Times are tough in library land. But by eliminating print subscriptions that duplicated our electronic access the Business and Economics Library was able to meet its required budget cuts in 2009 and even add several new electronic subscriptions:
Download the handout.
Download the handout.
Open-door workshops on library databases and other information sources for business, management, and economics.
• Clinics are held in room TNRB 240.
• Tuesdays at 5:00 pm.
• Each lasts one hour.
19th: Determining Market Size
Need to determine market size for your business plan? We’ll use a case study to demonstrate real-world sources.
26th: Market Research for a Tech Startup
Need market research for your business plan? We’ll use a case study to demonstrate real-world sources for high-tech and digital media markets.
2nd: Securities Analysis
Yahoo! Finance is great, but how does it compare to pay services like S&P, Value Line, Mergent, and Morningstar?
16th: Socially Responsible Business
From microfinance and social investing to green business and sustainability: Information sources for topics in socially responsible business.
23rd: Free Research Sources
After you graduate, where will you turn for market and industry research? Finding and using free sources can be done but requires different strategies.
The Library is pleased to announce that through a partnership with BYU’s Technology Transfer Office we are able to make research from Frost & Sullivan available university-wide.
Frost & Sullivan’s 1800 analysts and consultants cover more than 300 markets and 250,000 companies from 35+ global offices. Frost & Sullivan is a key addition to our collection of market research providers, providing in-depth coverage of technology, chemicals, materials, energy, healthcare, biotechnology, and communications. Whether you need to research the market for mobile video transcoders or whether you want to read technical alerts on new alloys for dental implants, Frost & Sullivan is the place to look. Try it out here.
I’m always surprised by how often we assume that the information we need is only a click away on the Internet. Perhaps I shouldn’t be, since this seems true enough when what we want to know is something like how many cities in Utah have a larger population than a sold-out LaVell Edwards Stadium (the answer is nine, see 1 & 2). But of all people, those of us in business and economics should realize that if someone can charge you money for something they’re not likely to give it to you for free.
To this point I came across an apt quote yesterday, from Thomas Mann at the Library of Congress:
Mann makes a strong argument that as long as copyright exists information will be for sale (3). I’d add that as long as tools and processes are developed that add value to information, access to those technologies will also be for sale. But I do think Mann underestimates the ingenuity of market forces. Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail, makes the case in his latest book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price (4), that money can be made by giving things away. After all, Google has no trouble turning a profit without charging people to use its search engine.
Will this hold true to the point where ‘everything’ will become freely available on the Internet? Probably not. If there’s one thing that’s certain in business it’s that there will never be only one business model. As much as the phenomenon of “Free” has put unprecedented amounts of information at our fingertips, there’s even more that’s available for a price, and as Mann points out, short of a worldwide disavowal of intellectual property, there always will be.
Common wisdom has it that information wants to be free, but common sense dictates that people want to get paid.
Through an arrangement with the Utah Academic Library Consortium we now have access to Mergent’s Investor Edge. This tool allows users to screen for stocks based on Beta, industry, and analyst recommendations. It includes price data, ten years of annual statements, SEC filings, and industry reports.
Mergent’s Investor Edge takes its place in our suite of financial databases, alongside our existing access to Morningstar, S&P NetAdvantage, and Value Line. While less sophisticated than our existing resources, it is very easy to use and provides unique content like Ford Equity Research Reports, Moody’s Bond Reports, ratings, and Corporate Bond Yield Averages.
Download the handout.
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