Assignment Instructions

Choose a business idea for this Assignment and locate the key types if information you’ll need to gather in order to evaluate the potential for the venture, and to write a business plan.  Generally, you’ll need an industry overview, information regarding the competitive environment, and an analysis of the market.  Tips to get you started:

• The website businesslibrary.uflib.ufl.edu/databases identifies a number of proprietary databases that provide parts of this information; some are available in the APUS Library.  Many are available in government libraries, or by individual subscription. 
• Federal Government websites include:  www.allcountries.org/uscensus/industrial_outlook.html, www.usa.gov/Business/Business-Data.shtml, and www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business.
• Check state government websites for business, industry, and market information.
• Local governments and/or Chambers of Commerce often provide market and competitive information on their websites.
• Search for industry organizations, trade groups, or industry associations that serve your business.  Some provide extensive research (e.g., the National Restaurant Association) while others do not (National Soft Drink Association).  Some require membership in order to access industry research (you do not need to subscribe!).  These organizations generally hold conferences that are educational and host a variety of suppliers for the industry.
• Search for articles about your industry, products, services, competitors in high quality publications.  For example, In the Library’s EBSCO Suite, you can search Academic Search Premier for a publication (e.g., Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, Fast Company) and a topic (e.g., restaurant industry, child care industry) or competitor (e.g., TGI Friday’s, Kindercare). 
• Check the Yellow Pages and/or web searches to identify competitors.

For this Assignment:

1. Identify your business and its industry.
2. List the types of information you’ll need (e.g., market size, rate of growth, number of competitors)
3. For each type, identify multiple sources for that information.  You do not have to search databases that require a subscription or search for specific answers — simply indicate that the source contains a particular type of data.  However, you should cite specific articles and/or organizations (e.g., an article in the Wall Street Journal, or the National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers).