LibGuides: Business Plan Development: Internet Resources

Internet Resources

U.S. Census - NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
GlobalEdge Industry Profiles from Michigan State University:
Harvard Business School Baker Library Industry Overview Research:
U.S. Small Business Administration – Writing a Business Plan:
Manta:
Search for individual businesses, industry segments and geographic-specific listings.
Business: Demographics Research Guide (Contra Costa County Library):
A list of California and federal government demographic information resources.
American FactFinder from the U.S. Census Bureau:
Community facts from U.S. Census data. Search by state, county, city, town, or zip code.
County Business Patterns from the U.S. Census Data:
Provides the number of establishments by employment-size classes by detailed industry in the U.S. Search by zip code; can even compare by zip codes.
Consumer Expenditures for the SF Bay Area from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
California Economic Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics- Western Information Office:
IBISWorld Industry Research Reports:
Overview of industry; provides limited amount of information for free.
Nielsen My Best Segments PRIZM – Zip Code Lookup:
Local consumer household segment information.
Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition:
Presents data for a single type of business and geography at a time.
Census Business Builder
Regional Analyst Edition: Presents data for all sectors of the economy and for one or more counties.

Research Tip: Internet Resources

Research Tip: Locating credible internet resources.

-The same research tips as suggested for locating articles in library databases (see above) apply to locating credible internet resources: use key terms, quotation marks around key phrases, and Boolean operators (AND, OR) to broaden or narrow your search.

-Send yourself an email with links and a brief description of the websites you locate. This will help you when you go to cite your sources.