Introduction to Business Research at the Marshall School of Business

1
Introduction to Business Research at the
Marshall School of Business

• Greg Fleming, Crocker Business Library
• EMBA Orientation
• July 27, 2002

2
Marshall Libraries

• MarVEL, Marshalls Virtual Electronic Library
• http//www.marshall.usc.edu/library
• Crocker Business Library
• Accounting Library
• Other USC libraries Doheny, Leavey, VKC,
  Cinema/TV
• HOMER is the library catalog for main campus
  libraries

3
Library Services

• Print collections you can borrow books in all
  USC libraries
• Online resources (e.g., through MarVEL)
• Reference service in the library and through
  email
• Interlibrary loan

4
MarVEL is Marshalls Virtual Electronic Library

• Marshalls information gateway - linked from the
  Marshall home page
• Provides access to business information systems
  to which Marshall subscribes
• Provides access to freely available sites (e.g.
  government sites) useful for classes and research
• Access to services reference, interlibrary
  loan, library catalog, etc.
• MarVEL is evolving

5
Access restrictions to MarVELs subscription
resources

• MarVELs subscription resources require
  verification of your USC status
• This verification is done through IP address in
  most cases only one of our major resources uses
  passwords (OneSource Business Browser)
• Consequently, you may not be able to access some
  resources in your corporate office

6
How to get to MarVEL resources

• Use a machine on-campus
• Register your laptop and plug in at Popovich or
  the Marshall libraries
• Dial direct to USC and use PPP access
• Use your own ISP and the VPN client software (can
  be difficult)
• MarVEL includes instructions for getting access
  from off-campus

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Primary vs. Secondary Research

• Primary data is collected for a specific purpose.
  It can take a long time to collect, and it can be
  very expensive.
• Secondary research is research done by others. It
  was probably collected for a different purpose.
• You can get secondary research from libraries,
  information companies, the internet, other
  peoples files, etc.

8
Advantages of Secondary Research

• It already exists -- if you can find it.
• It is less expensive than conducting your own
  research.
• It helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel.

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Disadvantages of Secondary Research

• It may not be exactly what you want.
• It may reflect someone elses interpretation of
  the data.
• It may not be as up-to-date as you would like.

10
Thinking About Your Question

• People use the most accessible information, even
  if its not the best information.
• You can be more competitive by getting the best
  information you can get.
• We want to make that information accessible to
  you through MarVEL.

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Questions about your Question

• What do you already know about the topic? About
  related material?
• Who else cares about this topic?
• Who would know or need to know about this?

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The Role of Newspapers

• Who, what, where, when, why, how
• Dont count on their analysis use them for the
  facts
• Factiva is a key resource -- 6,000 sources
  including full-text of the Wall Street Journal

13
The Role of Government Agencies

• Government agencies have legal mandates to
  collect data and provide analyses.
• Their efforts are on-going you can expect them
  to gather this data into the future.
• The U.S. government, in particular, has made
  major strides in getting data and information on
  the Web.
• State local governments and foreign governments
  are now coming online.

14
The Role of Trade Associations

• Their purpose is to support the work of the
  people and companies in their industry.
• Sometimes they restrict their data so that only
  members have access.
• More associations are putting industry data on
  the Web.
• The quality and quantity of data can vary from
  one association to another.
• Encycolpedia of Associations

15
The Role of Commercial Information Providers

• This industry is evolving -- many more companies
  are providing information over the web direct to
  subscribers.
• Market dominance is changing -- the systems you
  know while you are in school will change in the
  future.
• New products/services are appearing -- and are
  likely to be directed to individuals in the
  future as well as to companies/organizations.

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Common Types of Secondary Research Questions

• Company Information
• Industry Information
• Getting Good Numbers
• Getting News and Analysis

17
Company Information Preliminary Questions

• Is the company public or private?
• Is it a U.S. company?
• Do I want to know what the company says about
  itself? -- or,
• Do I want to know what others say about the
  company?

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Key Resources for Company Information

• Hoovers Online
• Million Dollar Database
• OneSource U.S. Business Browser
• Other resources on MarVELs Company Research page

19
Industry Information Methodology

• Get an overview of the industry.
• Look for articles on trends and see if you can
  find forecasts.
• Gather statistics from government agencies and
  trade associations.
• Go to trade associations for additional
  information about the industry.

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Common Problems in Finding Industry Information

• Each information tool uses its own industry
  groupings and covers different industries.
• Small industries are often reported as part of
  larger industries in government data.
• Quality, availability, and cost of trade
  association information varies widely.
• Emerging industries are difficult to research in
  government and other sources.

21
Industry Information Sources

• OneSource U.S. Business Browser
• Standard Poors Industry Surveys
• Trade association publications (included in
  OneSource Business Browser, ABI/Inform, and other
  resources)
• Gartner IntraWeb if you are doing anything in
  e-commerce
• Other sites on the Industry Research page

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OneSource Business Browser Industry Profiler

• SIC Overviews
• Industry Overviews
• Industry Norms
• Newswires and trade articles
• Custom search
• Links to related organizations

23
Where Can I Get Good Numbers?

• Census Bureau includes critical population,
  business, and economic data
• FEDSTATS -- go to the Agencies section and select
  the agency, or go to Programs and get an idea of
  whats available for your subject
• STAT-USA -- includes domestic and international
  economic information
• TableBase -- 25,000 tables from trade
  publications and other sources are added every
  year

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Where can I get articles?

• Trade association publications OneSource,
  ABI/Inform on Proquest Direct, Lexis-Nexis
• Newswires OneSource, Factiva, Lexis-Nexis
• Newspaper articles ABI/Inform on ProQuest
  Direct, Factiva, Lexis-Nexis
• Academic articles ABI/Inform on Proquest Direct,
  Web of Science

25
International Resources

• EIU Country Reports
• ISI Emerging Markets
• STAT-USA

26
When You Have It, Dont Lose It -- Cite Your Data
Correctly!

• Citing your data correctly adds validity and
  weight to your position.
• Guidelines for citing your sources are available
  on MarVEL.