INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS 75-100
June, 2012
FINDING BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR YOUR GROUP PROJECT
Leddy Library Home Page: http://www.uwindsor.ca/library
Opening Hours: Mon.- Fri. 8am-10pm, Sat. & Sun. 1pm-8pm; longer hours during exams
Research Help:
1. Business Librarian: Katharine Ball
Email: kball@uwindsor.ca
Tel.: (519) 253-3000 ext. 3852
Office: Room 214B, Leddy West
2. Research Help Desk (Leddy Library: Main Building, 1st Floor): Mon.- Fri. 9am-5pm
Writing Help:
Writing Advisors: are located on the first floor of the Main building of the Leddy Library. Their hours are: Mon. & Wed.
2pm-6pm; Tues, Thurs. & Fri. 11am-3pm. No appointment is needed. You can also set up an appointment by emailing:
awc@uwindsor.ca. For further help and information check the Academic Writing Centre website.
APA Style: see APA Style For Business (under Research Guides) on the Business Administration subject page. The
official APA manual is on course reserve at the Library; its call number is: BF76.7 .P83 2010
Access: Many of the resources you will need can be accessed on the Business Administration subject page. To
locate this page, go to the Library’s home page, look under: “Journal Articles & Research Tools” and click on “By
Subject”.
To access the databases and online journals:
On campus:
Off-campus:
you do not need to sign on
you will be asked to sign on using your University of Windsor ID and email password
If you are having access problems:
please call (519) 253-3000 ext. 3167 or send an email to ledsys@uwindsor.ca
**************
Why do Business research?
Gathering business information is important because it allows you to analyze a company, its competitors, the
industry, and the environment the company operates in. This analysis should help you make better strategic
decisions for your company's future.
Where do you go to find business information and how do you go about doing the analysis?
Books on Corporate Strategy and How To Analyze Your Company and Its Competitors
If you feel you need more information on how to do your strategic analysis:
Go to the Course Reserves link on the Library's home page. Look under Business – Strategy And Entrepreneurship.
Check your course number: 04-75-100 for a list of relevant books. You may have to sign on with your UWindsor ID
and email password. Copy down the call numbers and ask for the books at the Reserve Counter of the Circulation
Desk (Leddy Library: Main Building: 1st Floor). Most can be taken out for 2 hours at a time.
Analysis without Paralysis is a good one to start with because it gives you an overview of some of the most
commonly used techniques. Its call number is: HD38.7 .B4555 2008
Strategic and Competitive Analysis is a longer, more in-depth version of the above title. Its call number is:
HD38.7 .F58 2002
There are also copies of the textbook and books on case study analysis on course reserve.
****************
On the right-hand side of the Business Administration subject page, there are research guides to help you find
information on companies, industries, countries, and the economic/business climate. The databases listed below are a
subset of what is available. They should provide most of the information you need for this group project.
For Information About Your Company and Competitor Companies:
1. Look at the company’s website – especially headings such as Company Profile, Investor Relations, Media
Centre, Corporate Governance; you should find information on the history, operations, products/services,
company philosophy, etc. Check out your main competitors websites.
2. Hoover's Company Records (on the Business subject page) is useful if you just want to get a brief overview of
a company and an idea of who its competitors are.
3. Check SEDAR (http://www.sedar.com). Select Company Profiles or Search Database. Contains annual
reports, annual information statements, md&a reports, interim statements. It sometimes supplements
information on company websites; filings are up-to-date; began in 1997 so there is a 14 year archive.
4. Go through the Financial Post Infomart (under Financial/Accounting Databases on the Business Subject page).
Do a Global Search (left side banner). The most useful reports for your project will be: Corporate surveys,
Corporate analyzer, Investor reports, and Historical reports. They contain detailed current and historical
financial information.
5. Search some of the general business databases on the Business subject page, e.g. Business Source
Complete, Proquest Business, Factiva, Google Scholar. For larger companies, you will find company reports,
e.g. the Datamonitor Company Profiles in Business Source Complete. For all companies, you will find
articles on your company’s operations, e.g. marketing, human resources, production.
For Information About Your Industry:
1. The general business databases, e.g. Business Source Complete, Proquest Business, Factiva, Google Scholar
(on the Business subject page) are an excellent source of industry information, including industry reports, trade
publication stories, journal and newspaper articles.
Search: Type keywords that describe your industry into the Search box. Limit by date to the last few years.
Examples:
(banks or banking or financial services) and Canada
(gold mining or precious metals mining) and Canada
Industry Reports
In Business Source Complete:
Datamonitor Industry Profiles (see under Browse on right-hand side)
In Proquest Business:
Business Monitor International Industry Reports, FirstResearch
Reports, Just-Series Market Research Reports (see Browse – top right)
In Factiva:
Mergent Industry Reports (for food & beverage, insurance, metal works, oil
and gas, precious metals, mining)
To access them: click on Source, type Mergent into the Source Field, and
then click on the arrow. Click on Publication: Mergent Industry Reports to
select them to search. Change the date to the last 2 years. In the search box:
type the name of your industry and North America. Run your search.
