Business Research Tactics & Sources

1. Business Research Tactics & Sources News and Resources for the Library and Information Community Special Libraries Association, News Division May 25, 2001 Susan M. Klopper Andersen susan.m.klopper@us.arthurandersen.com

2. survival tactics never forget the basic search skills  read as much as you can - as often as you can  become partners with vendors/content providers  learn to negotiate realities & manage your client’s expectations (or how to make them keep coming back for more)  think like your users  enjoy the ride!

3. collections of business links:super searchers • Super Searchers Do Business •  www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/ssdb.htm • Super Searchers on Mergers & Acquisitions •  www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/ssma.htm • Super Searchers in the News (Journalists & News Researchers) •  www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/ssnews.htm • Super Searchers on Wall Street •  www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/superwall.htm • Coming Soon: • Super Searchers on Madison Avenue: Advertising Professionals • Super Searchers Cover the World: Global Business Researchers • Super Searchers Go To the Source: Interviewing & Hands-On Strategies of Primary Researchers

4. collections of business links:academic business sites Google’s University Search www.google.com/options/universities.html alphabetical list of links to a school’s web site  search each site using Google’s search engine

5. Google’s University Search

6. collections of business links: all-in-one page • CEOExpress • http://www.ceoexpress.com •  remains one of the smartest collections of business site links •  rich collection of primary & secondary links •  Daily News •  Business Research •  Internet • Industries (just “ok”) • Biz Research (just “ok”) • NEW FEATURE: Ask an Expert (Find/SVP partnership)

7. collections of business links • Business.com • www.business.com • collections of links/reports for industries & business topics •  Associations •  surprisingly comprehensive & expansive •  Profile •  1-2 pages, text & data •  Research Department •  Research Picks •  market & analyst research, statistics, white papers •  Email newsletters •  Statistics

8. industry insights • Business.com Profiles • www.business.com •  1-2 page profiles on large range of industries •  contains both descriptive information and data, usually represented as time graph/chart •  market size, competitors, projections, market share •  useful for identifying reputable sources of intelligence •  currency of data is variable •  profiles written by editors??

9. Business.com: Telecom Industry Resource Links

10. Business.com: Telecom Industry Profile

11. collections of business links:management/best practices • Harvard Business School Publishing • Web Sites for Managers • http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/ideasatwork/managersites.html •  each site is annotated and evaluated •  also includes search option across all HBSP publications •  benchmarking •  consulting •  e-commerce •  knowledge management •  thinking outside the box

12. competitive intelligence • Washington Researchers • www.washingtonresearchers.com •  CI Research Source Encyclopedia: Top Internet Sites for Business Research •  search engines •  corporate information •  federal government sites •  state government web sites •  international information •  industry news •  industry specific sites •  useful news sites •  includes “free” and “for pay” •  WR “staff favorites” •  Intelligence Weekly “free” newsletter

13. competitive intelligence • Washington Researchers • Research Fundamentals •  www.washingtonresearchers.com/public/ResearchFundamentals/ • ResearchFundamentals.html • What is Competitive Intelligence •  www.washingtonresearchers.com/public/whatis.html • Analyst Reports •  www.washingtonresearchers.com/ResearchFundamentals/ • AnalystReports.html • “Wish List” for Company Studies •  www.washingtonresearchers.com/public/wishlist.html •  methodology for understanding a company and its business landscape

14. collections of business links:ebusiness/IT trends • Northern Light Special Editions: • Electronic Commerce • www.nlresearch.com •  bibliographic collection of links to Web-based intelligence on e-commerce •  created by librarians on NL staff

15. Northern Light Special Edition: Electronic Commerce

16. collections of business links:ebusiness/IT trends • Market Research • “Free” - or close to it •  Market Research Firm/Consulting Firm/Brokerage Firm Web sites •  most give “something” away •  check frequently •  grab it when you see it •  most allow you to search across report titles/summaries for free •  reports •  statistical data/graphs •  Gartner, Forrester, et al •  Nielsen NetRatings •  Morgan Stanley

