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Culinary Arts-Restaurant Management

Research Databases

You will use a variety of databases to gather background information for consumer analysis, industry trends, etc. and more specific database to can help with market segmentation reports.

For example: You want to open up a fast-food franchise and need to understand if this is a sound investment and if there is potential to make a profit. You then need to determine who will be your target demographics, figure out their locations, and understand their related behaviors to the industry. 

A key industry resource is the:

Restaurant, Food, and Beverage Market Research eBook

 

Specialized Business Databases

Business Articles, Company Information and Business News

Business Databases (EBSCO)  – an essential research database for peer-reviewed, full-text business journals.

Industry Research

IBISWorld – provides thoroughly researched, accurate, current business information, and expert analysis regarding market conditions, forecasts, supply chain, and competitor activity in the industry  

  • Use IBIS World to gather industry-specific reports.
  • These reports can be downloaded into a PDF format by clicking the download button at the top of the report.
  • You can search for U.S wide industry reports or U.S State-specific reports. 
  • IBIS World industry report will help you determine if your business venture is a viable business opportunity or not depending on the market trends.
  • Use the "Major Companies" tab to determine who the major players are in this industry.

Mergent Intellect - an incredibly powerful database for companies, industry and more.***

  • Use Mergent Intellect to gather company financials for publicly traded companies. 
  • This database will mainly be used to gather information on either your direct competitors in the industry or if you are creating a fast-food franchise, this database could help you determine the overall strength of the franchise. 

Marketing Research

ABI Inform (Proquest) - This database includes in-depth coverage of companies, products, executives, trends and other topics. 

Academic OneFile - Marketing (Gale) - This topic page within Academic OneFile focuses on marketing but covers multiple topics across Business.

SIMMONS Insights

  • Use SIMMONS Insights to compile a variety of demographic and market segmentation for a variety of consumers and target markets.
  • Use the quick reports feature to gather quick demographic, segmentation, and geography information on a particular target.
  • Use the cross tab feature to compare multiple targets together and discover trends.
  • Use the Brand Catalyst explorer and reporter feature to compile more specific and detailed data on your target.

Small Business

Small Business Reference Center is a great starting point on different business types and business related issues that impact the small business owner or entrepreneur! 

Small Business Reference Center (EBSCO) – offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics and includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans