Investment Reports in Business & Company Resource Center

Did you know that you have access to investment reports through some of our business databases?  If you are researching a company or an industry, you may find these reports useful.

Business & Company Resource Center offers an easy way to find investment reports.  Follow these steps to access them…we’ll use Office Depot as an example of company we’re researching:

Start by clicking on the link to our databases:
http://library.jwu.edu/research/databases/az.htm#b

Choose Business & Company Resource Center

Enter the name of the company as a company search:

Click on the company (use the ticker symbol and/or the headquarter location to choose the correct one):

Click on the Investment Reports tab:

Click on the titles of the investment reports that are the most current.  If you are researching an industry, repeat the process using the names of the top companies of that industry.  If you need help finding the top companies, use the Rankings tab when you are looking at the details for a particular company.

Happy researching!

Database Spotlight: First Research from Dun & Bradstreet

First Research from Dun & Bradstreet offers In-depth industry research for over 300 industries.  The research reports are updated quarterly, and are given in a relatively simple, consistent format.  Each industry profile is broken down consistently into the following chapters/sections:

Industry Overview

Recent Developments

Business Challenges

Trends & Opportunities

Executive Insight

Call Prep Questions

Financial Information

Industry Forecast & Rating

Web Links & Acronyms

You can search for industry reports by NAICS and SIC, or you can browse from the main page under the following broad sectors:

Construction & Real Estate

Finance & Insurance

Food & Agriculture

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Public Services, Education & Recreation

Retail

Services

Technology & Communications

Transportation, Energy & Storage

Wholesale

As far as reports related to JWU programs, the reports for the retail industry are broken down into over 40 subcategories.  There is a Hotel and Motel Lodging report listed under the main sector of Services; there’s also a Bed and Breakfast Inns report in this same sector.  Also under Services you’ll see Advertising & Marketing, Direct Marketing, Trade Show & Event Planning, Security System Services, and Travel Agencies & Services.  Under Food and Agriculture, you’ll find reports for Bakeries, Breweries, Catering Services, Restaurants, and Wineries.

The Financial Information section includes benchmarking figures and financial ratios (and includes their definitions) for each industry.

The section for Web Links & Acronyms in each report offers links to associations and Web sites related to each industry, as well as a brief glossary for acronyms used in the report.

One useful feature from First Research is Call Prep Sheets section of each report.  In this section, you’ll find “conversation starters” that are relevant to the industry.  The conversation starters are designed to be used for sales calls, but they could be useful when preparing for job interview.

Another nice feature is the States & Provinces section.  It features a clickable map that lets you find monthly updates of industry, economic, employment, and real estate data & trends for each of the 50 states in the U.S.

To access First Research, go to the Databases section of our site, and scroll down to “F” in the alphabetical listings:

http://library.jwu.edu/research/databases/az.htm

First Research from Dun & Bradstreet offers In-depth industry research for over 300 industries.  The research reports are updated quarterly, and are given in a relatively simple, consistent format.  Each industry profile is broken down consistently into the following chapters/sections:

Industry Overview
Recent Developments
Business Challenges
Trends & Opportunities
Executive Insight
Call Prep Questions
Financial Information
Industry Forecast & Rating
Web Links & Acronyms

You can search for industry reports by NAICS and SIC, or you can browse from the main page under the following broad sectors:

Construction & Real Estate
Finance & Insurance
Food & Agriculture
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Public Services, Education & Recreation
Retail
Services
Technology & Communications
Transportation, Energy & Storage
Wholesale

As far as reports related to JWU programs, the reports for the retail industry are broken down into over 40 subcategories.  There is a Hotel and Motel Lodging report listed under the main sector of Services; there’s also a Bed and Breakfast Inns report in this same sector.  Also under Services you’ll see Advertising & Marketing, Direct Marketing, Trade Show & Event Planning, Security System Services, and Travel Agencies & Services.  Under Food and Agriculture, you’ll find reports for Bakeries, Breweries, Catering Services, Restaurants, and Wineries.

The Financial Information section includes benchmarking figures and financial ratios (and includes their definitions) for each industry.

