PLUG-INs A Student’s Guide toInformation Literacy

BUSINESS DATABASES From HCT

Today we are going to talk about finding information

about business from HCT Databases.

And, I am Mr Bear.

Hello. I am Mr Bull.

Then, Databases

and e-Books.

From the HCT portal, click on Library.

Or, bookmark this page http://library.hct.ac.ae

Pull down Resources

and click Databases and

e-books.

Scroll down to Business.

There are many wonderful

databases for you to choose

from.

How do you know which

one to choose?

Think carefully about the kind of

information you need for your topic.

We will see what kind of information is in each database.

The first database is ABI Inform

from ProQuest.

Find info about :

• Business conditions• Management techniques• Business trends• Management practice and theory• Corporate strategy and tactics• Competitive landscape

Another database is Business Monitor.

Use to find :

• In-depth analysis of markets• Country Risk Ratings • Currency Forecasts• Industry profiles• Profiles of over 55,000 companies

Another one is : Business Source

Premier from EBSCO

It includes :

• Full text 2,300+ journals• Country economic reports from the EIU• Company profiles for the world's 10,000 largest companies• Market research reports• Industry reports• SWOT analyses

HCT also has EIU Country

Guide.

Info includes :

• Country analysis and forecasts• Risk assessments • Economic and market data• Daily news analysis• Industry trends • Management strategies

Another database is Hoover’s

from ProQuest

Use if you need :

• Company profiles• Research on companies• Research on organizations

Another great database is : LexisNexis

This includes :

• 6,000 news, business & legal sources.• Deep backfiles & up-to- the-minute stories in national & regional newspapers• Detailed company information & financial performance

You can also use ProQuest

Entrepreneurship.

What is in it?

• Market Research• Start-Up Plans• Templates and Forms• 11,000 journals• Business Cases• Working Papers• Conference Proceedings• Full Text Dissertations

Check out : Regional Business

News from EBSCO.

What does it have ?

75 business journals, newspapers & newswires covering all metropolitan & rural areas within the United States.

And lastly, you can find

Zawya Corporate Monitor.

What about this one ?

• Info on top 10,000 companies in the Middle East • Zawya Dow Jones• Industry news• Macroeconomic reports• Country statistics• Stock market data • IPO, Sukuk and Private Equity monitors

It is like driving different cars.

There are different details but the same

functions.

Every database is different but there are some common

features.

How do you search in all

these different databases?

Most databases have a

Basic Search & an Advanced Search.

Try Basic first but go to Advanced if your results are not

focused.

In Advanced, you can search more

than one term at a time and join

them with AND, OR or NOT.

Here are some features of

databases in general.

This is what happens when you use AND. You get fewer

results.This is what

happens when you use OR. You get more

results.

This is what happens when you use NOT. You get fewer

results.

Internet AND business

Internet OR business Internet NOT business

Most databases have a date

range. Limit to recent years if this

is important for your topic.

Most databases have a fulltext

option. Choose this one if you have a

deadline coming up.

Some databases have a Peer reviewed option. Ask your

teacher if you need to use this.

There is a big difference between a “keyword” search and a “controlled

vocabulary” search.Let’s talk

about words to use for searching.

To get around this problem, databases use certain words as

controlled vocabulary. When you use these words, your search retrieves only articles where

the word is the main idea.

A keyword search is usually not very precise. It will

retrieve all articles where the keyword appears in the text. Many articles will not be about the

keyword and you will waste your time.

How do you find the controlled vocabulary ?

Look for these words:

TopicsSubjectsSubject HeadingsSubject TermsIndex TermsThesaurus TermsTags

Maybe better search terms would be

automobiles, or motor vehicles or

automotive industry. How do

you know?

Let’s say, you want to know about cars in the UAE but the keyword “cars” retrieves many articles off the topic.

Again, look for a tab or link on the database page that says :

TopicsSubjectsSubject HeadingsSubject TermsIndex TermsThesaurusTags

Find the term(s) nearest to what you want.

Business Databases may also organize

information by Region,

Country or Business Sector.

In ProQuest ABI Inform, click on the

Topics Tab

In EBSCO databases like Business Source Premier, click on the

Thesaurus tab.

In Business Monitor Online, click on a

subject menu on the left then a region and country tab on top.

In Zawya, choose a country and then a

“Sector.”

Lastly, there is the Electronic Library.

This is a collection of websites selected by

HCT teachers. Go to http://el.hct.ac.ae/

Click on Business

Click on a Sub-topic.

Read the description of the website and

decide if it might be useful for you.

Ask your teacher or your friendly librarian if

you have questions.

We hope this will help you find the information you need in Business

Databases.

HAPPY SEARCHING

!

THANK YOU FOR

LISTENING.