Report On Superdrug Essay example

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Report on Information Sources for Superdrug Stores PLC Company Profile

Alina Timofte
Northumbria University
12.05.2014

Table of contents:

1. Introduction………………………………………..3
2. Sources of intelligence…………………………..3
2.1. Intelligence online…………………………...3
3. Sources used in the company profile………......4 3.1. Databases for market reports……………...4 3.2. Databases for company news……………...5 3.3. Databases for financial data………………..5 3.4. The company’s website…………….……….6
4. Compiling the company profile…………………..6
5. Conclusion…………………………………………7
6. References………………………………………...8
7. Appendices…………………………………………9

1. Introduction:
According to Chris West (2001) “Competitive intelligence is the process by which companies inform themselves about every aspect of their rivals’ activities and performance.” Moreover, he also stated that “No battle can be fought without intelligence on the opposing forces.” and that “ In battle where lives are at stake it is essential to know the terrain over which the battle will be fought, who the enemy are, their mentality and the resources at their disposition. In obtaining all the previously mentioned intelligence there ought to be used a variety of sources and ways by the researcher. Hence, the purpose of this report is to justify the information sources used in compiling the company profile for Superdrug Stores PLC and also evaluate them in order to see which one provided the most useful intelligence.

2. Sources of intelligence:
Company intelligence can be obtained from a wide variety of sources. Some of the sources can be trusted and some of them may offer wrong information. Usually, primary sources are considered to be more reliable than secondary ones which are publicly available. At the same time, some sources are easy to access and for some others one needs to pay in order to get the information required. Usually, considerable amounts of information can be obtained from secondary sources such as the press, brochures, competitors’ website or online databases. However, the information received from secondary sources is partial rather than complete so it lacks the detail needed.

2.1. Intelligence online:
“The internet has revolutionised the search for information. Data that once took weeks to acquire can now be available at a few clicks of a mouse.”(West, 2001) Therefore, in compiling the company profile for Superdrug Stores PLC a wide number of online sources and search strategies were used and at the same time a few issues arose while using them. While the internet offers a great amount of information because the companies themselves put up websites with valuable intelligence for everybody to read, it also comes with a lot of problems that are time consuming and, not to mention that quality always comes before quantity. For this particular company profile some search engines were used in order to help locate the appropriate online databases which offer reliable intelligence.

3. Sources used in the company profile:
The main sources used for the Superdrug Stores Company profile were online databases which offer market reports, statistical information or business news. Some of the databases require subscription or membership fees which only means that they offer better quality information and more reliable as well. “A Web search may indeed provide you with articles from reputable publications and government documents, but it will also give you documents from special interest groups, student papers, individual opinions and carefully disguised opinions” (Dobson, 2004).

3.1. Databases for market reports:
When logging on to the library catalogue there are a number of online databases to choose from when looking for company intelligence and especially for market reports which are more detailed. For instance, a first choice when compiling the company profile for Superdrug Stores PLC was Key Note where the name of the company was found through a basic