Public Policy Issues

For articles about public policy issues PAIS International has good coverage.

SWOT Analysis

QuickMBA – SWOT Analysis
The role of SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) in strategic planning, including an overview of the TOWS matrix.

Positioning

QuickMBA – Positioning
Al Ries and Jack Trout popularized the concept of product positioning. This is a summary of the ideas put forth in their marketing classic, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.

Porter’s Five Forces

QuickMBA: Porter’s Five Forces
Discusses the five forces, including rivalry, the threat of substitutes, buyer power, supplier power, and barriers to entry.

Investopedia: Industry Handbook
The Industry Handbook provides examples of 5-forces analysis for a selection of industries. Also has an explanation for the 5-forces model: What is Porter’s 5-Forces Analysis?

Competitive Advantage

QuickMBA – Competitive Advantage
Explains the concept of competitive advantage, using a diagram to illustrate how distinctive competencies and positional advantages create superior value.

Finding information on specific countries

• EIU CountryData – Country financial statistics & country outlook reports
• Country Commercial Guides and Country Background Notes
  • Select Globus/NTDB then scroll down to Market & Country Research

Finding climate change-related articles

• MegaSearch
• Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts

Finding current information and recent developments

• ABI/Inform
  • Business magazines and management journal articles
• Business & Company Resource Center
  • Business magazines and trade magazines
• Business Source Premier
  • Business magazines and management journal articles
• Factiva
  • Business magazines, international business magazines and international newspapers
• Tablebase/Business & Industry
  • Trade magazines

Finding company-specific information

• Business & Company Resource Center
  • Public and private company information
  • Investment analyst reports
  • Company histories
• Business Source Premier
  • Company profiles
  • SWOT analysis
• Mergent Online
  • Public company information/financials
  • Annual reports
• NetAdvantage
  • Public company information/financials
  • Competitor information

Finding industry overviews and market research reports

The following databases contain useful reports and analysis on industries and markets:

• Business & Company Resource Center – Industry Overviews
• Business Source Premier – Industry Reports
• Global Market Information Database (GMID) – Market Research Reports
• Marketresearch.com Academic – Market Research Reports
• Marketline Business Research Centre – Industry Reports (Selected reports contain 5 Forces Analysis)
• NetAdvantage – Look at the Industries – Industry Surveys