BUSI 6000 – Strategy and Competitiveness - Business Research Guide

Introduction: BUSI 6000 MAD Project Research

The resources listed on this page have been selected as excellent potential sources for your MAD Project information. For further research assistance, please contact Dr. Joyline Makani

Industry Classification: NAICS

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System Canada 2017 Version 2.0)

NAICS is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the US and is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the 3 countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the 3 economies. NAICS codes are used in many business databases to group articles and data on similar industries and companies in order to facilitate the easy collection, tabulation, presentation and analysis of financial statistics and related data.

External Analysis

The resources listed below will provide you with information on the industry in which your firm competes, helping you answer the questions such as:

Who are the key competitors?
What are the important environmental trends or current conditions affecting the industry?
How is the customer base structured?
Are there discernible market segments?
Which customer segments are of special importance?

MarketLine Advantage: Industries
Type a keyword and select "Industry Profiles" from the drop-down menu OR explore using "Browse by Sector" to refine content by 19 core sectors.
MarketLine: Country Outlook and Global Risk Reports
Click on "Browse by Content Type" then under the Geography click on "Country Outlook and Global Risk Reports" to access reports assessing current trends and risks facing all major global economies.
MarketLine Advantage: Country Statistics
Click on "Browse by Database", then Country Statistics to conduct quick and easy comparative analysis of macroeconomic and industry drivers for over 200 countries. Features comprehensive data and forecasts including detailed coverage of consumer demographics, incomes, and expenditures.
MarketLine Advantage: Consumer Data Analytics
Click on "Browse by Database", then Consumer Data Analytics to access comprehensive data across global food, drinks personal care household products, pet care, news and magazine and tobacco markets.
MarketLine Advantage: City Statistics
Click on "Browse by database", then City Statistics to access and compare the world’s most important cities data. Features comprehensive data and forecasts of key socio and macroeconomic indicators for more than 1950 cities, spread across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, North America, and South & Central America.

Country Reports: EIU The Economist Intelligence Unit This link opens in a new window
Provides in-depth economic, political and business analysis and short-term market outlooks for almost 200 countries. Each report examines the political scene, economic policies and development plans, domestic economy, trends in production and demand, monetary and fiscal conditions, wages and prices, sectoral trends, foreign trade, capital flows, exchange rates and foreign debt, and also reports on national, regional and global events that affect business in the short to medium term. Detailed two-year forecasts complement the analysis and pinpoint political and economic developments and trends.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides worldwide full text coverage of local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich Web sites,investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
Our license specifies that only 6 users may use it at a time. If you are unable to gain access, the license user limit may have been exceeded, please wait a few minutes and try connecting again.
ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
Subscription now includes ABI/Inform Global, ABI/Dateline and ABI/Trade & Industry. *Key database for Business Management* Indexes and abstracts 1000+ journals and provides full-text for 500+ management, marketing and business journals
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
"Business Source Complete ... [provides] full text for over 10,000 scholarly business journals and other sources, including full text for more than 1,150 peer-reviewed business publications. Coverage includes virtually all subject areas related to business. This database provides full text (PDF) for more than 350 of the top scholarly journals dating as far back as 1922.

Canadian National Polling data - Ipsos
Provided for free by Wilfrid Laurier University, in collaboration with the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), nationally significant polling data, donated by market research firm Ipsos Canada. The data includes the Canadian Corporate Reputation Monitor I-Rep series data covering brand reputation, consumer preferences and market data.
Bloomberg
Provides financial, economic and government information covering all market sectors. Offers real-time trading data, company financials, market data spanning more than 20 years, customizable market monitors, macro-economic data, news, and much more for stocks, bonds, commodities, and other major markets all in one place.

NOTE: At Dalhousie we have access to 12 Bloomberg Terminals. One terminal is located in the Killam Library, North Learning Commons. Ten terminals are located in the Risk Lab on the 2nd floor of the Rowe Building. Additional terminals are located in the 4th floor computer lab in the Rowe Building — you can’t miss their distinctive keyboards! Bloomberg is available to Dalhousie University faculty, staff, and students only. You must create log in credentials and a cell phone number will be necessary to authenticate a new user.

