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ADM 1192 - Business Planning & Entrepreneurship (FR) Guide Ask Us

Guide Sections

Getting Started

Getting Started

Liberate Your Idea

Write your idea on a sheet of paper and work through the pros and cons with your group. 

  • What need are you addressing?
  • Do you have a product/service in mind that can address this need? 
  • Is it technologically feasible? 
  • How will your product/service benefit people? 
  • Who is your customer? 
  • What industry/market is your idea part of?  For example, Uber is primarily a ride-sharing service so it is part of the transportation industry.  
  • What geographical area is your group thinking of targeting?

Google Search

Once you've decided on a product/service, try a broad Google search. 

Ask yourself "who would care and where would they share the information about this topic"?  This simple question can really help to identify potential sources. Try to focus on free reports that are generated by government (national/provincial/local), consulting firms, non-profits or trade associations.  

Try using Google's Advanced Search feature to make your searches more effective. Take advantage of features such as limiting to certain domains to help find sites that will be useful to your project.

Using Google, you are likely to find lots of information; but is the information good?  Is the source credible?  These are questions you need to answer before using the information as a source. 

Careful evaluation of your sources is essential to ensure that your conclusions are based on sound evidence. Stating a claim as a fact or saying “studies show” or “experts say” is not acceptable. Your professors will expect you to cite the study/source you have used. 

To assist in your evaluation process, a number of libraries suggest that students use the CRAAP Test. A similar source evaluation tool is PROVEN by Ellen Carey. Each tool offers a list of questions designed to help students evaluate the quality of a resource and whether it is worthy of being included in your work.

Keep track of your sources.  Being organized and keeping good notes about where you found your sources will make it much easier when citing these sources in your project. 

 

 

Subject Specialties:
Business & Finance, Entrepreneurship, Industry & Market Research, Competitive Intelligence, Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, Leadership Studies

Last modified on March 28, 2024 18:21