For assistance with research for this course, or any business course, please contact me, Monday through Friday.
Anthony Raymond
Business Librarian
Santa Clara University Library
408-554-5433
araymond@scu.edu
From any IM Service: arsculibrarian@aol.com
Researching the Case Study
The databases listed below are accessible through the list of business databases on the University Library website. When accessing these databases from a computer not directly connected to the SCU computer network, i.e., from off-campus, use will be asked to enter your first or last name as it appears on your ACCESS card and the 14 digit barcode number on the back of your ACCESS card.
Exploring a Company or an Issue
Social Issues Service Online Analyst
Use the "Advanced Search" option by clicking on this menu option and then change the Meeting Data From year box from 2008 to 2006 (reports go back to 1999). This database allows only 20 simultaneous users and access requires a User ID of which there are 20 [scstudent01, scstudent02 … scstudent20] and Password [university8].
This database published by the company RiskMetrics Group contains hundreds of company specific reports (called SIS Proxy Reports) and non-company specific social issue background reports (called Background Reports) based on resolutions brought forward at company shareholder meetings. Example: after changing the year to 2006, enter "general motors" into the company name search box or "gm" into the ticker search box and then click on the link Set GHG emissions reduction goals.
Socrates
Similar to Social Issues Service.
Factiva
This database provides full-text online articles from over 6,000 business trade publications including the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, The Economist, etc. Search by company name or use the free text search box to construct a Boolean Search Statement.¹
Hoover's Online
This database provides company background information. Search by company name or ticker symbol.
Thomson Research
This database provides in-depth financial data for companies traded on a North American stock exchange. Search by company name or ticker symbol.
International Directory of Company Histories (Library Lower Level HD2721 .I58) This directory of over 90 volumes provides company histories of hundreds of U.S. and international companies. Use the most recent volume as an index to find which volume(s) your company history appears in.
Citing Sources in Your Paper
Whenever you use or refer to data, information or ideas other than your own original data, information or ideas, it is absolutely essential that you identify the person or persons whose data, information or ideas you are using or referring to; this is called "citing a source" and there are many formats for citing sources and these are referred to as citation styles. The MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association) are two of the most popular citation styles and guidance on how to used these two styles can be found at the following websites Duke University Libraries citation guide and Citing Sources in a List of Works Cited (SCU).
If a document appears in your list of works cited, it must be cited within the text of your paper and vise versa. Not citing your sources is called plagiarism and is a serious academic offense.
¹Constructing a Boolean Search Statement
There are three Boolean commands:
AND - allows you to combine terms, e.g., cocoa and child labor
OR - allows you to include similar terms, e.g., child labor or slave labor
NOT - is rarely used
( ) - parentheses are used to instruct the search engine how to interpret the search statement, e.g., chocolate and labor and (child or slave). The parentheses indicate that both child and slave must be associated with the terms chocolate and labor.
* - is a truncation symbol indicating that all words beginning with the root should be searched for, e.g., child* will search for child, children, etc.