Course Number: BU352 Subject: Business Welcome to Laurier Library's Marketing Plan Assignment course guide for BU352. This guide provides information sources to help you research and analyze each section of the Marketing Plan assignment: Market Trend Analysis, Environmental Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Segmentation Analysis and Consumer Buying Behaviour, and Financial Analysis. You may also want to visit the Business subject guide for additional resources that will help you develop your Marketing Plan and research your new product or service. You can find links to helpful video tutorials to the left under Key Links.Use the links below to navigate to the different sections of this guide.Market trend researchEnvironmental scanning researchCompetitive analysis researchSegmentation analysis and consumer buying behaviour researchFinancial researchAdditional marketing resourcesCiting your sourcesMarket trend researchKey resources for finding information on market trendsKey industry databasesProquest One BusinessLocate industry reports, market reports, and articles. Enter the industry or market in the search box. Narrow your results by source type/ document type/ location and/or publication date.IBISWorldIndustry reports that include an industry outlook, an overview of the competitive landscape and key statistics. Search by keyword and limit to geography: Canada or U.S.MarketlineIncludes industry research and analysis, including Market Overviews. PassportContains market research data, i.e. information on consumer lifestyles and market size.S&P NetAdvantageComprised of detailed surveys for over 50 U.S. industries. Coverage includes industry trends and a guide to analyzing companies in each industry. To access, click on the "Markets" tab at the top of the screen and select your industry from the drop down menu, or click on "Industry Surveys" under the "Market Research" subheading.CIRC’s Associations CanadaCanada's Information Resource Centre (CIRC) provides a listing of Canadian Associations. Associations can provide detailed information on their respective industry. N.B. Be sure to uncheck all databases, with the exception of Associations Canada.Article databasesProquest One BusinessContains trade and industry articles covering market trends, products, and companiesCBCA CompleteIncludes articles from Canadian journals, magazines, and news resourcesBusiness Source CompleteProvides business articles, case studies, industry reports, and market research dataFactivaGlobal database of newspaper and other popular articles, excellent resources for consumer information and market trends.Key websitesStatistics CanadaContains Canadian industry statisticsEnvironmental scanning researchKey resources for finding information on environmental factorsKey databasesProquest One BusinessLocate industry reports, market reports, and articles that discuss external factors impacting your product or service. Enter the industry or market in the search box. Narrow your results by source type/ document type/ location and/or publication date.MarketlineProvides industry research and analysis, including Five Forces Analyses. IBISWorldIndustry reports that include an industry outlook, an overview of the competitive landscape and key statistics. Search by keyword and limit to geography: Canada, U.S., and China.PassportContains expert analysis on factors impacting markets, including social and demographic trends.S&P NetAdvantageComprised of detailed surveys for over 50 U.S. industries. Coverage includes current market environment. To access, click on the "Markets" tab at the top of the screen and select your industry from the drop down menu, or click on "Industry Surveys" under the "Market Research" subheading.CIRC’s Associations CanadaCanada's Information Resource Centre (CIRC) provides a listing of Canadian Associations. Associations can provide detailed information on their respective industry such as current market forces. N.B. Be sure to uncheck all databases, with the exception of Associations Canada.Article databasesProquest One BusinessContains trade and industry articles covering market trends, products, and companiesCBCA CompleteIncludes articles from Canadian journals, magazines, and news resourcesBusiness Source CompleteProvides business articles, case studies, industry reports, and market research dataKey websitesSEDARConsult a Canadian company’s annual report for environmental factors affecting its respective marketEDGARReview annual reports of a U.S. company for environmental factors affecting its particular marketCompetitive analysis researchKey resources for finding competitive intelligence and market share informationKey industry databasesIBISWorldIndustry reports that include an industry outlook, an overview of the competitive landscape and key statistics. Search by keyword and limit to geography: Canada or U.S.PassportIncludes information on brand competition, market sizes, company shares, brand shares, etc.Nexis UniAllows the creation of a company list to compare companies operating in the same industry by specific industry classification codes. Above the search box, click "Menu", select "Company Dossier", click on "Create a Company List", then enter SIC or NAICS Code(s) and any other criteria. Once search options are chosen, hit the "Create" button. Click "Customize" to customize the list.MarketlineContains industry reports that discuss competitors, market share, and Porter’s Five Forces analysis, i.e. degree of rivalry and new entrants. Market Share ReporterProvides comparative market share information.Investext (via Mergent Online)Includes industry reports that may discuss competitive landscape and include market share information. Click the + sign in front of Industry, enter keyword or click "Use INDUSTRY Lookup" to select your industry, then click ">> submit" button to execute search. Add other criteria, e.g. country, contributor, to refine search results. Article databasesProquest One BusinessContains trade and industry articles covering market