The section for Web Links & Acronyms in each report offers links to associations and Web sites related to each industry, as well as a brief glossary for acronyms used in the report.

One useful feature from First Research is the Call Prep Sheets section of each report.  In this section, you’ll find “conversation starters” that are relevant to the industry.  The conversation starters are designed to be used for sales calls, but they could be useful when preparing for a job interview.

Another nice feature is the States & Provinces section.  It features a clickable map that lets you find monthly updates of industry, economic, employment, and real estate data & trends for each of the 50 states in the U.S.

To access First Research, go to the Databases section of our site, and scroll down to “F” in the alphabetical listings:

http://library.jwu.edu/research/databases/az.htm

MarketResearch.com Academic (new resource)

MarketResearch.com Academic offers in-depth reports for numerous industries.  In general, the reports contain info on demographics, market size, market trends, growth & shares, forecasts, analysis of major brands, new product introduction trends, industry forces, company profiles, and consumer trends & buyer behavior.

The reports in MarketResearch.com Academic are written by the following publishers:
Kalorama Information
Packaged Facts
SBI
Simba Information
Icon Group International, Inc.
Paul Budde Communication Pty Ltd

The content includes current and historical information on markets and industries, ranging from Consumer Goods to Life Sciences & Technology.  Some reports that cover industries related to JWU’s programs include the following:
Food & Beverage
Food Service & Hospitality
Retailing
Travel & Leisure
Technology & Media

You can browse through 40 categories of reports, or you can search by using keywords that are related to your industry.

The advanced search lets you search by keywords in the title of the reports, or you can search for keywords within the full text of the report.  The results are displayed with the name of the report, a brief summary, and the year of publication. 

Warning: there are some reports in this resource that were published over 10 years ago.  For your projects, be sure to use the reports that are the most current.

Note1:  If your browser is set up with a pop-up blocker, you may want to disable it before using this resource.  Another workaround for the pop-up blocker issue is to follow the dialog boxes (“If the report does not automatically open after a few moments, please click here.”) to open your report in a new window.

Note2:  Don’t be intimidated by the cost listed for each report; the reports are free for JWU faculty, students and staff through our MarketResearch.com subscription.

MarketResearch.com Academic can be found alphabetically with the other JWU market research resources by going to:
http://library.jwu.edu/research/databases/research.htm

If you have any questions, pleases don’t hesitate to call or IM us.

Happy searching!

Librarian’s Pick: Web 2.0, The Business Model

The book Web 2.0: The Business Model is an edited collection of works discussing the implications and applications offered by the Internet’s second generation of services.  The editors are: Dr. Miltiadis D. Lytras, President and founder of Open Research Society; Professor Ernesto Damiani, Department of Information Technology, University of Milan; and Professor Patricia Ordonez De Pablos, Department of Business Administration and Accountability, University of Oviedo, Spain. The research contained in this book focuses on discussing the state of the art of Web 2.0, analyzing successful cases of Web 2.0 with a business model perspective, and understanding the potential of Web 2.0 for business in different domains.

Various chapters refer to knowledge sharing, marketing free services, social networks, knowledge management, wikis, learning support, open tagging, Enterprise 2.0, and strategies in learning and teaching,

The volume is designed for managers and executives, students in management and IT/CS programs, politicians, government officers and policy makers, and professors in academia. 

Along with the scholarly studies, the editors encourage the reader to be aware of “the 2^nd Athens World Summit on the Knowledge Society” being held September 16-19, 2009.  The conference brings together stakeholders of the Knowledge Society development worldwide “to look at the impact and prospects of the Information Technology, and the knowledge-based era it is creating, on key facets of living, working, learning, innovating and collaborating in today’s hyper-complex world.”

Films on Demand Streaming Video Collections

Business & Economics, Careers & Job Search

This is a collection of streaming video (Films on Demand) offering content from the Film Media Group, who’s most popular titles are under the Films for the Humanities & Sciences label.  Currently, we have access to the Business & Economics titles and the Careers & Job Search titles.  There are over 800 titles in these two collections.  The length of each film varies from 7 minutes to under 1 hour.

