MK 270S: Principles of Marketing

• Concentration Ratios by industry sectors, from the Economic Censuses.
• Key Automotive Data: monthly (Ward's Auto)
• Restaurant Performance Index (National Restaurant Association)
• Retail Insight Center (National Retail Federation - registration recommended

Another handy Directory of Professional and Industry Associations and Societies is maintained by Job-Hunt.org.

The American Society of Association Executives maintains a directory of trade associations, membership societies, and other not-for-profit associations at its Gateway to Associations, which is searchable by keyword (but not by category).

Many national trade associations are also listed at:

• Association Links (SPI - plastics and chemicals)
• Associations (ThomasNet - manufacturing)
• Consumer Goods Related Trade Associations (Commerce Dept.)
• Aerospace Trade Association Websites (Commerce Dept.)
• Directory of Professional & Industry Associations and Societies (Job-Hunt.org)
• Food and Beverage Trade Associations (CareersInFood.com)
• Industry Association Links (Manufacturing.net)
• Industry Associations & Organizations (music recording industry)
• Listing of Major Trade Associations (The Planning Shop)
• U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USA.gov)

Anyone can publish on the internet. Resources found in the library have gone through an evaluation process before they get to you. If you choose to use the internet for research, you need to evaluate the information yourself by asking these questions:

Authority

• Who published this material?
• What are the author's qualifications?
  • Is this someone in your field of study with a Ph.D.?
  • What other research has this person done?
  • What is this person's reputation?
• Can the author be contacted if you have questions?
• What organization is sponsoring the website?
• Do you trust the author providing the information?

Accuracy

• Can you verify the accuracy of the information?
• Are other reputable sites linked to it?
• Is information cited properly?
• Is the information written well?  i.e., spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.

Currency

• When was this material published/put on the internet
• Are there links within this website that are dead?
• Is the site maintained and updated?
• If information is dated, does that make it less valuable?

Coverage

• Is the information presented in a manner that makes it easy to use?
• Does the website have images that add to the purpose of the site?
• How thoroughly is the subject covered?

Purpose

• What is the purpose of this page?
  • Is it to inform, explain, persuade, or sell a product?
• Is the information intended for a specific audience (high school students, scholars, etc.)?
  • Is the intended audience useful/appropriate for your research?
• Is information presented objectively or does it have a bias?
  • If it has a bias (e.g., a specific political or philosophical point of view) does that detract from the usefulness to you?

Although this list of questions is not exhaustive, do you feel confident that the information presented on the website you are evaulating is of use for you and your research?

(courtesy of McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)