Basic Business Research for the Non-Specialist

1. Basic Business Research for the Non-Specialist Nels Gunderson, IUB Steven Sowell, IUB Jessica Trinoskey, IUPUI

2. Personal Investment Research

3. S&P NetAdvantage

4. S&P Stock Picks and Pans

5. S&P’s Outlook

6. S&P Mutual Fund Search page

7. Business & Company Resource Center

8. Business & Company Resource Center Results for GE search

9. Value Line

10. Google Finance Page

11. Google – GE page

12. The Motley Fool

13. 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

14. Marketing Research: • General marketing resources • Consumer lifestyle and buying habits • Consumer Demographics • Industry Position/Competitors

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

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

17. Sample Marketing Plans Subject heading: Marketing - - Planning

18. Consumer Lifestyle/Buying Habits • Bureau of Labor Statistics (US Department of Labor) : Consumer Expenditure Survey : buying habits of American consumers American 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)

19. Consumer Expenditure Survey Consumer Expenditure Survey

20. American Time Use Survey

21. MRI MediaMark Reporter (IUPUI)

22. 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 forecasts National / State

23. Consumer Demographics by Geographic Location • DemographicsNow (IUPUI) • SimplyMap (IUB) • American FactFinder (Year 2000 data for areas with populations < 20,000) County / City

24. DemographicsNow

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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”

28. Industry Research Industry codes are numerical “subject headings” to describe a company’s line(s) of business: • North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS): • 6-digit • Current standard 2. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC): • 4-digit • Older than NAICS, but still used

29. Industry Code Example: Primary NAICS: 441310 - Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores Primary SIC: 5531 - Auto and home supply stores

30. Industry Data Economic 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

31. Professional Associations American Marketing Association (AMA) Resource Library contains online dictionary of marketing terms Association for Consumer Research (ACR)

32. Starting a Small Business

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. Questions?