LibGuides: DSGN 473: Retail Strategies Practicum: Start

Where can I get more help?

Contact the OSU Libraries Information Desk

Call us at 541-737-7293
Text us at 541-526-7655
Email us
In person: The Information Desk is on the main (2nd) floor of the Valley Library.
Chat with a librarian (below)

Using This Guide

Some of the resources listed in this guide will prove useful for your projects, but there may be other resources not listed here that could also help you. You may want to check the Marketing and Business Guides for more suggestions, or contact the Business Librarian for further help if needed.

First Choice for Market Research: Mintel

Mintel Market Research Reports This link opens in a new window
Market research reports can be difficult to find. One resource available to OSU students is Mintel Academic (aka Mintel Market Research Reports), which offers reports covering many US and International marketplaces. Each report combines data & analysis of the competitive landscape, market-share analysis and consumer profiles. Complex demographic issues are broken into easy-to-understand sections, explaining consumer behavior and demonstrating the structure of the market. Search by keyword, or browse for reports by sector, theme or demographic. You can also browse through the release Schedule within the various sector libraries for the most current reports. Contains lots of infographics and slides you can download to use in your own reports.

Company and Industry Information

Business Source Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Excellent resource for business news, academic and trade journal articles, industry profiles, and case studies (among many other things)
First Research This link opens in a new window
First Research® is a division of Hoover's Inc. and provides access to nearly 900 industry profiles, breaking down industries into more precise categories. These are comprehensive (and international) and include an industry overview, industry forecast, news & social information, challenges, trends and opportunities, and much more.
Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Mergent Online has information on approximately 15,000 NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ companies, and data on 20,000 non-U.S. based corporations. Information available for each company includes: company history, subsidiaries, executives, various financial data, and more. Looking for data on a private company? Look for the Private Company Search tab.
NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
A collection of 11 Standard & Poors databases, including Bond Guide, Corporation Records, Industry Surveys, Mutual Fund Reports, The Outlook, Stock Guide, Stock Reports and others.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni™ features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis. For quick access to the business resources, choose BUSINESS from the Discover Topics area (bottom of the page) for access to the Company Dossier, Company Search, and Recent Business News databases. Find a company or start to compare companies. You can also create company lists here (link at the top) defined by all sorts of information and download it to a spreadsheet. Quickly access information on patents held, litigation, and news.
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage dating from today's issue back to 1984 of the preeminent publication for business news and information on financial markets worldwide.

Specialty Databases

Sports Market Analytics This link opens in a new window
The SBRnet database we have access to is called SMA: Sports Market Analytics. This is a specialty database, containing international sport marketing and sport business information including reports and statistics on sports, fans, sporting goods and other products, media and other things.
PsycInfo This link opens in a new window
For investigating consumer behaviors, you may wish to branch out a little and search in the psychology literature. PSYCINFO is the major index to scholarly literature (journal articles, series and books) for all areas of psychology, and can be searched by age group, gender, and methodology.

Free Online Resources

DEMOGRAPHICS

American FactFinder: Data from the U.S. census including Puerto Rico and island areas. Includes population, housing, and economic information. (There is a LibGuide for how to use American FactFinder, https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/USCensusData that takes you through step-by-step

State Master: Database of facts about states. When viewing results, look at the bottom of the page to find the source. You may need to visit the source to view the most up-to-date information.

Oregon Rural Communities Explorer: Information compiled and updated by faculty and staff at Oregon State University thanks to a generous donation from the Ford Foundation. Much of the online information about Oregon communities (including Portland) that can't be found anywhere else.

CONSUMERS

Consumer Expenditure Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau/Bureau of Labor Statistics. This program consists of two surveys, the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

National Retail Federation (NRF): NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Their mission is to advance the interests of the retail industry through advocacy, communications and education. Access and read their news pages for free, or sign up for a student account (under Membership) to receive daily news briefs, and exclusive access to retail industry research and more.

AMA Citation Guide

AMA Reference Style List PDF.

Libraries

DSGN 473: Retail Strategies Practicum