Business analytics for strategic management: Identifying and assessing corporate challenges via topic modeling

Strategic management requires an assessment of a firm's internal and external environments. Our work extends the body of management tools (e.g., SWOT analysis or growth-share matrix) by proposing an automated text mining framework. Here we draw on narrative materials from firms (e.g., financial disclosures) and perform topic modeling so as to identify the key issues faced by an organization. We then quantify the use of language along two dimensions: risk and optimism. This reveals a firm's strengths and weaknesses by identifying business units, activities, and processes subject to risk, while also comparing it with competitors or the market.