LibGuides: Business Library Resources: Where should I start?

The Uniqueness of Business Research

Unlike the typical research you undertake during undergraduate studies, business research is a little different. While most subject areas have a practical component in their research, business research is almost entirely focused on practical elements. This is often called application or active research. Check out the video below for some more tips.

Business research basics, an introduction.

Business research is almost always applied research.

The goal of most business research is either to solve a problem or make a decision.

According to Business librarian Celia Ross, business research questions can be broken into four broad categories: Industry. Company, Market and Money.

Industry: Four main questions

Who are the key players and/or stakeholders?
How big is the market?
What are the current conditions?
What are the related industries?

Company: Six main questions

What are the company’s mission, values and goals?
How is the company organized?
Is the company public or private? It’s also helpful to ask if it is a subsidiary of another company.
How large are they?
What does the company do? (Find their SIC or NAICS code)
Who are their major clients?

Market: Four main questions

Who are the major users currently?
What are the users most important (unique) characteristics? Examples include: age, household, employment, income, race, relationships, gender and values.
What factors encourage them to purchase/participate?
What factors prevent them from purchasing/participating?

Money: Four main questions

What’s their current liquidity? Cash on hand and easy-to-convert assets.
How solvent are they?
What is their operating margin?
Are they profitable?

Answering these questions will build a strong foundation for your project.

Some projects will include elements from more than one category.

Ready to research?

Head to https://libguides.slcc.edu/home

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