Foster Business Library


Marketing 445 Resources


Selected resources for Multicultural Marketing, Marketing 445. For a much more extensive collection of resources on this topic, see the library research guide for Multicultural Marketing.
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Foster Business Library Databases:

    The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of over fifty databases on its homepage; see under Databases. For a complete list of Foster databases, see the List of All Business Databases. Access to these databases from off campus requires that you first go to the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. These resources may not be accessed from off campus except by those with a valid UW Net ID and password. For more information on Foster business databases, click Databases, A-Z. For information on which Foster business databases to use, see the Database Index. For information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, see Database Access. For guidelines on responsible database usage, see Database Usage.

  • Gale Virtual Reference Library:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under List of All Business Databases.   The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research; go to Business for such major business sources as the Encyclopedia of American Industries, the Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, the Encyclopedia of Small Business, the Encyclopedia of Global Industries, as well as all thirteen volumes of the Business Plans Handbook.

  • ReferenceUSA:   Directory information for 12 million companies in the U.S.  Companies can be searched for by name, business activity, size and location. With this database, it is possible to identify businesses by geographic area (city, county, state, street, zip code, area code, but not neighborhood) and type of business, as well as by number of employees and gross annual sales.

Web Resources:

    Unlike library databases, Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources. For a subject index to web resources, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage.

  • American Factfinder:   This U.S. Census Bureau site allows you to obtain demographic information from the year 2000 census on states, counties, cities, metropolitan statistical areas, census-designated places, and zip codes—but not neighborhoods. A Census-Related Place is defined as a "statistical entity, defined for each decennial census according to Census Bureau guidelines, comprising a densely settled concentration of population that is not within an incorporated place, but is locally identified by a name.” A CDP is sometimes the closest you can get to a neighborhood. Go to the People section to select the level of data you wish to obtain. If you want business information about firms in an area, such as in a CDP, go to the Business and Government section.

  • Consumer Expenditure Surveys:   This Bureau of Labor Statistics site provides a wealth of data about consumer spending in the United States. Demographic information such as average number in consumer unit, percent male and female, education level, age and income groups, is detailed along with average annual expenditures consisting of fourteen main categories: food, alcoholic beverages, housing, apparel and services, transportation, health care, entertainment, personal care products and services, reading, education, tobacco products and smoking supplies, miscellaneous, cash contributions, and personal insurance and pensions. Data is available back to 1984 and is sorted by metropolitan statistical areas, regions and other groupings. For Seattle consumer expenditure data by product category, for 2003-2004, click here.

  • Inc Magazine:   This small business magazine offers a wealth of information at its website. See their How-To Guides, including Raising Start-Up Capital. See also their Articles By Topic section, for Inc.Com articles on writing a business plan, starting a business, buying a business or franchise, marketing and advertising, offices and operations, running a one-person business, and sales. See also their Inc 500 List, of companies with an average age of eight years and with a median employee headcount of 68. See also the magazine's Inner City 100 List (from 2002).

  • Seattle Office, Small Business Administration:   This site offers a wealth of free resources for starting, financing and expanding a business. See their 2006 PDF Small Business Resource Guide in 43 pages. See also their local Business Development section. The Office of Economic Research, at the SBA's Office of Advocacy, also includes statistics on minorities and women in business and as business owners.

Foster Business Library Reference Collection:

    The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in Foster, arranged by call number. Reference materials cannot be checked out; they may only be used in the library.

  • Seattle metro yellow pages.
    An excellent and easy to use source for local business information, this directory is also a link to resources often more valuable than web and print resources: people working in business and industry.
    Foster Business Library Reference Desk, Annual

    There is an index in the back of the yellow pages by subject term that makes navigating this resource easier.

  • The sourcebook of zip code demographics.
    This thick paperback provides up-to-date demographic information, by zip code, for every residential and non-residential zip code location in the U.S., with population, households, ethnicity, age, income, spending potential on financial services, home, entertainment, and personal, dominant lifestyle segmentation, business data including number of businesses and dominant industry, forecasts, etc.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA203 .S66 2002.

