MKTG 638 - E-Commerce Strategy
|
Companies Comprising Industry |
Market Competition |
Mergers, Acquisitions & Alliances |
|
Strengths & Weaknesses |
Consumers |
Market Size |
Industry Trends |
|
Performance Trends |
Market Innovations | |
Marketing Mix |
Other Internet Resources |
Introduction
This guide has been prepared to assist you in locating library sources for your team projects. The projects involve conducting an in-depth analysis of a selected industry with an emphasis on emerging web applications. This assignment guide focuses on suggested library research sources in order to assist you in completing your assignment.
Additional resources can be found on the...
The Marketing A-Z Resource Guide
Still not sure which research resource you need? Try the...
ExpertHelp Business E-Resource Locator System
You may also want to consult the following in the course of your research:
- Secondary Marketing Research class guide
- Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5548.32 G34
The Barclay Center Reference Desk staff will be able to assist you with most of your research needs. Other research concerns may be sent to your Marketing Subject Specialist via e-mail. If needede, please arrange one-on-one consultation appointments in advance.
Citation Guides
With the Academic Integrity rules adopted by the University, it is extremely important that you correctly cite the resources that you use in your research.
The following Library web site provides links to electronic documents that explain the various citation styles, and you can find print copies of the key style guides in the Barclay Reference Center.
Citation Guides Page - TAMU Libraries
Companies Comprising Industry
First conduct a search to find out what Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) & North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes are assigned to your industry:
- SIC Search
(Internet Resource)-
Type in the name of your industry name or use the SIC Manual link to
drill down through the various categories. A description of the industry
and the products and services provided will be displayed.
- NAICS Search
(Internet Resource)-
Type in the name of your industry or use the "Drill down hypertext" link
to work down through the various categories. A description of the
industry and the products and services provided will be displayed.
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Business and Company Resource Center is a fully integrated resource
bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings,
investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals.
Search this database to find detailed company and industry news and
information.
-
Business Source Complete
(TAMU Electronic database)-
This comprehensive database offers full text for 2,260 business news and
scholarly journals. In addition, it provides information from an
expansive company directory. This database contains company and industry
profiles ans well as company SWOT analysis.
-
Market Insight
(TAMU Electronic database)-
After signing on to the database, click on the 'Industry Tab' at the top
left. Next select your industry from the drop-down menu. Market Insight
provides reports including an industry profile which includes: industry
sales and industry SICs. Also a great way to get the value or total
sales for an industry. Also click on the link to 'Industry constituents'
for a listing of all the companies (in the S&P 1500) that comprise the
industry.
Market Competition
Information about competitors and your firm's position in the market can be found in the following sources:
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Market Insight
(TAMU Electronic database) -
TableBase
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Provides access to thousands of tables that provide statistical data on
market share, company and brand rankings, industry and product
forecasts, trends, demographics and more.
- Click on Basic Search at the top of the screen.
- Enter a product name, company name, or industry name in the keyword dialog box using +signs before each term. (Ex. +gillette +share)
- Click on Help from the main search page to learn more about searching the website.
- Global Market Share Planner
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HD 2757.15 .G56 2000 v. 1-6)-
The Global Market Share Planner is an invaluable reference to the
performance, activities and positioning of the top national and
international consumer brand owning companies in 15 key FMCG companies
across 30 countries.
- v.1: Global Market Share Rankings
- v.2: Major Performance Rankings
- v.3: World's Major Multinationals
- v.4-6: Major Market Share Companies
- Ward's Business Directory
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HD 9503 .N4)- v. 1-3 provides an alphabetic listing to approximately 100,000 public and private companies
- v. 4-7 provides a ranking of companies by sales within 4-digit SIC, and rankings and analyses of the industry activity of leading companies.
Mergers, Acquisitions, & Alliances
Relationships between companies are important factors to consider when developing marketing strategies.
Use the following resources to identify any relationships that exist in your industry.
-
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Choose "Business" from the Main Screen, next select "Business News", use
the pull-down menu and select "Mergers& Acquisitions". Enter your
industry name in the search box and click on search. M&A news will be
displayed and will focus on your industry.
-
Market Insight
(TAMU Electronic database) - SDC Mergers & Acquisitions
(TAMU Standalone Electronic database located in the Barclay Reference Center)-
Furnishes information about merger activities around the globe. Data are
obtained from news wires, trade publications, and SEC filings. Domestic
merger information spans from 1979 to the last 30 days, and
international deals are archived back to 1985. It is updated daily.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Excellent company comparison information can be found in the following key industry sources:
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Business Source Complete
(TAMU Electronic database) -
FACCTS (Faulkner's Advisory on Computer & Communications Technologies)
(TAMU Electronic database)-
*Use for technology industries. Provides marketing research
reports covering the full spectrum of computer system, software,
networking, and telecom technologies.
-
Investext Plus
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Company and Industry Reports, from brokerage firms and trade
associations, analyze the company or industry performance. Choose
"industry" for an overview of industry wide performance.