17. Morgan Stanley: Free Technology Industry Research

18. Gartner Web Site: Free Market Research, News, & Search Search titles Free Reports & Statistical Data

19. collections of business links:ebusiness/IT trends • E-mail Alerts •  Computer Economics www.computereconomics.com •  eflash •  latest IT & e-business news and “quick read” analysis on hottest markets and e-business issues •  archived on the site by title •  eMarketer www.emarketer.com •  eChannel Newsletters •  eCommerce;eDemographics;eAdvertising;eAsia •  QuickeStats •  eStatNews

20. collections of business links:ebusiness/IT trends • Market Research • “Free” - or close to it • Per Page revenue models •  Profound •  Marketel •  Northern Light •  MarketResearch.com •  search engines vary tremendously •  some have browsing capability •  CAVEAT: embargo periods, huge variation in which vendors/reports are available where

21. collections of business links:ebusiness/IT trends • Market Research • “Free” - or close to it •  cull key data from external articles •  knowledge of tactical keywords •  creative strategies •  combine names of market research firms with keywords •  Trade & Industry •  Prompt •  Newsletter Database •  TextBase •  Business & Industry

22. industry insights • Wall Street Transcript • www.twst.com •  industry roundtable discussions/outlooks •  company outlook •  ceo interviews •  Sectors: •  Technology •  Healthcare •  Consumer •  Financial Services •  Industry/Services •  Natural Resources

23. Wall Street Transcript: Industry “Roundtables”

24. search engine smarts • Google •  tagged .pdf Adobe Acrobat documents • [pdf] tag next to the title •  search tactics: •  keyword - allinurl:pdf •  ebusiness allinurl:pdf •  pdf ebusiness •  Reading: “Google Ventures Into the Invisible Web,” Chris Sherman, About Web Search Guide, Jan. 31, 2001 • //websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/library/week/aa013101a.htm

25. susan’s favorite for-pay web site OneSource www.onesource.com  intelligent translation of “classic” research tool to an interactive Web interface  easy to use  smart content-provider alliances  self-contained  steadily keeps improving  utilized different document formats

26. OneSource Industry Coverage: S&P Industry Profiles

27. OneSource Industry Coverage: Market Share/Research Reports

28. keeping up & staying ahead  Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk (Gary Price) running commentary highlighting Web sites and key events in information and information professional industry  summaries and bold subject headings/titles make easy to scan lots of new stuff (and a little bit of duplication) Wish List: add URLs

29. Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk

30. what’s new • subscription fees are IN; for “free” is OUT •  fees are returning as key part of content companies’ revenue mix •  subscription fees for “premium” services •  Yahoo! •  Salon.com •  CeoExpressSelect •  FreeEdgar •  Impact on end-user access and our “quick & dirty” resources????

31. what’s new • According to Outsell… •  2001 will NOT be the year of the end user •  only 18% of surveyed had received 8+ hours training in searching, gathering & evaluating information and sources •  but 96% considered themselves “skilled” or “very adept” at finding information •  conclusion: •  users consider themselves competent to use information tools •  learning opportunities: helping them to recognize what they don’t know • “Outlook 2001: Issues in The Information Marketplace,” Outsell • Briefing, December 29, 2000

32. the rhythm of search  classic v. web interfaces what have we gained/lost how much have we learned to accommodate  state of mind=methodology  generation x, y, z…..

33. quotes “choose the business information service that comes with people, not strings, attached” Factiva

34. quotes “Shhh. You’re on the Internet” hp advertisement, Time Magazine

35. quotes “When we had paper, we had all those wonderful organizational characteristics that allowed us to figure out where the content was - card catalogs, file folders, labels - and then we threw them all in the trash and replaced them with an empty box that says “enter your search here.” This is the state of the world.”

36. quotes “Still searching? Ask a Human”

37. quotes “Warning: This site hasn’t been updated since dinosaurs ruled the earth” Comtex

38. quotes “change is inevitable, except from vending machines”