    See Washington state on pages 348-A to 354-C; for Seattle, see zip codes 98001 to 99403 on pages 348A to 348D, pages 506 to 508, and pages 653 to 655. For Yakima, see zip codes 98901 to 98908 on pages 352A to 352D, page 507, and page 655.

  • Puget Sound Business Journal book of lists.
    This annual publication is an invaluable source of information about public and private companies in the Puget Sound area, culled from lists that appeared weekly in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Besides lists of the largest and fastest growing public and private companies in the area, this reference work includes commercial real estate deals, banks and securities firms, contractors, education and employment, health care, title companies, marketing firms, nonprofits, professional services, executive compensation, real estate, retailers, software developers, biotech and travel and recreation. There is an index to companies and topics in the back of this volume.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC108 .S77 .P83 (Annual)

    In the 2008 edition, see pages 150 to 151 for Largest Minority-Owned Businesses.

  • The business plans handbook.
    This multi-volume set is a compilation of over 200 actual business plans developed by entrepreneurs seeking small business funding. See the cumulative index in the latest volume to locate business plans by type of business. See the latest volume as well for listings of venture capital firms, business plan templates, and small business development centers.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .B865
    (Also available online, under Databases, in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, above)

  • Financial studies of the small business..
    This annual ring-bound compilation covers small businesses under one million dollars in capitalization, in retail, wholesale, services, contracting, professional services and manufacturing. Data is available for total assets, sales volume, 25% most profitable and five year trends.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2346 .U5 .F55a (Annual)

    This compilation provides industry ratios for some but not all kinds of small business.

  • Demographics USA: county edition.
    This large paperback provides in-depth demographics, for people, races, households, and businesses, for U.S. states, cities, and counties, with consumer and buying power data. Also included is retail sales and employment data.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF3007 .S96 (Annual)

    See Washington demographics by county (including ethnicity) on page 5-45, household data on pages 7-45 and 7-46, effective buying income on pages 8-46 and 8-46, retail sales and establishments on pages 9-123 to 9-124, five year projections on page 11-45, consumer expenditures on pages 12-45 and 12-46, and Seattle data on page 15-5.

  • Demographics USA: zip edition.
    This large paperback provides in-depth demographics, for both people and businesses, for U.S. zip codes.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.3 .D463 (Annual)

    In the 2006 edition, see Washington data on pages 2-290 to 2-296, for zip codes 98001 to 99403; on pages 3-15 to 3-16; on pages 3-31 to 3-32; pages 3-47 to 3-48; pages 4-2, 4-4, and 4-6; on pages 5-403 to 5-406; on pages 6-403 to 6-411; and on pages 7-403 to 7-411.

  • The lifestyle market analyst.
    Market analysis information including demographic, geographic and lifestyle information to identify who customers are, where they live, how they spend their time and money and how to reach them.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.33 .U6 .L54 (Annual)

    In the 2005 edition, see Seattle-Tacoma on pages 588 to 589, and Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick on pages 700 to 701.

  • RMA annual statement studies.
    Norms and ratios for many industries and sizes of business, itemized by asset size, and categorized by four digit SIC code.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .B2 .R6 (Annual)

    This title is one of the three standard sources of industry ratios.

  • Industry norms and key business ratios.
    Key business ratios for 800 S.I.C industry categories, a publication of Dun & Bradstreet.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .R25 .I525 (Annual)

    This title is one of the three standard sources of industry ratios.

  • Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios.
    This annual publication, edited by Leo Troy, offers a different take on ratios than the title above. The arrangement of industries is by SIC code.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .R25 .T68 (Annual)

    This title is one of the three standard sources of industry ratios.

Foster Business Library Articles:

Help:

19 January 2007; updated 25 January 2008.   Peter Stevens, Business Librarian, stevens@u.washington.edu