Business

Research in business can vary widely depending on many factors. When beginning business research, ask:

• What will this research ideally accomplish?*
  • Business research aims to find information that will help in making effective business decisions. The information needed—and where you’ll find it—will look different if you’re developing a new product to put on the market than if you’re studying the advertising strategy of a corporation like Coca-Cola or Nike.
• Is the information out there to accomplish this research goal? Who would create it, why, and would they share it or make it available?
  • Gathering the data used in business decisions can be costly, so if it is out there, it could be in the interests of whoever collected it to keep it private or only sell it for a high price.
• What is the likely source of the information needed (who produced or provided it) and where would one find it (online, research databases, books)?
  • Some information might be proprietary and pay-walled, but some will be freely available from professional associations, business development groups, government agencies, or even libraries!

* Reference and User Services Association. (2019). Business research comptencies. Association of College and Research Libraries. https://www.ala.org/rusa/sites/ala.org.rusa/files/content/resources/guidelines/business-research-competencies.pdf