"A public company—also called a publicly traded company—is a corporation whose shareholders have a claim to part of the company's assets and profits. Through the free trade of shares of stock on stock exchanges or over-the-counter (OTC) markets, ownership of a public company is distributed among general public shareholders." [source]
Use these resources to research your company. But remember: "Trust but verify" - the main purpose of a company's web and annual report site is to promote itself; all of the information on the company's achievements and performance can (and should be) be verified in external sources.
Find recent, in-depth profiles of your company with these resources. But remember - not everything you need will be provided from a source; some of it you will need to pull together yourself or deduce from available information
Finding a SWOT analysis for your company can give you a good head start on developing one for your report. But remember: a SWOT analysis represents a point in time for your company. Check the date to see how current it is, and update it to reflect a more current picture of your company.
Passport GMID provides SWOT Analyses for many companies with the company profiles. Always remember to check the date; you will almost always need to update the content to reflect your company's current situation.
Use these in addition to the annual reports to gather information about the financial health and welfare of your company.
Search these databases for information on marketing, products, current issues, strategic directions, and more.