Research Guides at CSU-Pueblo Library: *Business Research: Getting started

Resources for business research

Business research is a field of practical study. Researchers examine financial data, consumer feedback, trade publications, SWOT analyses, and reports and profiles to compare companies and industries, identify potential areas of growth, meet consumer needs, and improve a company's position in the market.

Financial data is qualitative and quantitative information (sales reports, SEC filings, stock values). By reviewing financial data, managers can make strategic decisions about staffing, locations, and production.

Consumer feedback is gathered through case studies, focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires. It provides valuable insight into whether products or services match consumer needs.

Trade publications are magazines, journals, or newspapers geared to professionals in a specific industry. They report news and trends, but not original research. They may provide product or service reviews, job and training listings, and advertisements. They are not typically peer-reviewed.

SWOT analysis is a process undertaken by a single company or organization, to identify its internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats.

Reports and profiles on companies or industries are conducted by third-party research consultants. They incorporate SWOT analysis, sales reports, market values, and five forces analysis to produce a comparative report on the company or industry's potential for growth, leading competitors, and predicted trends.

Recommended reading

Makers and Takers by Rana Foroohar
Call Number : NEW BOOKS - 1st FLOOR HB3722 .F67 2016
In-depth reporting and interviews at the highest rungs of business and government show how the “financialization of America”—the phenomenon by which finance and its way of thinking have come to dominate every corner of business—is threatening the American Dream.
The Millennial Millionaire by Spinder Dhaliwal
Call Number : NEW BOOKS - 1st FLOOR HB615 .D44 2017
Focusing on the real stories of young entrepreneurs, and the highs and lows of starting a new business, this book offers a unique blend of theory and practice to examine what makes for a successful entrepreneur, and how to develop the skills needed to succeed.
The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu
Call Number : NEW BOOKS - 1st FLOOR HF5811 .W8 2016
A revelatory, ambitious and urgent account of how the capture and re-sale of human attention became the defining industry of our time. In nearly every moment of our waking lives, we face a barrage of messaging, advertising enticements, branding, sponsored social media, and other efforts to harvest our attention.
Black Ops Advertising: Native Ads, Content Marketing, and the Covert World of the Digital Sell by Mara Einstein
Call Number : NEW BOOKS - 1st FLOOR HF6146.I58 E56 2016
Reader beware: content without a corporate sponsor lurking behind it is rare indeed. In the 21st century, instead of telling us to buy, buy, BUY, marketers "engage" with us so that we share, share, SHARE—the ultimate subtle sell. Why should this concern us? Because personal data, personal relationships, and our very identities are repackaged in pursuit of corporate profits.
Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family by Anne-Marie Slaughter
Call Number : NEW BOOKS - 1st FLOOR HQ1075.5.U6 S54 2015
When Anne-Marie Slaughter accepted her dream job as the first female director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, she was confident she could juggle the demands of her position with the responsibilities of her family life. But parenting needs caused her to leave the State Department and return to an academic career. In her refreshing and forthright voice, she returns with a vision for true equality and how to get there.