Subject Guides: Business: BUSN 201

BUSN 201 Mission Possible: Research Tips

This page includes information to help you get started finding sources for your Mission Possible Business Proposal assignment.

Your Business Librarian, Martina King, is available to help you navigate the library's databases, develop search strategies, and troubleshoot access issues to the library's online resources.

Recommended Databases

To get you started, we recommend using one of the library's industry and company focused databases:

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Coverage and Currency 1999 to present
Access: Access limited to Grant MacEwan University IP addresses. Remote login with a MacEwan network user ID and password.
Conditions of Use: Use of this database is restricted to members of the MacEwan University community and to users physically present in the Library. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that they use this database for individual, non-commercial, educational or research purposes only, and do not systematically download or retain substantial portions of information.
Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Access: Access limited to Grant MacEwan University IP addresses. Remote login with a MacEwan network user ID and password.
Conditions of Use: Use of this database is restricted to members of the MacEwan University community and to users physically present in the Library. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that they use this database for individual, non-commercial, educational or research purposes only, and do not systematically download or retain substantial portions of information.
Gale Business Insights This link opens in a new window
Coverage and Currency: 1980 to present
Access: Access limited to Grant MacEwan University IP addresses. Remote login with a MacEwan network user ID and password.
Conditions of Use: Use of this database is restricted to members of the MacEwan University community and to users physically present in the Library. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that they use this database for individual, non-commercial, educational or research purposes only, and do not systematically download or retain substantial portions of information.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Access: Access limited to Grant MacEwan University IP addresses. Remote login with a MacEwan network user ID and password.
Conditions of Use: Use of this database is restricted to members of the MacEwan University community and to users physically present in the Library. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that they use this database for individual, non-commercial, educational or research purposes only, and do not systematically download or retain substantial portions of information.

Proposal Areas & Information Sources

Section	Information Sources
Industry Analysis	Industry description & industry trends - use IBIS World Industry Reports - Industry Performance and Outlook How many of the firms in the industry are profitable? use Industry Canada SME Benchmarking Tool [View our How To Video to get started]
Summary of Salaries, Wages, and Benefits	General Salary Estimator and Comparison Alberta Specific Salaries
Address all key operational issues	To identify relevant operational issues and estimate their annual costs use: Company Annual Balance Sheets and Reports: Mergent Financial and SWOT Reports: Business Insights: Essentials General Industry Financial figures - IBIS World Industry Reports - Operating Conditions

Additional Information Sources

Section

Information Sources

Market Analysis

To identify and describe market areas, use:

Market Overview, use IBIS World Industry Reports - Products and Markets

Target Market

To describe specific target markets, use:

General Canadian demographic information from Statistics Canada use, Statista . Demographic by location, use GeoSearch.

Canadian Psychographic Information use PRIZM [View our How To Video to get started]

Strategic Position and Competitive Advantage

Key Industry Success factors use IBIS World Industry Reports - Competitive Advantage

Tips for Using IBISWorld

If you know the name of the industry your business would be a part of, you can search by keyword using their main search bar.

You can also browse for your industry report by hovering over the Industry Research tab and clicking on Canada Industry Reports (NAICS).

Start by identifying the broader category your business would fit under, then select the industry report that best fits with your business.

Sample IBISWorld Industry Report

IBIS World eCommerce Industry Report - Annotated
Look for the highlighted sections that show examples of specific information relevant to the Mission Possible Business Proposal.

Business

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