E-Book Overview
Search Smart and Get Ahead clearly explains the methods for conducting business research, defines market and competitive research, and explains how to best use the Internet as a research tool. It also teaches how to use statistics, and how to collect and organize date. Plus, the pages are filled wit useful sidebars, self-assessment quizzes, checklists, and worksheets.
E-Book Content
SEARCH SMART AND GET AHEAD by Susan Shelly
®
NEW YORK
Copyright © 2000 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York. Shelly, Susan. Search Smart and Get Ahead / by Susan Shelly. p. cm. ISBN 1-57685-202-4 1. Business—Research—Methodology I. Title. HD30.4.S5 1999 650'.07'2—dc21
II. Series. 99-20289 CIP
Printed in the United States of America 987654321 First Edition
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1: What Exactly is Business Research? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2: Making Sure You Understand What You’re Researching . . . . 11 Chapter 3: Choosing the Right Method of Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Chapter 4: Getting Started with Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Chapter 5: Identifying the Kind of Information You’ll Need . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chapter 6: Using the Library for Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chapter 7: Pick Up the Phone and Start Dialing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 8: Take a Walk Down the Hallway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Chapter 9: Get on the ‘Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Chapter 10: Mail and Telephone Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 11: Conducting a Great Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Chapter 12: Focus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Chapter 13: Digging In: Sometimes You’ve Got to Roll Up Your Sleeves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Chapter 14: When Do You Need to Consider Outside Help? . . 149 Chapter 15: What Does All This Data Mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Chapter 16: Figuring Out Where and How to Store Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Chapter 17: Show Me the Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Chapter 18: Even if Your Results are Boring, Your Presentation Doesn’t Have to Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Chapter 19: Tying it Together: Measuring the Success of Your Business Research Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Chapter 20: Here’s How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Appendix: Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
CHAPTER 1
WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?
O
h, and the day had started off so well. You came to work—the job you’ve had for just six months but are doing really well at—with a big smile. You were feeling just great. Your boss has been telling you how happy he’s been with your work, and promised that today you were going to get a special assignment. You’re thinking that if you do a good job at whatever this mystery assignment might be, you’ll probably be considered for a raise. If you get the raise, you’d be able to move to a better apartment, and . . . well, no point in thinking about all that now. There’s no poi