trends, products, and companies.Business Source CompleteProvides business articles, industry reports, and market research data.Key websitesIndustry CanadaProvides Canadian industry statistics, analysis reports, and government publications on key sectors available on two websites: Industry sector intelligence and Find your industry sector.Segmentation analysis and consumer buying behaviour researchKey resources for finding information on market segments and consumer buying behavioursKey industry databasesMarketlineContains industry reports that discuss Porter’s Five Forces analysis, i.e. buyer power. PassportContains market research data, i.e. information on consumer spending patterns and market sizeInvestext (via Mergent Online)Includes industry reports that may discuss market segments and customer behavours. Click the + sign in front of Industry, enter keyword or click "Use INDUSTRY Lookup" to select your industry, then click ">> submit" button to execute search. Add other criteria, e.g. country, keywords (e.g. consumer, spending) to refine search results. CIRC’s Associations CanadaCanada's Information Resource Centre (CIRC) provides a listing of Canadian Associations. Associations can provide detailed information on their respective industry. N.B. Be sure to uncheck all databases, with the exception of Associations Canada.Article databasesProquest One BusinessContains trade and industry articles covering market and product trends, consumer behaviour, and company information.Business Source CompleteProvides business articles, industry reports, and market research information, including consumer buying trends.Key websitesCensus of CanadaLocate Census profiles for specific geographical (market) areas, i.e. City of Toronto, Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), Province of Ontario, etc.Statistics CanadaProvides Canadian socio-economic data such as neighbourhood income and demographics as well as population estimates. Enter "household spending" in the search box, click on the title "Household spending, Canada, regions and provinces", then click " Add/remove data" to customize the data table. Survey of Household Spending (SHS) via <odesi>Provides microdata for each respondent in the survey. Go to Odesi main page, and select "Browse" link at top right. In new window, select "Consumer Surveys", then click "Survey of Household Spending". Choose most recent year and then the title. Click "Explore Variables", then search for variables or browse the categories of variables. For each variable, you can view its summary statistics and categories. This will give you an idea of the average household spending on goods and services in Canada. You can also download the data files to make data analysis by yourself, e.g. to examine the household spending on digital devices by income. To download the dataset, return to the survey main page, click "View All Files", then click "Please agree to the terms to download the documents below". Financial researchKey resources for finding financial informationKey databasesPassportContains sales data and statistics (historical, current, and forecasts) for a variety of different products and services.Mergent OnlineProvides annual reports and company financials - i.e. income statements, cash flow statements. Run a company search> Select the "Company Financials" tab> From the drop-down menu, select "Balance Sheet", "Income Statement", "Retained Earnings", "Cash Flow" or "All Sections"> Click "Refresh". Adjust date range if needed. Also see "Business Segments" under "Company Details" for possible financial results for subsidiaries. The data can also be downloaded into an Excel format. FactivaIncludes financial information on public companies, such as balance sheets and cash flow. Select "Companies/Markets"> "Company" > and enter a company name or symbol. Select "Financial Results" to choose various financial statements for the company in question.S&P NetAdvantageComprised of detailed surveys for over 50 U.S. industries. Coverage includes a financial review of an industry-specific company, i.e. income statement analysis of a broadcast/cable company. To access, click on the "Markets" tab at the top of the screen and select your industry from the drop down menu, or click on "Industry Surveys" under the "Market Research" subheading.Key websitesSEDARReview annual reports of Canadian companies for financial statements.EDGARReview annual reports of U.S. companies for financial statements.GoogleFinanceThis website provides a broad range of information about stocks, public and private companies, including quotes, charts and estimates analysis. Search and display your company> scroll down and click on "More from Reuters" in the middle of the screen> click on the "Financials" tab at the top of the screen.YahooFinanceCurrent and historical company information for companies listed on the major US and Canadian stock exchanges. Includes stock data, charting capabilities, performance, financial ratios (including beta), and comparable companies.Additional marketing resourcesMarket Research WorldA UK based online portal that offers a number of online resources including reports and articles related to market research. Includes global coverage but with a strong emphasis on Europe. To locate market research articles and reports see the menu and select “Market Research Findings”, “Library of Research Articles”, or “Market Research News”.NielsenNielsen is a global information and measurement company that provides market research related reports. Coverage includes over 100 countries. When searching for relevant reports select “Insights” from up-top and then use the tool-bar on the left to narrow your results. Alternatively, you can enter in keywords into the search bar located at the top-right to locate relevant results. Most reports are available for free immediately, while others can be requested free of charge.Citing your sourcesLaurier Library: Citation StylesYork University Libraries also has a very thorough guide specifically for business citations.