Copyright 2004 President & Fellows Harvard College Baker Library Field Study Research Ann Cullen...

Copyright 2004 President & Fellows Harvard College

Baker Library Field Study Research

Ann CullenFall, 2005

Curriculum Services

Contact: [email protected]


Reason for today’s workshop:

1. Provide a strategy in planning your research.

2. Help you think about the questions to ask in probing your topic and what resources Baker has to answer those questions.

3. Highlight extensive resources available to you.


Research strategy:

The Basics:• Company information

• Industry information

• Market research data

You can get basic guidance for this in:

• Electronic Resources Guide

• Industry Research Guide


Research strategy beyond the “basics”:

Explore a new business opportunity or idea:• Search in article databases (Factiva and ABI)

• Try the Baker Online Catalog (for books!)

Find statistics and demographic data:• Use the Baker Research Guides • i.e. Statistics Guide or Demographics and Consumer Behavior Guide

Find a network of contacts in a company or industry:• HBS Alumni Navigator at my.hbs• Executive listings in company information databases – i.e. Capital IQ, Orbis, ZoomInfo

• Trade Associations, Conferences and Trade shows – i.e. Trade Show News Network

• Industry trade magazines and directories – listed in Baker Research Guides


Some Sources for packaged Market Research reports at Baker

- Global Market Information Database [Euromonitor]

- Onesource

- Forrester Research [focused on Tech/Media]- Frost and Sullivan Online - Mintel

- Jupiter Communications [focused on Tech/Media]

- Datamonitor [in Orbis and Factiva]- ISI Emerging Markets – see Industry Tab

Where are they? In Baker Research Guides and All Databases List


ISI Emerging Markets – see Industry Tab

Report found: “China: Outlook of Video Services in Broadband Era”


Sample Field Study Search:

“Analysis of Business Opportunities in the Video

Game Market”


Important questions to ask when exploring this topic:

• What are some of the major companies in this market? In the U.S.? Globally?

• What general industry sector and sectors encompass this market?

• Who are the target customers in this market? What are their needs and expectations?

• What products and services do they buy today to meet those needs and what price are they willing to pay?

• What is the size of the market today? How will it change in the future?

• What are the key channels to market and how do you expect these channels to change in the future?


Electronic Resources Guide

Industry Research Guide

Where should you look first?


Sample Resources from the

Industry Research Guide for industry overviews:

• S&P Industry Surveys - these reports tell you how the industry is organized and how to analyze it- “Broadcasting and Cable” industry report retrieved in search

• Investext - provides reports from investment banks and investment research firms on a company or industry [no extra charge for reports!]

- “Video Game Industry” report retrieve in search- Title search: video game* - Report Type: Industry reports only


Additional questions for this topic:

1. How much do consumers spend on video games in the U.S.? What is the size of the video game market and how has it changed?

2. What are some of the leading video games?

3. What are the key issues to consider in approaching this type of business?

4. Where is the US video game market going?

5. What are some recent trends in terms of portable games on cell phones?

6. How do I find a contact at Sony?


Where would you look?


Resources used: 1. d. “Media Usage and Consumer Spending 1998-2006” (from

Statistical Universe found in Harvard E-Research)

2. e. “United States top nine video games…”(from Tablebase found in All Databases List)

3. c. eBook called Game Design: the art & business of creating games (found in Harvard’s Main Catalog)

4. b. “US Console Games Forecast, 2005 to 2010,” a Jupiter Market Research Report (found in Baker Library Information Technology Research Guide)

5. a. Articles from a search in an article database (Factiva)- search for terms: (portable game*) and (cell phone*)

6. f. HBS Alumni Database at my.hbs.edu


And finally…Key Tips on Using HBS Baker and other Harvard Univ. Databases

- Database Passwords – will tell you if resources need extra passwords or Harvard PIN; also searching tips, database trouble-shooting.

- No extra charge for reports [i.e. Investext]

- Always use database’s indexing and “Advanced Search” Features

- Where did the information come from? – feel free to ask the librarians about data sources

- Numerous download formats often available


Review of basic points covered today:

• Company and Industry Research Guides

• Using article databases and books to explore an idea.

• Baker Research Guides on various industry and topic categories will lead you to sources for various types of information, including statistics, demographics, and more.

• Locating Contacts: Baker Resources and HBS alumni navigator database can help!


Still need help?

Contact a Baker librarian: • In person! (see hours at our Web site)• By email: [email protected] (You can also make an appointment for a more in-depth research consultation.)• By phone: 617-495-6040


And don’t forget:• Keep track of your sources in detail (name of the publication,

publisher, author, date, page numbers).

• Follow the Citation Guide for HBS Students http://www.library.hbs.edu/helpsheets/citationguide.pdf

• Our Copyright and Licensing policies are outlined at http://www.library.hbs.edu/copyright_restrictions.html

• Additional Information for MBAs on Using Bakerhttp://www.library.hbs.edu/resources_mba.html


For Your Review:

This presentation with transcript available at the Field-Based Learning website


Thank You!

(Any questions?)

Ann Cullen – [email protected]

Copyright 2004 President & Fellows Harvard College Baker Library Field Study Research Ann Cullen...

Documents

Transcript of Copyright 2004 President & Fellows Harvard College Baker Library Field Study Research Ann Cullen...