Both market size and market share held by competitors are key factors when assessing the competitive environment. Keep in mind that there is no single source of market size and market share data. Market information is usually pieced together from various sources and is not often readily available for niche or emerging industries. One strategy is to combine a competitor's name or a comparable, established industry with the term market share in article databases or read market research reports. You will need to identify and describe your market – who your customers are and what the demand is for your products and services.
Library Resources
Access to the following sources may be available through your local public or academic library. For information on how to obtain a library card, and for additional information on using libraries in BC, please visit our Getting Access to Library Resources page.
ABI/INFORM Collection
How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.
Created by ProQuest this database contains full-text articles from over 1,000 business magazines and journals that track business conditions, trends, management techniques, corporate strategies, and industry-specific topics.
- Hollander, S. (2012, Jan 31). Tutor network scores to grow. Wall Street Journal.
Aristotle Circle, a national network of admissions experts based in New York, has purchased one of the largest peer tutoring companies in the country and plans to double its size by the end of the year, company officials announced Monday.
- Upbin, B. (2012, Mar 12). Knewton is building the world's smartest tutor. Forbes, 1.
Jose Ferreira runs a firm called Knewton that's building what could become the world's most valuable repository of the ways people learn. Knewton builds its software into online classes that watch students' every move: scores, speed, accuracy, delays, keystrokes, click-streams and drop-offs. Students go at their own pace, and the software continuously adapts to challenge and cajole them to learn based on their individual learning style.
Business Source Ultimate
How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Otherwise, contact your local library to see if they provide access.
Includes financial data, books, videos, company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry profiles, country reports, market research reports and case studies. Also includes information on industry trends, forecasts, outlooks, competitors, how to run a specific business and much more.
- Hille, A., Spieβ, C. K., & Staneva, M. (2016). More and more students, especially those from middle-income households, are using private tutoring. DIW Economic Bulletin, (6), 63-71.
"Private tutoring is playing an increasingly significant role in the education of many teenagers and children: In 2013, a total of 18 percent of students at the secondary level (approximately ages 10-17) worked with paid tutors; among students at the primary level (approximately ages 6-10), this figure stood at six percent. In the period between 2009 and 2013, an average of 47 percent of 17-year-old respondents indicated that they had received tutoring at least once in the course of their school careers."
- Waller, V. (2015). Intelligent tutoring. E.Learning Age, 8.
The article offers information about the implementation of adaptive learning in an organisation. Key topics being discussed include the adoption of e-learning programme as well as intelligent tutoring, and management training. Other critical information being discussed include pre-course exercise as well as the use of technology in learning.
eMarketer
How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Or, contact your local public or academic library for their access details.
Global market research and trend analysis database that focuses on Internet, e-business, online marketing, media, and emerging technologies.
UBC Library Business Databases
How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you may have access to business databases through the David Lam Management Research Library and Canaccord Learning Commons through the links below.
Full Listing By Title or Full Listing By Subject
There are two different ways to identify databases: Use "by title" if you already know the name; otherwise you can search the list "by subject" to find starting places for undertaking market research, finding articles or researching companies. To learn more about how you can access library resources if you are a community user or temporary visitor, check out the UBC Library Community Users & Visitors Guide. Community users and temporary visitors may have additional access restrictions to specific databases because of license agreements.
IBISWorld Industry Reports
How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.
IBISWorld research is an independent, professional publisher of high-quality market research reports. These reports analyze the underlying structure and external forces that drive an industry.
Try Primary Research
The main point of this guide is to introduce you to a wide range of secondary market research resources but keep in mind there is great value in analyzing other information including:
- Advertising, blogs and sales brochures
- Your personal network and employees
- Direct observation and interviews