Getting Started
C562 assignments and projects will require using a variety of information sources packaged in different formats, including:
- Analyst reports
- Company and competitor profiles and reports
- Industry and market reports
- Scholarly, trade, and news articles
You will need to access these sources using a variety of tools and platforms (not just Google), and synthesize information found across them to address your research questions.
When producing written and oral outcomes, cite the following:
- "Facts, figures, ideas, or other information that is not common knowledge.
- Ideas, words, theories, or exact language that another person used in other publications.
- Publications that must be cited include: books, book chapters, articles, web pages, theses, etc." (MIT, n.d., para. 3)
The Business/SPEA Citation Guide provides examples of how to cite information from business databases in both APA and MLA citation style.
If you have questions about the resources or strategies in this guide or need further assistance, schedule a virtual research consultation, use the chat box in the left-hand column, or e-mail the Business/SPEA Information Commons.
External Analysis:
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Frost & Sullivan Growth Partnership ServicesInternational trends and product-level data for the healthcare, telecommunications, IT, transportation, electronics, and semiconductors industries.
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IBISWorldIndustry analysis that includes trends, growth, market share and factors, competitors, and product/supplier informaiton for hundreds of U.S.-based industries.
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MarketLine AdvantageIndustry reports by country that include Porter's Five Forces analysis. Also, access PEST (political, economic, social, and technological)/PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental) reports for various countries.
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Passport GMID: Global Market Information DatabaseProduct/market, economic, and consumer reports and data by country. Ability to access company and brand-level sales by market and country. Also provides trends, competitive environment, political/social climates, etc.
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World Bank Open DataEconomic and business data compiled by the World Bank. Includes the ability to make comparisons between countries.
Internal Analysis:
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Corporate AffiliationsCorporate linkage data for approximately 200,000 parent companies and their affiliates, subsidiaries, and divisions.
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FactivaBusiness news articles that provide company and/or product/asset-specific information like patents. Sometimes possible to trace product-level sales/profit via news.
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MarketLine AdvantageCompany reports that include a SWOT and revenue analysis. The "Corporate View" and "History" sections typically provide information about high-level firm strategy.
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Mintel ReportsMarket research that identifies and describes consumers for markets, products, and service segments for value chain mapping.
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PrivCoFinancial information for private companies. Individual registration with an official IU e-mail account is required to access this resource.
General/Corporate Strategies & Implementation:
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ABI/INFORM CollectionProvides access to scholarly, trade, and news articles from business and management publications. Search using the company name and keyword that encompasses the topic of interest (e.g., costs, "mergers and acquisitions," "competitve advantage," etc.).
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Business Source CompleteProvides access to scholarly, trade, and news articles from business and management publications. Search using the company name and keyword that encompasses the topic of interest (e.g., costs, "mergers and acquisitions," "competitve advantage," etc.).
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Nexis UniProvides access to general news articles. Search using the company name and keyword that encompasses the topic of interest (e.g., costs, "mergers and acquisitions," "competitve advantage," etc.).