LibGuides: BA 260: Foundations of the Entrepreneurial Mindset: BA260

Help with Market Analysis

Mintel Market Research Reports
Market research reports can be difficult to find. One resource available to OSU students is Mintel Market Research, which offers market research 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.

Another option:

Reference USA. This database is especially useful for small business owners/entrepreneurs and for job seekers. OSU does not subscribe but it is available at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. (OSU students can get a free public library card, even if you don't reside in Benton County. If you have a card, you can access this from home.)

Market analysis can be very challenging. Not all the information you need is going to be publicly available, which is precisely why you also need to conduct primary research for your BA 260 project. With regard to your secondary research, sometimes you'll have to extrapolate information from different sources to get the information you need. Market research reports created by for-profit companies are usually much too expensive for a student to afford and impossible for a library to obtain. You will need to get creative!

Business News Sources

Searching in the business news can be useful for several reasons: you can get a feel for overall trends and development in an industry, discover who the major companies are within an industry, and find out what's happening that's new and exciting.

Business Source Complete (EBSCOhost)
Besides scholarly business journal articles, BSP also includes business news and trade journal publications not found elsewhere.
Regional Business News (EBSCOhost)
Full text newswire database that incorporates business wires from all over the world. (Latest 30 days only)
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Newspapers)
Knows as the "business Bible," the Wall Street Journal is the primary source for business news. Updated daily.

Helpful Databases / OSU Libraries

As you do your research of companies and markets, the following databases provided by OSU Libraries may prove useful for finding company and industry information.

Business Insights: Global (Gale)
Global Company and Industry Intelligence, plus case studies and great chart-making functionality. Scholarly journals, case studies, and business news for deep research coverage of global economies. Detailed company and industry profiles, market share reports, and financial reports. Thousands of company histories and industry essays from Gale's core business collection. Especially good chart generation!
Mergent Online
A great database for company information, Mergent Online has information on approximately 15,000 NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ companies, and data on 20,000 non-U.S. based corporations. Information includes company history, subsidiaries, income statement, balance sheet, and a lot more. The tab for "Industry Analysis" makes it easier to find reports by industry, company, date, and region.
Looking for data on a private company? Look for the "D&B 20 M Plus Private Company Search" tab.
First Research
First Research is a great database for industry information. It provides profiles on over 900 industry segments. Profiles are comprehensive (and international) and include: industry profiles; products, operations and technology; finance and regulation; regional and international issues; human resources; and labor statistics.
Business Source Complete (EBSCOhost)
BSP is our chief source of business news and scholarly research, plus a lot more. Business Source Premier provides access to thousands of scholarly business journals, newspapers, and trade publications, including full text for many of them. Coverage includes virtually all subject areas related to business. A great resource for Trade industry news.

NetAdvantage
While primarily designed for finding investment information, there is a lot of industry and company data available here. Look for the tabs at the top of the page for "Company" and "Industry" to simplify finding this information.

Sports Market Analytics
This is a specialized resource for anything to do with sports, recreation, and leisure. SBRnet is an online international sport marketing and business information provider including reports and statistics which focus on sport participation, fan profiles, sports facilities, sport finance, sporting goods, sponsorship, marketing, media and directories.

Small Business Resource Center
Working on components of a business plan? Find examples here. Easy to search and highly intuitive, this is a comprehensive database offering content that covers all major areas of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax and more. Based on a combination of periodical and reference content, Small Business Resource Center is a good source of basic information for the prospective and current entrepreneurial community, as well as for students in business programs. From conducting industry research to financial planning...to marketing a product and franchising a business...

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Small Business Resource Center features a wealth of resources, including the entire Business Plans Handbook Series, which contains hundreds of sample business plans created by real-life entrepreneurs, as well as Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources, Encyclopedia of Management and Small Business Management – A Framework for Success.
Also included are dozens of titles from John Wiley & Sons, publisher of the well-known “For Dummies” series, including Portable MBA in Strategy, 2nd Ed., The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth, and Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship.
Small Business Resource Center also
includes a number of business journals – both specialty/vertical market and general business – including titles like:
■ Better Asset Management
■ Black Enterprise
■ Consumer Comments
■ Cosmetics International
■ Direct Marketing
■ Financial Management
■ Family Business Review
■ The Tax Adviser
… and many more

Free Online Demographic Resources

To construct a successful business or marketing plan, it is important to know your audience. Demographic tools are a good way to discover something about the people and the communities you plan to market to--here are several freely available online tools to help you.

Data.Census.Gov: Data from the U.S. census including Puerto Rico and island areas. Includes population, housing, and economic information. (Step-by-step LibGuide for how to use the new US Census Data website: https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/USCensusData)
Census Reporter For a more visual rendition of Census information, try this Knight News project developed to make it easier for journalists to write stories using information from the U.S. Census Bureau. Place profiles and comparison pages provide a friendly interface for navigating data, including visualizations for a more useful first look.
Oregon Explorer: Rural Communities Explorer: Information compiled and updated by faculty and staff at Oregon State University thanks to a generous donation from the Ford Foundation. Includes online information about Oregon communities (including Portland) that can't be found anywhere else.

Small Business Help from U.S. Census Bureau

Census Business Builder

A great free tool for those seeking to establish or research small businesses by geographic area.
There are two available: Small Business Edition, and Regional Analyst Edition.

Small Business Edition is built primarily for small business owners who need key data for their business plan or to better understand their potential market. It presents data for a single type of business and geography at a time. Regional Analyst Edition is built for chambers of commerce and regional planning staff who need a broad portrait of the people and businesses in their service area. It presents data for all sectors of the economy and for a user-defined region made up of one or more areas.

County Business Patterns (CBP)
An annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. This series includes the number of establishments, employment during the week of March 12, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll. This data is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time; and as a benchmark for other statistical series, surveys, and databases between economic censuses. Businesses use the data for analyzing market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing budgets.
Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB)
Annual or static data include number of firms, number of establishments, employment, and annual payroll for most U.S. business establishments. The data are tabulated by geographic area, industry, and enterprise size. Industry classification is based on 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.

BA 260: Foundations of the Entrepreneurial Mindset

Business/Social Sciences Data Librarian

NAICS Codes

Survey Software: Qualtrics

Other Useful LibGuides

Where can I get more help?

Help with Market Analysis

Business News Sources

Helpful Databases / OSU Libraries

Free Online Demographic Resources

Small Business Help from U.S. Census Bureau

Resources

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