The interface, which is linked from our databases page (under “F” for Films On Demand) allows JWU faculty, staff and students access to these educational videos anytime, and anywhere there is a computer with access to the internet.  We are exited that JWU faculty will be able to utilize these online videos, both in their classrooms and for their assignments.

You can search for videos by subject or keyword.  The advanced search gives you more control for your search, lets you limit your search by date, and you can limit to titles with closed-caption.  You can also browse the collection by using the subject terms in the sidebar on the left, and you can create your own personal folders and playlists for videos that you will frequently use.  You can even create custom segments that show specific sections of the videos you wish to use.

To access the Films On Demand videos, go to the Databases section of our site, and scroll down to “F” in the alphabetical listings.Business & Economics, Careers & Job Search

This is a collection of streaming video (Films on Demand) offering content from the Film Media Group, who’s most popular titles are under the Films for the Humanities & Sciences label.  Currently, we have access to the Business & Economics titles and the Careers & Job Search titles.  There are over 800 titles in these two collections.  The length of each film varies from 7 minutes to under 1 hour.

The interface, which is linked from our databases page (under “F” for Films On Demand) allows JWU faculty, staff and students access to these educational videos anytime, and anywhere there is a computer with access to the internet.  We are exited that JWU faculty will be able to utilize these online videos, both in their classrooms and for their assignments.

You can search for videos by subject or keyword.  The advanced search gives you more control for your search, lets you limit your search by date, and you can limit to titles with closed-caption.  You can also browse the collection by using the subject terms in the sidebar on the left, and you can create your own personal folders and playlists for videos that you will frequently use.  You can even create custom segments that show specific sections of the videos you wish to use.

To access the Films On Demand videos, go to the Databases section of our site, and scroll down to “F” in the alphabetical listings:

http://library.jwu.edu/research/databases/az.htm

Giving Back (book review)

Giving back : connecting you, business, and community / Bert Berkley, Peter Economy
HN65 .B46 2008

This quick read is a useful resource for those in the business community who want make a difference in their immediate local communities.  There is a recurring theme in this work that showcases successful business leaders who create organizations to help their communities directly, rather than relying on government or outsiders to do it.  In the forward, Harvey Mackay describes the book as a tool for individuals to use as an “easy-to-follow blueprint for making a real difference in the world around them.”

Included in the book are descriptions some outstanding socially-responsible programs created by leaders of these well known companies:

Chick-fil-A
Stonyfield Farm
UPS
 
The book also features excellent narratives of the early beginnings of these successful organizations:

Horizons for Homeless Children
Kiva.org
SPORTS for San Diego

The leaders of each of these organizations are interviewed at the end of each chapter.  Thoughtful advice is given in chapter 10 for CEOs interested in starting a new organization.  For the rest of us (non-CEOs), in chapter 9, there are descriptions of organizations that enable individuals to give back to their communities.

The book is fully indexed and chapter headings are clearly laid out in the top margin of each page.  Additionally, there is a useful appendix with 14 web resources for researching, connecting, networking, and interacting with charitable organizations.  Phone numbers, fax numbers, and snail mail addresses are given for these resources as well.  Come in and check it out.

Doing Business 2009 – Comparing Regulation in 181 Economies

One recent addition to our collection is Doing Business 2009 [HD3612 .D65 2008].  In the book you’ll find chapters on these international business topics:

Starting a business
Dealing with construction permits
Employing workers
Registering property
Getting credit
Protecting investors
Paying taxes
Trading across borders
Enforcing contracts
Closing a business

Doing Business is published by the World Bank, and it is also available online at:  www.doingbusiness.org

The site offers the book online in full text, and there are other resources available there as well.  Here are some of the topics as listed on site:

Rankings – international economies are ranked on their ease of doing business.

Subnational Projects – reports on differences in business regulations and their enforcement across locations in a single country or region.

Gender Law Library – a collection of national legal provisions impacting women’s economic status in 181 economies.

Reformers - information on countries that have introduced some sort of reform, such as simplified business regulations, strengthened property rights, eased tax burdens, increased access to credit and reduced the cost of exporting and importing.