To access industry overviews and analysis type BI (for Bloomberg Industries) and hit GO. Find a list of industries covered on the left.

Internal Analysis

The following listed resources provide information that will help you conduct an internal assessment of the organization, including an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the organization.

MarketLine Advantage This link opens in a new window
Access to in-depth company profiles including SWOT analysis and additional tools for Company Financial Analysis e.g. Company Deals Tracker and Company Prospector.
Mergent online This link opens in a new window
Global business and financial information. Included are: U.S. Company Data, U.S. Annual Reports, International Company Data, and International Annual Reports. Fully integrated into these are Real-time EDGAR filings and Real-time News.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides worldwide full text coverage of local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich Web sites,investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
Our license specifies that only 6 users may use it at a time. If you are unable to gain access, the license user limit may have been exceeded, please wait a few minutes and try connecting again.

Bloomberg
Provides financial, economic and government information covering all market sectors. Offers real-time trading data, company financials, market data spanning more than 20 years, customizable market monitors, macro-economic data, news, and much more for stocks, bonds, commodities, and other major markets all in one place.

NOTE: At Dalhousie we have access to 12 Bloomberg Terminals. One terminal is located in the Killam Library, North Learning Commons. Ten terminals are located in the Risk Lab on the 2nd floor of the Rowe Building. Additional terminals are located in the 4th floor computer lab in the Rowe Building — you can’t miss their distinctive keyboards! Bloomberg is available to Dalhousie University faculty, staff, and students only. You must create log in credentials and a cell phone number will be necessary to authenticate a new user.

To access company information Type [ticker], hit EQUITY, and hit GO to browse main menu OR type a shortcut to go directly to specific information (e.g. ANR for analyst recommendations, BQ for equity summary and Bloomberg quote providing overview of key price data, fundamentals, and news on selected equity; and FA for financial analysis).

Financial Statement Anlaysis

The following resources will help you find financials (balance sheet, etc.) on your company.

Mergent online This link opens in a new window
Global business and financial information. Included are: U.S. Company Data, U.S. Annual Reports, International Company Data, and International Annual Reports. Fully integrated into these are Real-time EDGAR filings and Real-time News.

Bloomberg

To access company information Type [ticker], hit EQUITY, and hit GO to browse main menu OR type a shortcut to go directly to specific information (e.g. ANR for analyst recommendations, BQ for equity summary and Bloomberg quote providing overview of key price data, fundamentals, and news on selected equity; and FA for financial analysis). (Bloomberg is only accessible from dedicated workstations in the Killam, JJ Stewart Room and Rowe)

Assessment of the Organization's strategy

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
"Business Source Complete ... [provides] full text for over 10,000 scholarly business journals and other sources, including full text for more than 1,150 peer-reviewed business publications. Coverage includes virtually all subject areas related to business. This database provides full text (PDF) for more than 350 of the top scholarly journals dating as far back as 1922.
ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window
Subscription now includes ABI/Inform Global, ABI/Dateline and ABI/Trade & Industry. *Key database for Business Management* Indexes and abstracts 1000+ journals and provides full-text for 500+ management, marketing and business journals
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides worldwide full text coverage of local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich Web sites,investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
Our license specifies that only 6 users may use it at a time. If you are unable to gain access, the license user limit may have been exceeded, please wait a few minutes and try connecting again.
Mergent online This link opens in a new window
Global business and financial information. Included are: U.S. Company Data, U.S. Annual Reports, International Company Data, and International Annual Reports. Fully integrated into these are Real-time EDGAR filings and Real-time News.
MarketLine Advantage This link opens in a new window
Resources cover company, country, industry and product intelligence as well as business strategies and news and opinion. For strategy specific information search for the full company profile and read the "company view" or "corporate strategy" sections.

SEDAR Filings
Access to the most recent Canadian Companies' 10-Ks, annual reports or prospectuses - in these report look at the Business or Management Discussion sections.