2. The Conference Board of Canada E-Library has detailed 5-year forecasts for 16 key Canadian industries. Browse
by Topic, then click on Industry Sector Economics. Relevant industries covered include chemicals, gas extraction,
oil extraction, oil and gas support activities, retail trade, food and beverage, food manufacturing, food services,
wholesale trade.
3. Datamonitor 360 has industry reports, often with 5 forces analysis, as well as other information for most industries
and countries.
4. Industry Briefing on the Economist Intelligence Unit website (under International Business on the Business
subject page): you can limit to Canada (left-hand side). Has reports, forecasts, and data for 8 key industrial
sectors, including consumer goods, energy, and financial services. Each sector is broken down into a number of
sub-sectors.
5. Global Market Information Database has industry reports for retailing, fresh food, packaged food, personal goods,
etc. Select from the Industries tab (at the top); then go to Quick Analysis Finder (left side, at the bottom) and pick
Country Reports. Finally, select: Canada. This database also has excellent consumer trends and lifestyle
information.
6. Check out your industry associations’ websites (provincial, national, related industries) and related institutes.
They often discuss the major issues facing the industry and can be a good source of statistics. Use Google to find
your industry associations. Some examples include:
Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Canadian Bankers Association
Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
Canadian Energy Research Institute
Canadian Fertilizer Institute
Food and Consumer Products Of Canada
Insurance Bureau of Canada
Mining Association of Canada
Retail Council of Canada
World Nuclear Association
Look under headings such as Research, Publications, Resources, Industry Information, Advocacy, Policy.
7. The Federal Government and provincial governments produce large quantities of industry information and
statistics. Some of the more relevant departments/agencies for your current projects include:
Energy/Mining
Natural Resources Canada (http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/com/index-eng.php) See topics (left side banner)
such as: Energy (then Energy Sources and Statistics and Analysis) and Minerals & Metals (then Statistics
and Business and Market Information). See also the Canadian Minerals Yearbook.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml) Information on the
regulatory environment for fertilizers. Look on the left-hand side under Plants.
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/) Use the Search function to
find information on uranium mining/processing.
Financial Services
Department of Finance (http://www.fin.gc.ca/fin-eng.asp) See Financial Institutions and Markets (under
Activities and Issues).
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (http://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca) has industry
information, regulations, and financial data.
Bank of Canada (http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en) See the Financial System Review
Retail/Food
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (http://www.agr.gc.ca) See under Agri-Industries. Check headings such
as Processed Food and Beverages for Industry Overviews, Regulations, and Statistics.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml) Information on the
regulatory environment in the food industry.
General – Many Sectors
Industry Canada (http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/ic1.nsf/en/home). A good place to start is: Information by
Industrial Sector (left side banner). Then look under the Industrial Sector or the Industrial Category, e.g. Retail
Trade
For smaller industries, and additional statistics for larger industries, select Canadian Industry Statistics (near
the bottom of the page). Find your industry by NAICS code. For the manufacturing sector, the industry
information is available down to the 5 or 6 digit NAICS code level. Note: the links to the specific industry
information are contained in the left side banner.
Petroleum Refineries: NAICS 32411
Petrochemical manufacturing: NAICS 32511
Fertilizer manufacturing: NAICS 32531
Commercial bakeries: NAICS 311814
Statistics Canada (http://www.statcan.gc.ca) Start with: Browse by Subject – at the bottom of the page. Look
under Energy, Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale, or any other heading relevant to your industry.
For Information About Economic Conditions and the Business Climate:
1. The Conference Board of Canada E-Library (on the Business subject page) has national, provincial, and local
economic outlook reports as well as reports on business and consumer confidence.
Browse by Topic and look under Economic Trends. For long-term economic forecasting, see the Canadian
Outlook Long Term Economic Forecast and the Provincial Outlook Long Term Economic Forecast.
2. On the Bank of Canada’s website (http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/en/index.html), check under: Publications
and Research as well as Rates and Statistics. Take a look at the Business Outlook Survey
(http://www.bankofcanada.ca/publications-research/periodicals/bos/).
3. Statistics Canada (http://www.statcan.gc.ca) has a wealth of economic information available! The Canadian
Economic Observer (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=11-010-XWE&lang=eng#formatdisp)
provides a brief and timely overview of the economy.
4. Economist Intelligence Unit (on the Business subject page): look at databases such as Country Report and
Country Forecast. The monthly reports cover the business environment and economic performance and outlook.
For long term economic forecast data, see Market Indicators and Forecasts and Country Data.