Law Library - an extensive online collection of business laws and regulations.

Downloads – links to previous Doing Business Reports and other materials.

Book Highlight: Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail

The library has just purchased a new book title: Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail. This book examines green trends in the retailing business. “Greentailing” focuses on the growing demand for sustainable, organic, and environmentally conscious products and business practices. For anyone in or planning on going into the retail business, this book is definitely worth checking out!

Greentailing and other revolutions in retail / Neil Z. Stern, Willard N. Ander HF5429 .S734 2008

To find articles on “green” retailing, you can search the database, GreenFiles, on the JWU Library website at: http://library.jwu.edu > Databases >> Scroll to GreenFiles

JWU Subject Sites

 The Johnson & Wales library has a web page which offers links to internet resources by subject. This can be extremely useful for finding valid information on the Web that has been vetted by a JWU librarian. You can browse by subject and then follow the link to a variety of internet resources that may be useful during your research process.

 

The direct address to the JWU Subject Sites page is:

http://library.jwu.edu/research/websites/index.htm

 

Or you can find it by going to the main library webpage at:

http://library.jwu.edu

>Then go to Research Resources and then click on Subject Sites.

 

For example, suppose you are looking for culinary resources. You can click on the link to Culinary & Food-related websites. Here you will find links to pages which cover a wide variety of cookery, cuisine, food industry and nutrition subjects: Baking, beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), career information, cookbook reviews, cookery, ethnic/regional cuisine, food industry, food safety, menus, newsgroups, nutrition, professional associations, recipe archives/indexes, restaurants, specific foods, and tables (conversion/measurements).

 

Or perhaps, you are looking for information on International Business Etiquette. This page offers a variety of topics dealing the cultural aspects of conducting international business and general advice about etiquette expectations abroad.

 

Check it out! You won’t be sorry!

 

**Of course, don’t forget to always keep a critical eye on web-based information if you follow links from a web page as it may lead you outside of that website! You want to be sure to evaluate any website source you use by adhering to some basic guidelines:

• Check out the author. What type of credentials do they have?
• Is there a bibliography?
• Does the funding source or site of the research imply a bias?
• Who is the intended audience?

Business Email Netiquette

It is important to remember that email communication in the business environment should be handled with the same level of professionalism as it would be in person. Adhering to some basic guidelines will ensure your email communications come across as professional and credible. In short, understanding business email netiquette can be good for your career!

Here are Ten Tips for writing professional business email:

1. Avoid using all capitals. Doing this is the same as SHOUTING.

2. Subject. Use a meaningful subject line that provides insight into the purpose of the communication. Never omit a subject line!

3. Salutation. Always use a formal greeting at both the beginning and end of your email such as: Hello, Greetings, Sincerely, Thank You, and Best Regards.

4. Language. Use complete sentences and proper grammar.

5. Content. Your message should be short and to the point. Most importantly, check for typos!

6. Formatting. Keep colors and stylized font to a minimum.

7. Attachments. Be cautious when sending large attachments as they may take a long time to open. For a file over 2MB, it is always good practice to contact the recipient to let them know you are sending a large file.

8. TO, FROM, BCc, Cc. The TO field should have the full, formal name of the recipient. The FROM field should provide your full name. When emailing to a large number of people add the group to the BCc box. This prevents recipients from seeing the e-mail addresses of the other recipients. Use the Cc field for a group of people who do not mind their emails being shared.

9. URL’s. Always use the entire Web address, including the http://. It is also good practice to leave a space between the URL and any other words.

 10. Signature. Always provide a professional “signature”. Signature files should include your title, phone number, and website link.

For further information on writing professional business email see the following resources available in the JWU North Campus Library:

Eats, shoots & leaves : the zero tolerance approach to punctuation / Lynne Truss PE1450 .T75 2004

Email etiquette [videorecording] / produced by Video Education Australasia ; written, produced, and directed by Tom Trikojus TK5105.73 .E42 2000 

 Get to the point : painless advice for writing memos, letters and E-mails your colleagues and clients will understand / Elizabeth Danziger HF5718.3 .D36 2001