Office hours are by appointment. Please use my appointment scheduler to set up a time. Appointments can be done via Zoom or in person, individually or as a group. If no times listed work for you, please email me to set something up.
Company's web site: Start with the company’s web site; look for Investor Relations, About the Company, etc. There may be a CEO message, or you can also find mission statements, values, financial information, and other information to help you analyze the company’s strategies.
Don't forget books, you can sometimes get great overviews of a company in a book. Search your company in our library catalog.
Interviews
Opinion Polls
Surveys
Observations
If you need help creating a survey or poll, see this guide on using Google Forms. It shows how to create, send, and view results from surveys you create.
Interviews
Opinion Polls
Surveys
Observations
This web site groups consumers into general categories, with brief descriptions and demographic information. Use the Zip Code Look-Up to get information about consumers in a particular area in both descriptions and graphs. There are three categories of information for consumers; PRIZM, P$YCLE, which describes the financial status of consumers, and ConneXions, which describes the level of technology use and connectivity of consumers. Use Segment Explorer to view descriptions of all of the consumer segments on the web site. Use the links on the left side of the screen to search for consumer groups by age, income, and other categories.
OTHER GOOD SOURCES:
Consumer Expenditure Survey: Bureau of Labor Statistics: US Labor Department
Statistics and reports on consumer expenditures, unemployment rates, and much more.
Experian Marketing Forward Blog: Freely available data, infographics, and reports on consumer behavior and trends.
Pew Research Center
A non-partisan research group that collects and presents data, opinions, and reports on American attitudes, activities, and trends.
Time Use Survey: Bureau of Labor Statistics: US Labor Department
Data on how American consumers use their time.
United Nations Demographic and Social Statistics
Includes information on demographics of countries, income and consumption, and more. Use the pull down menu for Demographic and Social Statistics. Then in each section, click on the Statistics link.
US Census Bureau International Data Base (IDB)
Statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for 227 countries and areas of the world. Select data by country and year, then choose topics by using the pull down menu that says, Select Report.
YOUR COMPANY'S WEB SITE
Press releases, media, products, company history, and other information
COMMERCIALS AND ADVERTISEMENTS
YouTube
Search for your brand to find ads and commercials
Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands
Print book. Call number: HF 5415.3 .E527
An older source, but gives good history and background on how some major brands were started and developed.
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Strategies (2013)
Online reference source.
Search using product, brand, or company names for information on marketing campaigns and branding for a particular product or company.
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns (2007)
Online reference source.
Search using product, brand, or company names for information on marketing campaigns and branding for a particular product or company.
Market Share Reporter
Online reference source.
Provides the market share for many companies within an industry, shown with pie charts and graphs.
The Making of a Name: The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy
Print book. Call number: HD 69.B7 R58 2004
Brandz
Lists of brand rankings and information about global brands. View the entire report, a chart, or an infographic.
Interbrand
Search Knowledge for papers, articles and studies on brands and branding, search Best Global Brands, to see brands rated, articles, and more.
Interviews
Polls
Questionnaires
Surveys
Want to use a quick and easy survey method to reach your potential customers? Try Google Forms. Quick how-to guide.
Whenever you do research, you will need to cite the information sources that you use. Most business scholars use APA style. Here are some tools that can help you with this task:
Gleeson Library's guide to citations: How? Why? When?
There are several ways to obtain assistance with your research. Read on!
The School of Management has a library liaison named Penny Scott, and you can contact her for help.
Her contact information is: email: plscott@usfca.edu * phone: 415-422-5389
It is best to call or email ahead, or make an appointment, to make sure she is available!
If Penny is not available, or any time you need help, you can always get help, just Ask a Librarian!
