Special Research Hints
Assignment #5

 The links on this page lead you to the appropriate pages where the specific item mentioned is found along with similar information sources listed in the Company & Industry Research Subject Guide and the Marketing Resources Subject Guide.

Special Note on Statistics:  Statistics can be put on a map through the GIS service available in the MAP COLLECTION.
 
 

A. Current Pricing and Distribution

Follow the instructions on your assignment sheet to answer these questions.  Visiting local stores and virtual stores that carry your product is really the best suggestion to follow for this part.

If you need additional information to help you figure out if what you found on the shelves is good or not so good news:

BEST SOURCES:

• Business Periodical Indexes and Abstracts
• Newspaper Indexes for Business
• News Broadcasts
• Popular Culture & Current Events
   
• Don't for get to check the company web site for stores and online purchasing!

Suggested search strategies:

1. Search for price or prices and your brand name.
2. Search for price or prices and your competitors' brand names.
3. If you get too much garbage, add the company name.
4. Still too much garbage? Narrow the search to price* in the subject or descriptor field.

B. Pricing

 For this section, you really need to sit down as a team and discuss these questions. Combine the information from Part A (above) and what you collected for Assignment #4, using the Assignment #4 Hints.
 
• BEST SOURCES:
   
  • Business Periodical Indexes and Abstracts
  • Newspaper Indexes for Business
  • News Broadcasts
  • Popular Culture & Current Events

• For additional articles try these recommended search strategies:
   
  1. Search for sales and your brand name.
  2. If this is too generic or you get too much, search for the phrase sales promotion* and your brand name.

C. Distribution

This section also requires you to come to a team consensus based on the information you have and add just a bit more information on distribution.. Knowing who has the information about the distribution system is the most difficult part.  Think carefully about whether or not you have seen trucks with your company or brand name.  If you have, then your company most likely owns at least part of the physical distribution system, which part often depends on where your product is sold.  Companies are not very forthcoming with information on their portion of the distribution system.  Generally, many larger labels or brands (e.g. Kraft Foods, Post Cereals, Black & Decker) own from the manufacturing plant to the retail distribution center.  The retailer (e.g. Target, K Mart, Safeway) owns from the distribution center to the individual retail store.  Certain industries, however, do not fit this mold.  Beverages, especially alcohol and soft drinks are franchises with their own local delivery system.  Automobiles and other motorized  forms of tranport are shipped directly from the factory to the dealer.  Talking to and visiting a local retailer, franchise, or dealer has been more productive than relying on the company headquarters for distribution information. If you need more DIRECTORY information to find local contacts:
 
• BEST DIRECTORY SOURCES:
  • Retail Directories
  • Specialized Directories

• BEST SOURCES:

• Business Periodical Indexes and Abstracts
• Newspaper Indexes for Business
• News Broadcasts
• Popular Culture & Current Events

• Recommend search  strategies:
   
  1. Search for (supply chain*) or distribut* and your brand name.
  2. For internet related aspects, search for
     • e commerce
     • electronic commerce
     • internet commerce
     • web commerce
     • e buying
     • electronic buying
     • web buying
     • internet buying
     • online buying
     • e purchasing
     • electronic purchasing
     • web purchasing
     • internet pruchasing
     • online pruchasing
       and your brand or company name.

D. Recommendations

The team must now review what you found in the sections above and develop your own proposal.

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