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This web file is meant to accompany sessions conducted by a course instructor from the BHCC Business Department and a BHCC Library Instructor.


BUSINESS RESEARCH -- ONLINE DATABASES

Formulating search strategies -- example one

Let's begin by considering an approach to using subscription databases to gather information. We can start broad by trying a search using the company's name and general terms. Formulating a search strategy can take two parts: figuring out what the main concepts are and then figuring out how the particular database names those concepts. Of course, it also helps to know a little bit about a web site and its search tool before you get started. Let's use LEXIS-NEXIS as an example of using an online source for the first time.

Go to the following web address: Before you begin using this site, click on How Do I?, to find general information on how the use the site and gain some control over your search time. For example, following the link Find information on a small, specialized industry? will give you some information that will help you find information for this assignment.

To perform a search, try selecting Business and clicking on the hypertext link for Business News. Set the parameters of your search by indicating that you are interested in searching Industry News for the Previous Six Months (follow the screen prompts) and in the keyword field type something general like hotel chains. Scroll down the search page to consult the TIPS; apply what you learn to get the best search results.


Formulating search strategies -- example two

Remember to try to learn something new from every database you use. Also recall that Web search tools and databases use different wordlists (authority controlled vocabulary) to organize their content. Watch for search assistance tools like a "Thesaurus" or some other type of context relevant list of terms used by the information organizers.

If you are doing a topic that involves manufacturing companies, The Thomas Register is a specialized resource that could prove useful. Although the site asks you to register, registration is free. You can find the 34 volume paper version of The Thomas Register on the BHCC library shelf using the call number Ref T12 .T6 2000.

Again, it helps to know a little bit about a web site and its search tools before you start. Try looking for the Help or FAQ section; this helps you get some control over your search time. Since Web search tools and databases often use different wordlists (authority controlled vocabulary) to organize their content, their help files can give you some short cuts to searching. Try the Search Tips found in the FAQ file for the Thomas Register. In addition, the company listing product links can lead you to the product headings and the product descriptive keywords used in the Thomas Register database.

If we start at the The Thomas Register homepage and do a search for sneakers under “Product or Service,” we won’t find a whole lot of information. The companies that we do find don’t actually have anything to do with sneaker manufacturers. To find out what words The Thomas Register might be using to describe sneakers, run a search for a known manufacturer, Nike, and see what their information says. If you can’t think of a company, try synonyms for sneakers like footwear or athletic shoes.


Selected online databases

There are a number of electronic databases that are available for free to Bunker Hill Community College students and employees. As long as you have a Bunker Hill library card, you can access these databases from on-campus or off-campus; you just have to remember to choose the right link.Use your research topics coupled with the database descriptions to decide which online services are most appropriate for your research.
You might want to start with:

  • Lexis/Nexis
    • Business news (most full-text)
    • Company information search
    • Accounting literature
    • Directories

  • InfoTrac Web
    • General Business File ASAP (trade publications, newspapers, journals, company directories)
    • Business and Company ASAP (business and trade journals, newspapers, company directories)

  • EBSCO
    • Business Source Premier (scholarly business journals, many full-text)
    • Regional Business News (journals, newspapers, newswires)
    • Newspaper Source (regional U.S. and international newspapers and newswires)

      Note: If you are off campus you will be asked to enter the 14-digit library barcode number (located on the back of your ID card) and then your last name. You will then enter the databases.

BUSINESS RESEARCH -- REFERENCE AND PRINT RESOURCES

To find out what Reference and print resources we have in the library, use the BHCC library catalog. The library catalog works in a similar fashion to most other online databases; however, when looking for basic reference resources, start with broader search terms such as business dictionaries or organizational behavior. Some of the BHCC Library Reference books you'll find are:


BUSINESS RESEARCH -- WEB RESOURCES

When using online subscription databases and Web sites it is important to think critically about these electronic resources. Cornell University has information on judging the authority of Web sites at Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools. Wesleyan University has also put together a mini-tutorial on evaluating Web sites, available on the Wesleyan library Web site at Evaluating what you Find.

When looking for information about a particular company, often the best idea is to go to the source. You'll be conducting an interview with a company employee (see resources below), but a good place to start is usually the company website. Use a search engine like Google and type in your company's name -- just be sure that the website you choose is that company's official website! For example, if you go to the Corporate Information section of the Marriott Hotels website, you'll find information on the company's core values, community involvement, and annual reports.

Selected Web Magazines and Newspapers:

Selected Web Business Resources:

  • CNN/Money - focused on investing, contains information on market and stocks, technology, and company news.
  • EDGAR - U. S. Securities & Exchange Commission, retrieves EDGAR filings from 1993 to present.
  • Hoover's Online - The website for Hoover's, Inc. that delivers comprehensive company, industry, and market intelligence; accessing some information may require a pay subscription but much of the content is available for free.
  • Individual.com - offers information for small businesses looking to be more productive and competitive.
  • International Business Resource Desk - a global focus with international currency and law information as well as a section providing individual "Country Insights."
  • MSNBC Business News - focused on business news with an emphasis on the most current and latest-breaking information.
  • NASDAQ and Dow Jones - the two biggest U.S. stock market indexes.
  • CEOExpress - developed specifically to provide brief and useful information to business executives.
  • NOBLE Business Web - a selection of Web resources compiled by the North of Boston Library Exchange.
  • Refdesk.com: business - a compilation of Web business resources, also pre-selected for quality and organized into categories.
  • MassBedrock - the Massachusetts Business and Economic Development Reference Online Center for Knowledge, a service of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

In addition to commercial business Web sites useful information can also be found on other academic institutions' Web sites. For example, the following site from Duke University organizes a great amount of industry information in a manageable and focused way that is meaningful to an academic researcher: Resources for Industry Analysis. It includes guides on how to find survey and forecast information.


RESOURCES ON CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW

After you've gathered basic information about your company, you'll contact an employee of that company for an interview. This gives you primary source information on that company -- information that has not been filtered through a reporter or other writer. We've gathered some suggestions on interviewing from a few journalism schools and journalism professors.

  • The Cyberian Express, Interiewing Tips --
    from the personal website of a professor of journalism at Louisiana State, this page gives several different links to information about conducting interviews.

  • Loosening Lips: The Art of the Interview --
    hosted by the site above, gives advice on preparation and designing questions as well as suggestion on how to encourage reluctant interviewees talk.

  • The Interviewing Process --
    from the Penn State library, this page is focused on one particular type of interview, but it gives simple and useful steps to follow that can be easily adapted for your purposes.


DOCUMENTATING YOUR SOURCES

Whether you paraphrase, summarize, or quote directly from an information resource you must credit and document the source. There are a few standard formats for citation that you can follow. Both the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) offer paper styles and formatting which include directions on how to cite both print and electronic information resources. Try using the following formats as guides for understandable and consistent citation.

Web Site questions or comments? Send E-mail to bhc@noblenet.org

Last reviewed September 17, 2004

Last updated January 31, 2007