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EI 101: First-Year Business Experience 2024-25 (all sections): Economic/Govt. Analysis

Research Tips and Resources for EI 101

Economic Analysis Resources

TIPS:  Start with the IBISWorld and Statista databases for economic and government information from market research reports.  

  • IBISWorld industry reports include information on government regulations that impact the industry. See the "External Environment" section of the report to find those.
  • IBISWorld also has U.S. Business Environment reports under the "Products" menu heading. These reports will include economic information, including government data. 
  • For state-level economic information, see the IBISWorld state reports. 
  • Statista:  Search for economic reports for the United States and for economic indicators (ex:  GDP). Most infographics in Statista can be downloaded to include in your paper.
  • The Business Source Complete and One Business databases will have articles related to the economy.

TIPS on finding trade sources:

  • Google industry keywords with the word "association."  ex:  "fast food" association
  • When you find a trade association website relevant to the industry, review the site's menu headings and/or use the search box on the site to look for information for your analysis (ex:  economic trends). 
  • Find Trade Source websites in an IBISWorld report by going to the "About this Industry" section of the report. Look for "Additional Resources."   
  • In a First Research industry report, look for the Websites section to find links to trade sources. 
  • Use keywords to search the Business Source Complete and One Business databases, and then filter results to trade publications.  
  • TIP:  Start with a company's Form 10-K, which is a government source. Look in the Business section of a public company's Form 10-K for information about the industry in which it operates. 
  • Also see the Risk section of the Form 10-K for risks related to the economy and government regulations.  
  • The Data USA site linked below has information and data charts for the entire United States and for states and cities.  You will find infographics that can be downloaded to include in your paper.

TIP:  Start by looking for WSJ articles.  Try Google to find WSJ articles.  Example:  "fast food" site:wsj.com 

The WSJ also has many articles on the economy.  Try this Google search:   economy site:wsj.com

Try the other databases linked below to find general business news articles (ex:  from WSJ, Forbes, local business newspapers).

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