{"id":45,"date":"2026-08-21T16:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T20:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/businessintel\/?post_type=back-matter&p=45"},"modified":"2026-08-25T15:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:23:18","slug":"business-communication","status":"publish","type":"back-matter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/businessintel\/back-matter\/business-communication\/","title":{"raw":"Business Communication","rendered":"Business Communication"},"content":{"raw":"

Business Communication<\/h1>\r\n

If you are taking Business Communication (COMM 205), you are probably a new student at JMSB. This guide is designed by Olivier Charbonneau, Senior Business Librarian at Concordia University, and aims to support the activities planned by your instructor over the semester. Here is a 30 minute video about successfully searching for authoritative and relevant\u00a0sources<\/strong>\u00a0to support your\u00a0claims<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n

[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/WAd0-Np7sio?si=9vERHyp7JYv1coUI[\/embed]<\/p>\r\n

See also, these other library guides<\/strong>: 1)\u00a0Business Research Portal<\/a>\u00a0for the best business sources; use the 2)\u00a0Ask-A-Librarian<\/a>\u00a0to get help by drop-in Zoom sessions or live chat; and the 3)\u00a0citing business sources in APA format<\/a>\u00a0for your bibliography.<\/blockquote>\r\n

Before we begin with the guide for COMM 205 Business Communication, you are highly recommended to also review the guide for\u00a0Contemporary Business Thinking (COMM 210)\u00a0as the elements presented there are not repeated here. On the COMM 210 guide, Olivier presents how and why you should use tools to\u00a0search the Internet, such as Google<\/strong>\u00a0(don\u2019t: you have to train your Google first!<\/em>), the\u00a0role of Wikipedia<\/strong>\u00a0for University research (inspiration, not information<\/em>) as well as how to use the\u00a0library\u2019s collections of market or industry reports as well as trade news or research articles<\/strong>\u00a0(Pro tip: USE LIBRARY SOURCES!!!<\/em>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The COMM 205 Business Communication guide is divided in 2 sections below:\u00a01) Top 5 secondary sources to use for your COMM 205 paper; and 2) Get the most from the library as a new JMSB student.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Top 5 secondary sources for your COM 205 paper<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1.<\/strong> IBISWorld: 1000+\u00a0industry reports<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for Canada, USA, China and global. Search by\u00a0North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)<\/a> and get the industry report relevant for the company<\/strong> you are interested in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NCX0WcxOFrU&feature=emb_imp_woyt[\/embed]<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Olivier Charbonneau presents IBISWorld<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Passport by Euromonitor<\/a><\/strong>: Consumer reports for 180+ countries, includes Canada. Get the \"Consumer lifestyles in Canada<\/strong>\" reports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R2O9bC2_hMI&feature=emb_logo[\/embed]<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Olivier Charbonneau presents Passport by Euromonitor<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. OECD iLibrary reports<\/a><\/strong>: Every few years, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an association of mostly rich countries, produces a detailed \"Economic Survey of Canada<\/strong>\" - the best recap of our economy out there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. CRTC Media Monitoring <\/a><\/strong>report: every year, the Canadian Radio-Telecommunication Commission, a federal government agency, produces a report of our media, news and internet consumption. It provides a recap of a lot of data from Statistic Canada as well as some primary information as well. The media and Internet landscape is important for so many industries that this report is essential for all JMSB students. If you read French, the NETandances studies<\/a> are also of interest as they are produced by a research center at Universit\u00e9 Laval.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5. Get articles but forget Google<\/strong>!! Use Trade news and research articles from ProQuest Business Databases<\/strong><\/a>. ProQuest is an aggregator of business news and research articles. It is better than Google because if covers only sources related to your needs. There is a lot of noise on the Internet and this makes for bad sources in undergraduate papers. In your case, forget Google and use ProQuest<\/strong> ! Look for your company name, its brands, the industry name, consumer behavior or segments, business trends and anything else. For local French language sources, use Eur\u00e9ka on the articles tab of the Business Research portal.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Get the most from your library<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1)\u00a0Most of the important resources you need to succeed are listed on the library's Business Research Portal<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2)\u00a0Use the Ask-A-Librarian<\/a>\u00a0to get help by drop-in Zoom sessions or live chat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3) Make sure you access the\u00a0citing business sources in APA format<\/a>\u00a0for your bibliography.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Good luck!<\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>","rendered":"

Business Communication<\/h1>\r\n

If you are taking Business Communication (COMM 205), you are probably a new student at JMSB. This guide is designed by Olivier Charbonneau, Senior Business Librarian at Concordia University, and aims to support the activities planned by your instructor over the semester. Here is a 30 minute video about successfully searching for authoritative and relevant\u00a0sources<\/strong>\u00a0to support your\u00a0claims<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n