-
Marketresearch.com Academic (Market Research Reports)
(TAMU Electronic database>-
Provides Internet access to more than 500 full-text market research
studies.
- Encyclopedia of American Industries
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HC 102. E53 v.1-2)-
Look under your SIC code if known or look in the table of contents.
Within your industry section an "industry overview" will be provided
which will outline the key players and their strengths and weaknesses.
-
NetAdvantage - Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Provides an excellent overview of a specific industry. Each section
provides trends, a section on "How to Analyze A Company in the
Industry", industry/company performance indicators, and information
about competitors.
- Advertising
- Aerospace & Defence
- Agribusiness
- Airlines
- Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco
- Apparel & Footwear
- Autos & Auto Parts
- Banking
- Biotechnology
- Broadcasting, Cable & Satellite
- Chemicals
- Communications Equipment
- Computers
- Commercial Services
- Consumer Services & the Internet
- Hardware
- Software
- Storage & Peripherals
- Electric Utilities
- Environmental & Waste Management
- Financial Services: Diversified
- Foods & Non-Alcholic Beverages
- Healthcare
- Facilities
- Managed Care
- Pharmaceuticals
- Products & Supplies
- Heavy Equipment & Trucks
- Homebuilding
- Household Durables
- Household Non-Durables
- Industrial Machinery
- Insurance: Life & Health
- Insurance: Property & Casualty
- Investment Services
- Lodging & Gaming
- Metals: Industrial
- Movies & Home Entertainment
- Natural Gas
- Oil & Gas: Equipment & Services
- Oil & Gas: Production & Marketing
- Paper & Forest Products
- Publishing
- Real Estate Investment Trusts
- Restaurants
- Retailing: General
- Retailing: Speciality
- Savings & Loans
- Semiconductor Equipment
- Semiconductors
- Supermarkets & Drugstores
- Telecommunications: Wireless
- Telecommunications: Wireline
- Transportation: Commercial
Industries included are: - Value Line
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center Index Table)-
Locate which edition your industry falls within. Each section provides
an industry overview, trends, and a company by company analysis. Covers
only the key players in the industry. This is one of the few sources
that provides an overall industry forecast and overall industry ratios.
Consumers
Market Research Reports are an important source of data on the consumers and thier behavior. The following tools contain reports for various industries and product categories:
-
Business Source Complete
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Marketresearch.com Academic (Market Research Reports)
(TAMU Electronic database)
- Simmons Study of Media and Markets: Choices 3
(Standalone electronic database located in the Barclay Reference Center)-
Measures usage of products and services by brand name, demographic
characteristics of the respondents, and their exposure to differing
media. Refer to the accompanying Technical Guide for assistance in
understanding the data. Media Ranking" reports will provide a ranking of
media for your target group.
Note: If you are a first time user, please arrange an orientation session by contacting Michael Smith.
-
TableBase
(TAMU Electronic database)
- American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HA 203 .A635) - Best Customers
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HC 79 .C6 R87 2005) - Consumer USA
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HC 101 .C744) - Demographics of the U.S.: Trends and Projections
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HB 849.49 .R87 2000) - The EPM Consumer Segmentation Survey (Research Alert)
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5415.127 .S32 2000)-
Groups people (consumer segments) based on shared characteristics and
shows how you can apply a grouping strategy to your customers.
- Lifestyle Market Analyst
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5415.33 .U6 L54)-
Provides demographic and geographic data for the American population as
well as extensive lifestyle information on the interests, hobbies, and
activities of each demographic/geographic market.
- World Consumer Lifestyles Databook 2005
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5415.3 W67)
- IAB
(Internet resource)
Market Size
The value of the market and number of product units sold may be located in the following sources:
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Investext Plus
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Marketresearch Academic (Market Research Reports)
(TAMU Electronic database) -
TableBase
(TAMU Electronic database) - Statistical Abstract
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HA 202 .S73)-
Look for your industry in the topical index in the back of the book or
look at the table of contents for the section on Industry.
- U.S. Market Trends & Forecasts
(Print resource located at the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5415.1 .U8) - Value Line
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - Index Table)
- ClickZ Statistics
(Internet resource) - Search Engine Watch
(Internet Resource)
Industry Trends
Use any of the following sources to gain information about trends in your industry:
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Plunkett Research Online
(TAMU Electronic database)-
This resource contains the full-text of all the the Plunkett's Industry
Almanacs. Industries covered include:
- Advertising & Branding
- Airline, Hotel & Travel
- Alternative & Renewable Energy
- Apparel & Textiles
- Automotive
- Banking, Mortages & Credit
- Biotech & Genetics
- Chemicals, Coatings & plastics
- Infotech
- Consulting
- E-Commerce
- Energy
- Engineering & Research
- Entertainment & Media
- Food & Beverage
- Health Care
- Insurance
- Investment & Securities
- Middle Market
- Nanotechnology & MEMS
- Outsourcing & Offshoring
- Real Estate & Construction
- Retail
- Sports
- Telecommunications
- Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics
- Wireless, Cellular, Wi-Fi & RFID
-
Associations Unlimited
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Industry and professional associations are an excellent source for
information on an industry as a whole. They often contain material on
current issues and trends affecting the association's members. This
database allows you to search for appropriate Associations and provides
links the thier websites.
