Business Librarian
Student Consultation Hours
Fall 2024 Semester
- 9-11 a.m. on Mondays
- Noon-2 p.m. Thursdays
- Various times on Fridays
Your choice: Meet in person in Hartman 1060 or online via Zoom
Note: These are my usual office hours. Some weeks, I might adjust these hours to visit classes or attend trainings.
If none of these times fit your schedule, send me an email with at least two dates/times you are available and I will try to accommodate.
Identify your industry (NAICS)
An industry is a group of businesses that produce and/or sell similar goods or services (Ruediger & Olsen, 2013).
To streamline collection of data about industries, the U.S. Federal Government developed the North American Industry Classification System or NAICS.
NAICS codes enable you to search for information about your industry, including the number of establishments, types of expenses, financial benchmarks, etc.
Help
Recommended resources
Remember that an emerging product might not fit perfectly into a single NAICS code. You might need to strategically weigh and average two or more industries to produce the best presentation.
Stuck? Consider which industry might lose customers to your product. For example, dessert hummus likely would appeal to consumers who purchase ice cream and/or frozen yogurt (311520).
Research your industry
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Reports on more than 700 U.S. industries. Industry Outlook has growth rates and Key Statistics has averages for financial benchmarks
Dates covered: Current - BizMiner This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Industry data reports on more than 16,000 lines of business. Search by NAICS code to find an industry's financial benchmarks to use as a surrogate or proxy.
Dates covered: Most recent 5 years
Research private companies & startups
A privately-owned or privately-held company is not traded on any stock exchange. These companies don't have to file documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That means that finding information on private companies can be quite challenging.
- PrivCo This link opens in a new windowSource for business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed, and international unlisted companies.
Note: Users will need to register for an academic account using their JMU email address
- CrunchbaseContent types: Crowd sourced data tracking start-ups, investors. This is not a JMU Libraries resource. You must sign up for an account to get access to limited free information.
Dates covered: Current
Research the management team
Organizational charts can be considered proprietary information, so they might be difficult to find for small firms or privately-held companies. To see examples from large public companies or startups, try The Official Board or Crunchbase.
Other strategies for finding charts: try asking a similar firm if they'd be wiling to share theirs, or Google strategically and look through LOTS of results. Copy and paste this search: ("organizational chart" OR "org chart") [your industry] ext:pdf. Change [your industry} to the one you want to find. Here is an example search for org charts posted by libraries.
Learn more about Organizational Charts and how to structure them from the Encyclopedia of Management. (2019).
- The Official BoardSearch by company name or browse by industry. Sign up for a free account to view a small number of org charts each month.
- The Official Board via Nexis UniDon't want to sign up for an account at The Official Board website? Their charts are available in this Libraries database at no additional charge.
Research market share & demand
These databases can help you find market share/brand share for different industries and companies.
JMU Libraries resources
- Statista This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Data aggregation and research platform covering North American, European, and Asian markets, industries and societal topics. Use the menu to look at the Insights - outlooks on Consumer, Digital and Mobility products.
Dates covered: Varies - Mintel Academic This link opens in a new windowContent types: Market data/forecasting for U.S. consumer industries. Download the Databook for insight into consumer behavior.
Dates covered: Current - Sports Market Analytics This link opens in a new windowContent types: Market research and industry news covering all facets of the sporting goods and sport marketing industry.
Non-Libraries resources
- Grand View ResearchContent types: Syndicated research reports about a variety of industries. JMU Libraries doesn't subscribe to this database. However, MGT 471 students can find useful information about market share and CAGR in the report previews.
Dates covered: Current
Research news and events affecting your industry
- Factiva This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Content type(s): Business news such as WSJ, company press releases, earnings report transcripts, industry trade publications
Dates covered: Current
Find & evaluate product reviews
While product reviews are easily found on shopping sites, researchers have estimated the share of fake reviews could range from 4% to more than 30% (Totty, 2022). Review these tips for spotting fake reviews:
For independent product reviews, try these reputable sources
- Consumer Reports Magazine (via Flipster)Content type(s): Consumer oriented news including product reviews and ratings.
Dates covered: 03/01/2014-present - Wirecutter from the New York TimesContent type: Product recommendation site that compares prices and product features for lots of different consumer products.
Requires signing up for a NYTimes account through JMU Libraries, using these instructions.
Dates covered: Regularly updated
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Content type: Magazine and trade publications that publish reviews of products.
Search tip: Enter a product name or category in the search box (e.g., "google pixel", or "baby stroller*") and scroll down the page. In the “Document type:” section, check the box next to “Product Review.”
Dates covered: Regularly updated