A couple years ago I collaborated with our Interactive Arts & Technology Librarian on a series of posts about one of the "wicked problems" of our modern world: sustainability in the textile & fashion industries.

That series was published to support an interdisciplinary cohort of students in our Business of Design program, all of whom were working on projects to change the way fashion and its materials are designed, produced, purchased, and discarded... change of the sort that our world so desperately needs.

The word "change" is key here. The Business of Design program has changed to Make Change Studio, but the students involved are still trying to change the world, and they've returned to the topic of fixing fast fashion.

<Read on for an update and expansion of the original posts on fixing fast fashion!>

One of our marketing classes (BUS 345 E100) is going to be doing some primary research on alternative protein products & consumers again this semester.

In support of that class, I've listed some key resources, but students in other classes may also want to use this post as a case study to learn about some of the powerful market research tools available to SFU researchers.  Bon appetite!

<Read on for a menu of delicious databases! >

I spotted an interesting story in the Wall Street Journal this morning: "Netflix U.S. Users Decline, Sinking Its Stock --- Video service reports 130,000 fewer domestic subscribers in second quarter."

To be frank, what was interesting for me about this article wasn't the content -- as much as I like streaming Netflix shows while I fold the laundry, I don't really need an ongoing blow-by-blow of its subscriber numbers.  No, what caught my attention was that this would be a good chance to highlight a couple of my favourite SFU Library resources: Factiva and Statista. 

<Read on for details!>

A couple of our marketing classes are going to be doing some primary research on alternative protein products & consumers this semester.

In support of those classes, I've listed some key resources, but students in other classes may also want to use this post as a case study to learn about the powerful market research tools available to SFU researchers.  Bon appetite!

<Read on for a menu of delicious databases! >

Our Statista database has a new feature: Business Plan Export. 

Just to be clear: Business Plan Export does not deliver a business plan!  It does, however, gather secondary data that you might need when creating such a plan (or for many other purposes) and make it very simple to download with just a few clicks.  

Although this tool appears to be primarily aimed at those who are starting a new business, I think it has a wider audience as it is a real timesaver regardless of what you plan to do with the result.

<Read on for details!>

There's an old saying that "twice is a coincidence, but three times is a trend."  In the last half hour I've spotted three new cannabis/marijuana business related resources in our collection, tipping us over into trend territory.

Such a trend toward information on the business aspect of marijuana isn't really a surprise: with legalization just around the corner, businesses have been scrambling for months (if not years) to line up a good starting position.  The people who produce the reports, data, and ebooks needed to support new businesses have also been scrambling to fill this new niche.

If you are among those who are looking into this new market (academically or entrepreneurially), check out these new resources available through the SFU Library: 

<Click here for the resources!>

I just received the latest usage report on our Statista database and thought I'd share some interesting trends: 

During the month of October, SFU researchers used Statista to:

• view almost 5000 charts, topic reports, dossiers... more than 160/day;
• download over 580 images, slides & documents; and 
• research topics ranging from... <Read on for more!>

I just came across a great tip sheet from the Journalists' Resource: Free tools for visualizing economic data.

The title is pretty much self explanatory. I thought I'd mention it here because doing so gives me a chance to talk about the hot topic of data visualization and the indispensable Journalists' Resource...

As you may have heard, there's been some talk lately about reopening and renegotiating the NAFTA agreement. If you'd like to join that conversation and want to contribute more than just "alternative facts," consider consulting this handy dossier of statistics from our newest database: Statista...  <more>

Our BUS 345 students are going to be doing some taste tests again this semester, and this time the focus is on cheese!