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A current awareness resource for students & faculty members in Business & Economics


Identifying megatrends when a big-picture perspective is required

Published by Mark Bodnar
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Simple line drawing of a bar + line chart with a question mark above it.
I've mentioned in past posts that you can't really do much in business without paying attention to the news. The world is changing constantly, so in addition to researching what is already known, it's important to also seek answers to such forward-looking questions as... 

"What's changing today that might affect industry X, market Y, and consumer-type Z?"

&

"Can I draw inferences about the effects of those changes on my organization, so I can prepare ahead of time (and perhaps ahead of others)?"

I truly believe there is no substitute for regularly reading general, business, and industry news to spot any clues that might help answer such questions. There are, however, shortcuts that can highlight "big picture" changes happening across society and help you understand their potential implications...

<Read on to discover megatrend reports, ebooks, articles...!>

Sustainable at all stages: changing the fashion industry

Published by Mark Bodnar

Cover of ebook: "Designing Fashion's Future: present practice and tactics for sustainable change"
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.

Green line drawing of clothing hanging on a laundry line
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!>

On meal kits: Primary research questions & secondary resources

Published by Mark Bodnar

Line drawing of a bowl with chopsticks
One of our BUS 345 sections (hi, D100!) will be doing some primary market research focused on meal kits this term.

The students have a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to choosing the research questions they want to explore, so it would be difficult to suggest specific resources and search strategies for them. Instead, I thought I'd try a different approach: 

Simple line drawing of two people with a light bulb above them to indicate creative ideas
I'll highlight just a few of the possible research questions to give you a sense of the range of research that goes into marketing (section A below). I'll aim to highlight the amount of lateral/creative thinking that a market researcher has to do, but my list won't be anywhere near as detailed as that of a real marketer.

Then I'll list the guides and blog posts that cover the sorts of resources I'd normally use to answer such questions (section B).

Finally, I'll return to the target product and talk about research resources that are specifically about meal kits (section C).

Here we go...   <Read on!>

A feast of resources for those researching alternative protein markets! (redux)

Published by Mark Bodnar

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>

One year in: The business of (legal) cannabis

Published by Mark Bodnar

Time flies when you're having fun...

drawing of a cannabis leaf with dollar signs between each segment
It was one year ago today that Canada legalized cannabis. Now that we are a year into this new world of legalized sale and consumption, we are seeing innovations such as edibles & low-cost, bulk buying, and there are reports of a boost to the economy of over $8 billion.

I thought I'd do a quick "anniversary" check today to see what new information resources might now be available on this hot topic... 

<Read on for lots of recent resources on this fast-changing topic!>

This post is not about Netflix...

Published by Mark Bodnar

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!>

Renewable energy industry information via SFU Library

Published by Mark Bodnar

I was just scanning the news (that's what a business researcher does to relax) and spotted the following story at the BBC site: Britain in two-week coal-free record.

As the article states, "Britain has not used coal to generate electricity for two weeks - the longest period since the 1880s." The move toward alternative energy sources is gathering momentum in the UK and having measureable impacts. [...]

Since I am an opportunist at heart, this is a chance for me to highlight the many alternative energy industry overviews available in our databases...

<Read on.. learn lots... take action...>

 

A feast of resources for those researching alternative protein markets!

Published by Mark Bodnar

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>

New feature in Statista: Business Plan Export for fast access to relevant data

Published by Mark Bodnar

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!>

Trending today... Cannabis business resources

Published by Mark Bodnar

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.

Image of a cannabis leaf with dollar signs interspersed between the leaves
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!>