This document summarizes Lorraine Oliver's presentation on Ashridge Library's subscription to the Key Note market research database. Key points include: - Key Note provides market reports, company profiles, and industry data for UK markets. It has been a subscriber for many years. - Reports cover consumer and B2B markets and include SWOT analyses, 5-year forecasts, and qualitative industry commentary. - Students and library staff find the reports easy to understand and download. Greater coverage of some sectors is desired. - The database provides company information and documents on over 7 million UK companies updated daily.

1. Key Note
BLA: market research databases
Lorraine Oliver
lorraine.oliver@ashridge.org.uk
Ashridge Library
December 2012

2. Ashridge profile
• Independent and small (just under 400 FTE)
• Qualification programmes: Masters level
only, including full-time and part-time MBA
• Executive education programmes
• Main users of Key Note: MBA students;
library information specialists (on behalf of
Faculty members and other staff).

3. Our subscription to Key Note
• Subscriber for many years: hard copy; CD ROM;
web (in 2000).
• Low maintenance subscription – rarely any student
queries, rarely any access issues
• Experience some slowness when new site first went
live

4. Market intelligence: coverage
• UK only
• Always a chapter on the global market
• Markets: consumer and B2B
• Market coverage suits Business School needs
• We take Business Monitor, GBI, Mintel, Passport
GMID plus market research on OneSource
• Often pleasantly surprised by the breadth in
coverage, eg.
– Arts & Media Sponsorship
– Childcare
– Metal Recycling
– Olympics 2012: the economic impact

5. Market intelligence: report types
Five report types:
• Market Report
– market sector (SWOT analysis included)
– 2 new chapters: company profiles & league tables
• Market Report Plus
– Covering more dynamic markets; provide additional industry
comment, graphs & brand activity
• Market Review
– Broader coverage: entire industry sector
• Market Assessment
– In depth strategic analysis, KN’s premium product – focus on
financial services, consumer & lifestyle sectors (PEST analysis)
• Market Update
– Updated analysis on dynamic markets
Source: Key Note website

6. Market research
Reports written by industry experts
Consist of:
• Primary research – surveys commissioned by Key Note carried
out by NEMS Market Research who also do field research
• Secondary data – sourced from TGI Survey
(consumer/demographic data), Nielsen Media Research
(advertising spend), and ONS
• Qualitative data – supplementary industry comment to
enhance the statistics is derived from telephone/f2f interviews
• 5-year market forecasts in every report – from statistical
analysis and trade research
• Company information (within the reports) sourced from ICC
Source: Key Note website

7. Likes
What we like
• Market report content – layout, easy to read
• Low maintenance
• Easy download options
What the students like…
• Easy to digest/understand
• SWOT analysis/PEST analysis
• Easy download options

8. What we would like to see…
• Greater coverage in certain market sectors
– Environment; Marketing; New Media; Telecommunications;
Green Consumer Markets
• Option to limit search by report type
• Enhance the ‘factors affecting the market’ feature
• All tabular data downloadable
• Charting tool

9. New features: Company information
• 7 million UK companies (updated daily)
• Executive (people) data
• ListBuilder function
• Some original company documents
• Business Ratio Reports
• UK PLC reports

10. Any questions?
Lorraine Oliver
lorraine.oliver@ashridge.org.uk
Ashridge Library

11. Key Note demo
http://www.keynote.co.uk