.
Business Insights: Global This link opens in a new window
For business professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and general researchers, Gale Business Insights: Global delivers comprehensive international business intelligence, compiled into a logical, useable context. This unique resource empowers users to not only research topics but also to interpret their research.
Statista This link opens in a new window
With a team of over 450 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information. The product is aimed at business clients and academics of any size.
ABI/Inform Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes citations and abstracts for more than 4,000 scholarly journals, magazines, trade publications and newspapers. This database will time-out after 30 minutes of inactivity. To avoid losing your research, please save your results within that time period. Browsing/marking results does not constitute activity.
In some cases, certain publishers do not grant certain rights specific to their content. Check content for any restrictions.
License definitions & additional information

COURSEPACKS / ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose. Course packs in non-electronic non-print perceptible form, such as Braille, may also be offered to Authorized Users.

CREATE PERSISTENT LINKS to individual articles for access by Authorized Users for Permitted Uses under this Agreement, from within secure authentication environments provided that the product(s) support the ability of such persistent link technology. ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN by paper or electronic means, a single copy of an individual document within the guidelines of traditional interlibrary loan practices and applicable copyright laws provided that the loan is not done in a manner or magnitude that would replace the recipient library's own subscription to either the Products or the purchase of the underlying Work (e.g., newspaper, magazine, or book).

SWOT analysis

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis are important tools for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment.

To access SWOT information for a company, use one of the databases below.

TIP Not all companies will be in these databases and not all of the companies in the databases will have a SWOT analysis.

How to find a SWOT analysis

PESTEL

A PESTEL analysis can help "identify and evaluate the important external forces that might positively or negatively affect the company" (Walsch, 2019). PESTEL stands for: Political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental and legal.

Marketline and The EUI both have in-depth analyses of Canada, with Marketline's in the PESTLE format:

Pestel

What political factors might effect industry? Examples include political stability, taxes, tariffs, government policies, regulations or laws.

Look for country reports that include the current political environment in the following databases:

Statista This link opens in a new window
With a team of over 450 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information. The product is aimed at business clients and academics of any size.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Indexing, abstracting and full-text from business sources including journals, news, trade publications and market research reports.
ABI/Inform Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes citations and abstracts for more than 4,000 scholarly journals, magazines, trade publications and newspapers. This database will time-out after 30 minutes of inactivity. To avoid losing your research, please save your results within that time period. Browsing/marking results does not constitute activity.
In some cases, certain publishers do not grant certain rights specific to their content. Check content for any restrictions.
License definitions & additional information

COURSEPACKS / ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose. Course packs in non-electronic non-print perceptible form, such as Braille, may also be offered to Authorized Users.

CREATE PERSISTENT LINKS to individual articles for access by Authorized Users for Permitted Uses under this Agreement, from within secure authentication environments provided that the product(s) support the ability of such persistent link technology. ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN by paper or electronic means, a single copy of an individual document within the guidelines of traditional interlibrary loan practices and applicable copyright laws provided that the loan is not done in a manner or magnitude that would replace the recipient library's own subscription to either the Products or the purchase of the underlying Work (e.g., newspaper, magazine, or book).
Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database (CBCA) This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive Canadian database covering current events, policy, business, social issues, science, the arts, and Canadian academic information. Provides full text, back to 1985. Approx. 2/3 titles included are published in Canada, making a good starting point for Canadian research.
Search Tips!
Check "Scholarly Journals" to eliminate popular magazines and newspapers from your search
Wildcards: Use * (asterisk) for truncation and ? (question mark) to replace a single character.
Click "Access OC" to locate articles that do not indicate full text availability.

What economic conditions effect your industry? Examples include interest and exchange rates, unemployment and income levels, consumer confidence, cost of materials, and general growth or decline in the economy.

Business Outlook Survey, Bank of Canada
BCStats: Economic Statistics
Portal to a variety of economic statistics including consumer price index and GDP.
Statistics Canada: economic accounts
BMO Economics

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Collection of industry research reports and related information. Includes Canadian industry reports (NAICS) and industry iExpert summaries. Includes US industry reports (NAICS), industry iExpert summaries, specialised industry reports, and specialized industry iExpert summaries.
Statista This link opens in a new window
With a team of over 450 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information. The product is aimed at business clients and academics of any size.

What social forces effect your industry? Social/cultural forces include demographic and consumer trends, education levels, attitude and lifestyle changes, and social norms or values that could impact business

Statistics Canada: Society and Community
Statistics Canada: Population and Demography
Indicators, data and detailed analysis related to Canadian demographics, from a wide set of data sources including population estimates and projections, and the census.
2016 Census Profiles
BC Stats: People, population and community

What are the technological factors that might impact your industry? Consider things like automation, innovations in technology, access to technology, changes in manufacturing which may effect operations.

Industry profiles in the following databases may contain information about technological factors affecting industries.

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Collection of industry research reports and related information. Includes Canadian industry reports (NAICS) and industry iExpert summaries. Includes US industry reports (NAICS), industry iExpert summaries, specialised industry reports, and specialized industry iExpert summaries.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Indexing, abstracting and full-text from business sources including journals, news, trade publications and market research reports.
ABI/Inform Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes citations and abstracts for more than 4,000 scholarly journals, magazines, trade publications and newspapers. This database will time-out after 30 minutes of inactivity. To avoid losing your research, please save your results within that time period. Browsing/marking results does not constitute activity.
In some cases, certain publishers do not grant certain rights specific to their content. Check content for any restrictions.
License definitions & additional information

COURSEPACKS / ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose. Course packs in non-electronic non-print perceptible form, such as Braille, may also be offered to Authorized Users.

CREATE PERSISTENT LINKS to individual articles for access by Authorized Users for Permitted Uses under this Agreement, from within secure authentication environments provided that the product(s) support the ability of such persistent link technology. ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING. Members and Authorized Users may incorporate a reasonable portion of the Licensed Material in course packs, study packs, resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication) so long as a "hit" is registered on Licensor's on-line platform each time an article is accessed for the CoursePack. Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgement of the source, listing title and copyright owner. Copies of such items shall be deleted by the Member when they are no longer used for such purpose.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN by paper or electronic means, a single copy of an individual document within the guidelines of traditional interlibrary loan practices and applicable copyright laws provided that the loan is not done in a manner or magnitude that would replace the recipient library's own subscription to either the Products or the purchase of the underlying Work (e.g., newspaper, magazine, or book).
Statista This link opens in a new window
With a team of over 450 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information. The product is aimed at business clients and academics of any size.

What environmental factors could impact your industry? Examples include "climate, recycling procedures, carbon footprint, waste disposal and sustainability"*

BCStats: Environmental Statistics
Portal to environmental statistics, analysis, and links.
Statistics Canada: Environment indicators
Natural Resources Canada: Climate Change

What legal factors might impact your industry? "Factors include employment legislation, consumer law, health and safety, international as well as trade regulation and restrictions"

Government of Canada Industry Sector Intelligence
Statistics, market intelligence and business resources for each industry sector
British Columbia Employment Standards Act
Government of Canada: Employment Standards
Canada's Trade and Investment Agreements