BACK TO BASICS10 LESSONS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH

Know YourNAICS Codes1

NAICS stands for North American IndustryClassification System. Companies that offersimilar products or services are groupedtogether by these codes.

Find them at statscan.gc.ca!

When searching for NAICS codes or otherspecific information, use technical vocabulary,for e.g. "aircraft" instead of "airplane". Also tryexact words like "solar" instead of "green".

GetTechnical2

Unlike Google, research databases areliteral with their results. So, the wordstyped into the search box of one of thesedatabases MUST be found in the results.

Remember, fewer keywords = moreresults. First try searching a database withonly a few words. Adding more words canhelp to narrow your results, if needed.

AvoidSentences3

Find WordVariations4

The asterisk * searches every ending to the rootof a word and helps to broaden your search.

For e.g., market* searches words like market,markets, marketing, marketed, etc.

Use quotation marks to find exact phrases. For e.g. "improving employee morale".

This technique creates focused searches,because only results containing words inthe exact sequence specified are returned.

SearchPrecisely5

Find a great article? Excellent - but don't stop yet!Use multiple results to support your research andmake your final deliverable stronger.

Don't give up if your first few search attempts areunsuccessful. Remember, you can always turn toyour subject librarian for guidance!

GoBeyond6

Save yourself time and effort by consideringwhether the info you want is retrievable atall!

Companies - even public ones - rarely makethe effort to disclose competitive info, e.g.unit sales, markups, organizational charts,business models, supply chains, etc. And inSEC or SEDAR filings, public companiesneed only report what is materially importantto investors.

HavePerspective7

Make educated assumptions based on thecredible info that is available. When you dothis, remember to explain your logic andprovide references.

Can't find info on a private company?Investigate a public company in the sameindustry as a proxy.

Can't find info on a niche market? Study thegeneral industry for macro-level trends.

Make SomeAssumptions8

Business reports, where experts have compiledthe info and completed the analysis, are a formof SECONDARY RESEARCH. Unfortunately, noteverything has been compiled into a report. Inthis case, try doing some original investigationyourself, i.e. PRIMARY RESEARCH.

Be aDetective9

Google can help find reports, presentations,brochures, etc., which may not otherwise befound in licensed databases.

Here are two tips to improve your searches:

1. Add the "filetype: -- " operator to yourquery to find a specific file format. For e.g., "filetype: pdf". This also works withother formats such as csv, pptx, xlsx, etc.

2. Add the "site: -- " operator to your query tosearch a specific domain. For e.g. "site: .gc.ca". This also works with .ca,.org, .edu, etc.

AdvanceYourGoogling10

This infographic is based on UC Irvine Libraries’ by Annette Buckley, with modifications.

Business Research: 10 Tips

Visit the Management Library Today for More Information!http://biblio.uottawa.ca/dms

Bright ideas at the Library!