This document summarizes strategies and sources for locating business information. It discusses developing efficient research strategies and finding industry, company, market, consumer, and government information. Specific databases and resources are outlined for obtaining industry reports, company profiles, market research, demographic data, and information on regulations. Government sources mentioned include NAICS, Census data, CPSC, FCC, and FDA. The document encourages following up with the business librarian for additional assistance.

1. STRATEGIES AND SOURCES
FOR LOCATING BUSINESS
INFORMATION
Art of Engineering Endeavors/Engineering 185
October 18, 2013
Michael Oppenheim
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/rosenfeld-library/services/consult-a-business-l

2. TODAY’S TALK:
 Developing an efficient business research strategy
 Sample Product Research Strategies
 Using the interactive UCLA LibGuide
Business Information for Engineers
 Getting to the UCLA Rosenfeld Management Library online
 Finding Industry and Company Information
 Finding Information about the Market(s) and Consumers
 Finding Government Information
 about consumers
 about regulations and product safety
 Following up after today

3. Online “Handout” for Engineering 185:
http://guides.library.ucla.edu/businessforengineers

4. Access all the available Business Information Databases
from the Science and Engineering Library Web site –
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/sel/journal-articles-conference-papers

5. http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/rosenfeld-library/databases/business-databases-by-category
UCLA or UC =
Entire UCLA
community may use
in person in any UCLA
library, or remotely
by using the
UCLA VPN or the
Bruin Online Proxy Serve
Anderson =
Available only to
current holders of
Anderson School
Network accounts
(and also not available
on any public
workstations)

6. FINDING INDUSTRY
INFORMATION

7. DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING AN
INDUSTRY
Look up a product/service/industry to identify its
4-digit (SIC) or 6-digit (NAICS) code number; use it as an
indexing “term” (or “tag”) in databases and directories
North American Industry Cla
– 1997 to current
SIC Code – 1937
through 1987 and still
in use

8. NAICS Code Look-Up:
http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html

9. NAICS Code Look-Up:
http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html

10. Use IBISWorld to find current, 30- to 50-page reports
using NAICS and/or SIC industry code numbers

11. Standard
IBISWorld
Report
Components

12. Also Available in IBISWorld: What Drives Demand for Your Product?
Access “US Business Environment Profiles” from the “Industry Risk Ratings Tab”

13. MarketLine Advantage Reports special features:
“SWOT” (companies) and “Five Forces” (industries)
Analyses
Access this content through links provided on the
“Business Information for Engineers” LibGuide:
At the “Company Information” Tab:
At the “Industry Information” Tab:

15. MarketLine Advantage Industry Reports Special Feature:
“Five Forces Analysis”

16. FINDING COMPANY
INFORMATION

17. Get a MarketLine Report for a Company
You May Already Be Considering
example: Philips Healthcare

18. Typical MarketLine Company Report Features
illustrations from: Philips Healthcare report

19. FINDING INFORMATION ABOUT
THE MARKET FOR YOUR
PRODUCT
• Who’s making the product, or something like it?
• Who’s buying it, or who is likely to buy your similar
product?
• “Market” and “Industry” are often interchangeable
terms—check out both Industry Information databases
and Market Research databases, in addition to
Business Articles databases

20. Business Source Complete
(aka “EBSCOHost”)
“Thesaurus” = guide to
official, consistently-used
subject/concept indexing
terms

21. Using the Subject Thesaurus in
Business Source Complete

22. Business Source Complete
Search Results
Limits already
applied to the
results:

23. Main Search Screen for Factiva
Click on “Examples” for search tips and tricks
Open these up
to take
advantage of
“Intelligent
Indexing”

24. Factiva:
Using “Intelligent Indexing” to “Pre-Filter” (or to post-filter) a Search
It’s okay to leave this blank, if you like!
Applying “Intelligent
Indexing” filters

25. Factiva:
Results Screen
The “Discovery Pane” visually mines the contents of the results

26. Special
strength!

27. MarketResearch.com Academic
“Real-World” Market Research Reports

28. SimplyMap
Quantify and Analyze
U.S. Consumers and Their Buying Potential
Two ways to use SimplyMap:
1.Create your own account, to be able
to save your work, or..
2.Just log in anonymously, and take
your work with you when you’re
finished

29. SimplyMap Map, Chart, and Rank U.S. Demographic and
Psychographic Data
“Where are Americans most
receptive to high tech products,
ranked state by state?”
Data source: ExperianSimmonsLOCAL
For specialized, in-depth assistance, contact
UCLA’s SimplyMap account rep and trainer,
Steven Swartz:
sswartz@geographicresearch.com
(888) 845-5064 extension 64
http://www.geographicresearch.com/

30. FINDING
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
ABOUT CONSUMERS

31. U.S. Census Data via American FactFinder:
The Foundation for Demographic Information
About Americans

32. Use the ACS to Update Data
Between Decennial Census Counts

33. FINDING
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
ABOUT REGULATIONS AND
PRODUCT SAFETY

35. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
“Simple Search” by Keyword(s)

36. “Is My Type of Product Regulated by the CPSC?”
Look Here in Addition to the Code of Federal Regulations
http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/reg.html
Products Regulated by Other Government Agencies:
http://www.cpsc.gov/federal.html
One major example: Medical Devices, regulated by the FDA
see http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/

37. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

38. http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/

39. Following-Up …. For Future Questions:
Consult a Business Librarian
business librarian:
Today’s librarian: Michael Oppenheim ~ moppenhe@library.ucla.edu