To find definitions or descriptions of hospitality industry segments such as: foodservice/restaurants, lodging/hotels, travel and tourism, and event planning, here are a few strategies utilizing a variety of resources:
Encyclopedias
Our library's Credo Reference collection is a good place to find dictionaries and encyclopedias that will provide definitions of hospitality industry segments. Find Credo linked in the library's RESEARCH menu, or in the Databases: A-Z List.
Try searching it for terms such as:
- hospitality industry
- food service industry
- restaurant industry
For example, see this encyclopedia: A Profile of the Hospitality Industry
Books
Follow these steps to locate books that provide definitions or descriptions of hospitality industry segments:
1. Navigate to the library's homepage.
2. Look for the large search box in the middle of the page.
3. Click the BOOKS & EBOOKS tab. (See the screenshot below.)
4. Type your keywords into the search. For example:
- (lodging OR hotel) AND industry
- (foodservice OR restaurant) AND industry
5. Click the "search" button. A new window will open, and your search results will be displayed.
6. Click a book title. A new window will open with details about the book and how to access the full text.
For example see this book: The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries
Industry Profiles
Industry profiles are found in many subject specific business databases. They provide information on current market forces and trends, analyze industry performance, identify leading companies, and gather aggregate financial data and forecasts.
A great database to find industry profiles is Business Source Complete, which you can access from the Hospitality subject page.
To find industry profiles:
- Enter your keywords into the first search box. For example: lodging OR hotel.
- Enter industry profile into the second box.
Search Tip: You can search the other industries in a similar way such as: (travel OR tourism) AND industry profile.
To get you started, see this example: Travel & Tourism Industry Profile
Articles
You can also search for other resources, such as articles, to find industry definitions using the Everything search found on the library’s home page by following these steps:
1. Navigate to the library's homepage.
2. Look for the large search box in the middle of the page.
3. Type your keywords into the search. For example:
- (lodging OR hotel) AND industry
- (foodservice OR restaurant) AND industry
4. Click the "search" button. A new window will open, and your search results will be displayed.
For example, this article provides industry segment definitions for the foodservice industry: Restaurant and foodservice research
See Also:
- Hospitality Management Research Strategies Guide: This guide provides pointers for getting started with your customer and employee relations research using library databases and open websites.
hosp100
Subject Pages
Getting Started