-
IBISWorld
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Investext Plus
(TAMU Electronic database) - Industry Reference Handbooks
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5035 .D78 1998 v. 1-5)- v. 1: Computers and Software
- v. 2: Pharmaceuticals
- v. 3: Telecommunications
- v. 4: Chemicals
- v. 5: Health & Medical Services
- For each industry, the handbooks provide: industry overview, industry statistics & performance indicators, financial norms & ratios, company directory, rankings & comparisons, mergers & acquisitions, associations, consultants, trade information sources, and trade shows.
-
NetAdvantage - Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Excellent source which provides the following information for 50
industries: current environment, industry trends, how the industry
operates, key industry ratios and statistics, and information on how to
analyze a specific company within a particular industry. Industry
references are included which provide a listing of industry periodicals
and trade associations. Each volume provides an industry outlook and
stock price analysis section in the front.
- Research Alert Yearbook
(Print resource located at the Barclay Reference Center - HQ 2044 U54) - WEFA Industrial Monitor
(Print resource located at the Barclay Reference Center - HC 101 .W434 2000/2001)-
Similar to US Industry & Trade Outlook. Provides reviews and
forecasts covering sales, output, imports, exports, and other key
indicators for over 130 U.S. industries.
- ClickZ Statistics
(Internet resource)-
See the left toolbar under Markets for information per Industry.
Performance Trends
Compare your company with the industry using the following sources:
- Ad Spender (Advertising Expenditures)
(Standalone electronic database located in the Barclay Reference Center)
Consult Reference staff for a quick orientation. -
Business & Company Resource Center (Company/Industry/News)
(TAMU Electronic database) - Media Metrix (from comScore) (Internet audience measurement)
(Standalone electronic database located in the Barclay Reference Center)
Consult Reference staff for a quick orientation. -
Mergent Online
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Mergent Online is an Internet-based suite of timely resources
enabling in-depth business and financial research.
- Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
(Print resource located on the Barclay Reference Center Index Tables)-
Provides an industry average for financial statement accounts,
common-size statements for the industry, and industry ratios.
- Troy's Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
(Print resource available on the Barclay Reference Center Index Table)-
Look up the industry by SIC Code. Includes two tables of information.
Refer to the bottom of the tables for "Trends in Selected Ratios and
Factors" for 10 years of data. Ratios measure industry success and
growth possibilities.
- About the Inc 500
(Internet Resource)-
Ranking list for small businesses.
- Fortune 500
(Internet resource)-
Top 500 businesses ranked by a number of criteria.
- Advertising Ratios and Budgets (Schonfeld)
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5806 .A38 1997) - R&D Ratios and Budgets (Schonfeld)
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - T 176 .R2)
Market Innovations
One of the best ways to scan for emerging technologies is to review articles within the industry, and those specifically focused on your competitors, that contain technology focused terms.
-
Business & Company Resource Center
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Business & Industry
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Business and Industry on the Web provides access to articles appearing
in the business and trade press from around the world with a strong
focus on facts, figures, and key events dealing with the public and
private companies, industries, markets, and products for all
manufacturing and service industries. Search for articles using keywords
such as: product innovation and automobiles; product review and
automobile; product development and automobile; new product and Ford
Motor.
-
Business Source Complete
(TAMU Electronic database)-
This comprehensive database offers full text for 2,260 business news and
scholarly journals. In addition, it provides information from an
expansive company directory.
- Extropy Institute
(Internet resource)-
"As an information center, the Institute acts as a repository and portal
for detailed information on advanced technologies, their positive
potentials, their challenges, and their possible dangers." See link to
Information & Ideas.
Marketing Mix
Information about the marketing mix (product, pricing, distribution, and promotion) can be found in articles. The following are suggested databases to search for these articles:
-
Business & Industry
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Business Source Complete
(TAMU Electronic database) -
Investext Plus
(TAMU Electronic database)
-
TableBase
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Provides access to thousands of tables that provide statistical data on
market share, company and brand rankings, industry and product
forecasts, trends, demographics and more.
- Click on Basic Search at the top of the screen.
- Enter a product name, company name, or industry name in the keyword dialog box using +signs before each term. (Ex. +gillette +share)
- Click on Help from the main search page to learn more about searching the website.
-
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe
(TAMU Electronic database)-
Search for annual reports under "Business"-->"SEC Filings &
Reports"-->"Annual Reports". Type your company's name in the first
search box and choose all available dates.
- Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5415.3 .E527 1994) - Major Marketing Campaigns Annual
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5837 .M356)
-
AdSpender
(Standalone electronic database located in the Barclay Reference Center)-
Contains advertising expenditures for companies and theier brands,
reported for 11 different media types.
- Advertising Ratios and Budgets
(Print resource located in the Barclay Reference Center - HF 5806 .A38)
Other Internet Websites
Internet Portals: News: Statistics:
