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BTW 250 - Principles of Business Communication

This guide offers resources for BTW 250, specifically for the SWOT analysis assignment

Getting started

These videos demonstrate how to access information for your SWOT analysis in a handful of databases.  For a complete listing of our business databases, please go to the A-Z List of Business Databases.

Depending on what you're looking for, there may be other resources that can help, too--ask me!

See "Analyze company information,"  "Analyze industry information," "Analyze consumer information," and "Analyze economic information," for ideas for using the following databases for your SWOT analysis.

Introduction to Business Source Ultimate (1/15/2025), 2:35

This video was created to introduce writing classes to Business Source Ultimate, a database for profiles and articles on companies and industries, and articles on consumers, to use for their SWOT assignments.  A feature within the database to help you create citations is demonstrated.

Introduction to ProQuest One Business (1/15/2025), 2:33

This video was created to introduce writing classes to ProQuest One Business, a database for profiles and articles on companies and industries, and articles on consumers, to use for their SWOT assignments. A feature within the database to help you create citations is demonstrated.

Introduction to IBISWorld (1/15/2025), 2:28

This video was created to introduce writing classes to IBISWorld, which is a database for industry information, to use for their SWOT assignments. Examples for citing content from IBISWorld are here:

Introduction to Mintel (1/15/2025), 2:19

This video was created to introduce writing classes to Mintel, which is a database for market research, to use for their SWOT assignments. Examples for citing content from Mintel are here:

Introduction to Statista (1/15/2025), 2:33
    
This video was created to introduce writing classes to Statista, which is a database for company, industry, and market research information, to use for their SWOT assignments. Use the tool in Statista to create citations for charts. Examples for citing other content from Statista are here:

Introduction to EIU Viewpoint (1/15/2025), 1:56

This video was created to introduce writing classes to EIU Viewpoint, which is a database for economic information and country market research, to use for their SWOT assignments. Examples for citing content from EIU Viewpoint are here:

 There will be MUCH more information about publicly-traded companies than about privately-held companies.  Private companies have no obligation to share information about their operations, so they typically do not.
 There will be MUCH more information about the parent company than about an individual location.  No company is required to share detailed information about the operations of individual stores, so they typically do not.

Starbucks (whole company)—LOTS of info
Starbucks (headquarters)—LOTS of info
Caffe Paradiso, Urbana—VERY little info
Starbucks, Illini Union —VERY little info

 

You can find a SWOT analysis of some public parent companies in the following databases:

You can use these SWOT analyses as part of your research, to consider along with the other information you’re gathering.  DO NOT copy-and-paste these SWOT analyses into your report.

Questions to consider:

  • How does the information you’ve collected compare with the SWOT reports for your company?
  • How do you think the authors of these SWOT reports gathered their information?