While there are many useful hard copy reference sources, currency is especially important for business so on-line and web- based information has an advantage. Still, the research library and public library collection will include a strong book collection. Library Journal issues its best business books of the year list in the 15 March issue. The Baker Library at Harvard Business School provides a most useful list of its new books. This leading business library also has a comprehensive list of research guides which are invaluable.
According to a somewhat casual recent survey, the two most used business reference books are Business Information Sources by Lorna Daniells and the Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources by Gale [really a bibliography and not an encyclopedia]. Business Information: How To Find It, How to Use It will be an essential desk item when the new edition is released.
A 2004 survey identified the top ten reference sources as:
Other print titles frequently mentioned include:
Many useful business files appear on Dialog. On-line equivalents are not usually listed below, but a quick browse through the Dialog Database Catalog will identify many useful files. As an increasing number of traditional on-line databases are found on vendor websites via library or information agency gateways, traditional on-line searching is likely to decline. You may substitute on-line for print or web sources where they are comparable or better. Do become familiar with Dialog business titles such as the American Business Directory and Annual Reports Abstracts. These files will save you considerable effort and are substantially more current than the print sources. This is the one SS discipline/profession were on-line searching experience is essential, especially in corporate libraries and information centers.
Lexis-Nexis also has many valuable libraries and files such as Hoover's Handbooks and many full text news files useful for international business information requests. Currency is crucial in business reference and on-line sources are notably more current. Contrary to popular thinking, much of the current business news is still available only via fee based on-line or web sources.
There are many on-line sources devoted to business. ABI/Inform is heavily used, is well regarded, and is worth your attention if locally available.
**Please note that there are thousands of useful business sites on the web and that many business issues and concerns are inter- or multi- disciplinary. These are examples. They should be useful, but may not be the best.
An excellent tutorial on researching companies on the Internet.
Facsnet provides a good article on how to read a financial report. You may be asked to help a user understand one.
Librarian's Toolbox for Business.
Lisa Lowe, business reference librarian at Kent State also has a guide to print and digital resources for company research.The New York Public Library has created a solid guide to searching for company information.
Rutger's University Libraries: General Business Resources is an excellent guide [not a tutorial].
Annual reports from around the world may be found here. The Report Gallery offers more than 2000 annual reports, including most of the Fortune 500. Search by name, ticker symbol, industry.
EDGAR Database for current and past SEC filings.
Businesshistory.net provides historical information on selected firms and links to other business history sites.
Kipnotes is probably the site with the most information on business history.
FindLaw Business Site is comprehensive and up-to-date.
CompetiaNews is a free newsletter on the CI industry.
Competitive Intelligence Resource Index is another comprehensive site.
Fuld & Company is a leading CI firm providing access to a large number of CI related sites. Note the useful dictionary of CI terms.
The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals website is a good place to begin.
Although not a web source, Super Searchers on Competitive Intelligence: the Online and Offline secrets of Top CI Researchers by Margaret Carr is quite helpful.
Gary Price's Fast Facts
NASDAQ has created a glossary of stock market terms and phrases.
New York Times Glossary of Financial Terms
Yahoo Glossary of Financial Terms
BPubs: the Business Publications Search Engine provides access to full-text articles from online business websites and some periodicals.
business.com claims to be the most comprehensive web source for business information. Its company profiles are especially useful.
Business.gov is the "business gateway to federal government resources."
Caseplace.org is comprehensive site for business cases used in instruction. You may browse by topic or discipline [accounting for example].
COExpress: Business Portal for Executives is a selective and quite useful set of links.Market News International, via its Economeister site provides business news designed to help users predict future events.
Google does quite a good job with industry searches especially if you specify the domain suffix.LookSmart's Find Articles in business publications. Registration required. Some articles are free.
Proteus Corporate Edition provides quick access to a variety of carefully selected sites.
Rutgers University Libraries has brought together the leading business research resources in a series of excellent guides to various aspects of business and finance.
Sitrends.org is a useful clearinghouse for information about the service industries throughout the world.
U.S. Economy at a Glance in charts for the last six months. Official data and analysis. The Enhanced Overview of the U.S. Economy is a complementary source by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Verticalnet provides good access to about 60 industries.
The Wall Street Executive Library contains much useful reference material.
Websites for Business Journalists.
Yahoo listing of trade associations.
With the change from SIC codes to NAIC codes, you will need to be able to relate old industry codes to the new. The Census Bureau has a helpful site for this task.
The Banking Channel is a reasonably comprehensive source of information on banking.
Competia has well organized access to information about a variety of industries.The Harvard Business School Library has an excellent guide to finding industry information.
Rutger's University Libraries Subject Research Guides: Business: Industry Research is an excellent guide.
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. Registration required.
BBC News: Business provides excellent global coverage.
The Federation of International Trade Associations is especially useful for those interested in international trade.
GlobalEdge, by Michigan State University, is an excellent source of information about world business. The online course modules are especially useful.
The International Business Resource Connection at the University of Kansas School of Business is an excellent source for anyone doing business abroad.
Rocketnews has excellent, up-to-date coverage of international and foreign business.
Rutgers University Libraries: Resources for International Business.Tradeport is a useful site devoted to international trade. Strong on market research.
American Marketing Association, especially the marketing tools and dictionary.
KnowThis: for Marketing includes a variety of information.The University of Texas Advertising World also includes much useful information on marketing.
The Market Research Portal is a good source of current information about market research. Note the learning about market research and conducting market research sections.
Miningco.com Marketing Guidesite provides access to many useful articles and sites especially good for introductory information.
Trendwatching.com. Helpful free newsletters on trends and fads.
Big Charts provides current stock information for the major indexes as well as historical context.
Bloomberg is the leading provider of business information. Some good content available free.
