Basic Business Research for the Non-Specialist

Nels Gunderson, IUBSteven Sowell, IUB

Jessica Trinoskey, IUPUI

Personal Investment Research

S&P NetAdvantage

S&P Stock Picks and Pans

S&P’s Outlook

S&P Mutual Fund Search page

Business & Company Resource Center

Business & Company Resource Center Results for GE search

Value Line

Google Finance Page

Google – GE page

The Motley Fool

Marketing Research

“Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.”

American Marketing Association

Marketing Research:

• General marketing resources

• Consumer lifestyle and buying habits

• Consumer Demographics

• Industry Position/Competitors

IU Business/SPEA Research Guidehttp://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=1178

IUPUI Research Guidewww.ulib.iupui.edu/subjectareas/business/marketing

Sample Marketing Plans

Subject heading: Marketing - - Planning

Consumer Lifestyle/Buying Habits

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (US Department of Labor) :Consumer Expenditure Survey : buying habits of American consumersAmerican Time Use Survey : how Americans spend their time

• MediaMark / MRI Plus (subscription database @ IUPUI)

• Marketing Research : A Quarterly Business Management Publication of the American Marketing Association (available electronically through Business Source Premier)

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Consumer Demographics by Geographic Location

• American FactFinder (US Census Bureau):Population data & geographic comparisons for United States and Puerto Rico

• STATS Indiana: Data on Indiana cities and counties, including income, population, & economic forecastsN

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Consumer Demographics by Geographic Location

• DemographicsNow (IUPUI)

• SimplyMap (IUB)

• American FactFinder (Year 2000 data for areas with populations < 20,000)

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DemographicsNow

SWOT / Situation Analysis

“The systematic collection and study of past and present data to identify trends, forces, and conditions with the potential to influence the performance of the business and the choice of appropriate strategies.”

-American Marketing Association

SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

Available through Marketline and Business Source Premier

Market Share

• Market Share Reporter– Print copies throughout IU system– Online access through IUPUI

• Business & Company Resource Center

• US Economic Census: Divide company’s sales by state total sales for similar businesses

Industry Data

reports, available through Marketline and Business Source Premier, include:– Market Value– Market Segmentation– Leading Companies– Market Forecasts

Sample titles: “Consumer Electronics in Brazil”, “Accountancy in Canada”, “Air Fresheners in the United States”

Industry Research

Industry codes are numerical “subject headings” to describe a company’s line(s) of business:

1. North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS):– 6-digit– Current standard

2. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC):– 4-digit– Older than NAICS, but still used

Industry Code Example:

Primary NAICS: 441310 - Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores

Primary SIC: 5531 - Auto and home supply stores

Industry DataEconomic Census : – Every 5 years– 2007 data will be

released gradually through 2011

– Data classified according to NAICS (searchable by keyword)

– Includes total establishments in an area & total industry sales in an area

Professional Associations

American Marketing Association (AMA)Resource Library contains online dictionary of marketing terms

Association for Consumer Research (ACR)

Starting a Small Business

Small Business

“ an enterprise that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in its field, and employs fewer than 500 people.”

- Small Business Sourcebook

Business Plan

“A document that spells out a company’s expected course of action for a specific time period, usually including a detailed listing and analysis of risks and uncertainties. For small business, it should examine the proposed products, the market, the industry, the management policies, the marketing policies, production needs, and financial needs. Frequently, it is used as a prospectus for potential investors and lenders.”

- Small Business Sourcebook

U.S. Small Business Administration•Place to start for those opening a new business•Advice•Forms•Legal information•Sample business plans•Extensive list of publications

LC Business Reference Services: Small Business Resources•Directory of links to support small businesses•http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/beonline/subjects.php?SubjectID=10

Business Plans Handbook•Actual business plans•Business plan templates•Directories of organizations, agencies and consultants including venture capital and finance companies•Glossary of small business terms•Cumulative index to all volumes

Encyclopedia of Small Business•Resource for the small business owner or would-be entrepreneur•In depth articles on most aspects of business activity, including human resources, finance, accounting, and management•605 entries in alphabetical order by topic•Each entry includes further readings

Questions?