Business Writing   Tags: english_composition, ict_literacy  

Whether you are trying to locate information on an industry, company or competitors, research into the current trends in your field, or some parallel trends in different fields will help you get the "big picture" before writing.

Resources by subject  à Business & Economics  

The B&E subject guide provides you with Databases, e-Journals and websites that can help you to find current research using academic, professional and trade resources

As you gather information, consider researching your topic from a multi-disciplinary perspective: Rather than using only "Business" Journals/databases, try looking in Law, Government, Anthropology, and Psychology Subject Databases.  Think about parallel approaches to the problems as faced in other industries/disciplines (or examine where a parallel failed!).  Keep in mind that “subject terms” may change from the database to database, depending on subject vocabulary, and, in some cases, jargon.   

Have you found an article that is a 'close" fit for what you need?  (1) check to see if there are key terms or subject terms associated with the article in the database headings, executing a search using the database terms can help you locate more items like the "close fit".  (2) look at the studies cited in the article's research, and/or look at the bibliographic entries to see where the article's initial research came from.  (3) check whether the Journal/publication/organization seems to specialize in that field, perhaps there was a special issue of the Journal that deals with your topic.

If looking specifically for Company and Industry Information, try the databases (links at left)

• Hoover's Online -  Contains company and industry profiles, with financial information, job listings, and more. 
• Mergent Online (formerly Moody's) - Full text SEC filings and industry reports, augmented with advanced search capabilities. Also provides company information, including history, subsidiaries, officers and directors, news headlines, income statement and balance sheets. 
• Standard and Poor's NetAdvantage  - Analysis of companies, industries, and mutual funds. Includes stock reports, industry surveys, and other publications

May want to pay particular attention to the

• History/overview sections
• Financials
• Competitors
• Company website info (a must if looking/applying for job openings)
• Main activity
• Size:  revenue, employees, locations, subsidiaries
• Origins, history, development:  Company/industry comparison, stability of either?
• Job Opportunities:  Openings, statement of career support, starting salary, etc