The Business Filing Database is a state by state directory of links to free and fee databases of public business records.
Business Information Directory, Small Business Search Engine provides links to articles, forms, assistance, and businesses.
EnterWeb: Small Business Portal is a clearinghouse on the several aspects of small business.Findlaw, the well-known provider of authoritative legal information has created the the FindLaw Small Business Center.
The Free Management Library created by the Virginia McKnight Binger Fund and the Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits is aimed at those with limited resources.
Inc. com is the small business periodical. Article archive and resource centers.The Small Business Administration includes a wide variety of excellent information on all aspects of this topic. The Office of Advocacy is the "voice for small business in the Federal Government."
There are a growing number of queries about beginning a small business. Many web sites focus on this area. the Small Business Knowledge Base claims to be the largest small business guide.
Advanced Stock Information includes a considerable amount of current information.
InvestorGuide.com is a comprehensive investment portal. Do take the site tour first.
Mutual Fund Connection provides access to much data on the industry.
1. A professor in finance needs you to introduce corporate finance sources on the web. Prepare an annotated list of five reasonably comprehensive sites. Comment on the assets and liabilities of these sites.
2. A public library patron is interested in the largest fast food outlets in the United States. Which are the five largest in the U.S.? Useful sources? Good sources for current market share?
*3. You have been asked to locate biographical information on David Novak, Chairman of Yum! Which business reference source provides the most and the most current information?
4. A student needs to locate information on EDGAR for an undergraduate business course. What is EDGAR? How do you use it? Is EDGAR available on the web? Can you retrieve a 10K report for Merck? What does it tell you?
5. An investor needs to locate current information on the likely future of General Motors. Which sources would be best?
6. A customer wishing to purchase some model railroad equipment priced in pounds needs to convert pounds into dollars. Can you find reasonably current currency conversion web sites? Do they all agree? Which is best?
7. A local business person is interested in exporting a product to Australia. He is looking for relatively current information on export opportunities in as well as information on government regulations and tariffs. Which sources were most useful in responding to this question?
8. A patron at the William C. Robinson Memorial Public Library is interested in investing in a stock listed on the American Stock Exchange. He would like to know more about the exchange and its stocks.
9. A patron at the William C. Robinson Memorial Public Library is interested in investing in a stock listed on the NASDAQ exchange and wants to know more about it. You might go to their web site, but consider other more objective sources.
10. A patron at the William C. Robinson Memorial Public Library has heard about a business news service by Bloomberg. Useful and objective sources?
11. Business forecasting is extremely important in a fast-changing, global economy. Identify and evaluate three reasonably comprehensive websites that might be useful in answering queries about the future.
12. A patron has asked you to help her with the question: "what are the top 10 companies in the office supply business?" Useful sources?
13. A patron has read that more is spent on cat and dog food that books? What can you discover?
14. A graduate student has asked for Frost and Sullivan Reports. What can you find out about these reports and their utility?
15. You have been asked to teach a course in business information sources at a nearby library school. You feel that it would be helpful to have a text or guide. Which title would you chose? Why?
16. As a new public library reference librarian, you have been asked to select business materials, primarily books. Which of the several standard general reviewing sources would be most helpful in selecting new business books?
17. A business student has been assigned CSX Corporation as a paper topic. He is supposed to profile the company and evaluate its likely future success. What search strategy would you suggest? Which sources would be most useful?
18. An amateur investor has come to the public library looking for information on Bell South. She would like to look at their most recent annual report, but is also interested in basic information on the company. Which sources would you suggest? Why?
19. A patron needs information on Levi Strauss. She had difficulty finding information in the standard sources. You discover that this is a private company. What does that mean? Which sources deal with private companies?
20. A patron interested in the CSX Corporation wants to know more about its subsidiaries. What sources might be helpful in learning more about who owns whom?
21. A local business person wants to know more about Japanese business firms in Tennessee, especially those in automobile parts. What sources might be usefl?
22. After reading a newspaper story on Rhone-Poulenc, a patron wants more information on this French corporation. What sources provide useful, current information on larger foreign firms?
23. A graduate student has asked you which of the several on-line data bases provide the best coverage of business in Tennessee. What would you say?
24. A marketing student needs demographic information on the 37803 ZIP code. Useful sources?
25. A patron wants information on State Farm (the insurance company). In particular, she wants to know how profitable the insurance company is. What can you find?
26. You have been asked to locate biographical information on Jurgen Schrempp . Most useful sources?
27. A public library is interested in adding a few websites to support its small business collection. Which comprehensive sites would you suggest and why?
28. A local business person is interested in the likely impact of the rising cost of petroleum on his business. How would your proceed?
29. An investor has heard that investments in gold can be very profitable, but knows little about the gold market. What sources might be helpful in providing him with an introduction and background?
30. A patron is interested in investing for retirement. She is considering real estate investment trusts, but needs information on their past performance. Are their comprehensive, reasonably objective web sites for such an investment?
31. A library science student needs information on marketing for not-for-profit organizations. What business sources would be useful for this need?
32. A business student has been asked to learn more about two brand names. She has two: "A-1 Steak Sauce," and "Little Debbie snacks." What can you discover about these brands?
33. You are working in a public library. A local business person needs supply sources for plow bolts in the Southeast. What can you find?
34. A student in advertising wants to know which advertising firm has the Union Pacific account.What sources might be helpful, especially for current changes?
35. You have been asked to make a brief presentation on the Standard Rate and Data Service for an undergraduate course in marketing. Outline your presentation. Emphasize utility for this audience.
36. A user wants to know more about the Fortune 500 and the Forbes 500. In particular,she wants to know if the selection criteria are the same. You might look at the Forbes WWW site, and the Fortune web site.
