Dr. Sabina Cisek Associate Professor Institute of Information and Library Science, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Pola

1. BUSINESS INFORMATION SOURCESFOREWORD. MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS INFORMATIONEnIL International School on „Business Information Literacy”, 13-17 October 2008, Rome, Italy Dr. Sabina Cisek Associate Professor Institute of Information and Library Science, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Poland sabina.cisek@uj.edu.pl

2. FOREWORD: THE COURSE OBJECTIVES, STRUCTURE, CONTENT AND TRAINING METHODS

3. Business Information Sources: the course objectives • Familiarize participants with the concept and domain of business information • Give an overall presentation of the business information industry, services, sources and uses • Introduce selected business information resources – focusing on free-of-charge and Open Access Web-based services and sources • Show how to use business information sources (mainly – international in scope, in English) and provide opportunity for hands-on training

4. Business Information Sources: the course structure and content • Module 1:Introduction to business information • Module 2: Seeking for business information –selected Web-based information resources • Module 3: Web 2.0 for business information

5. Business Information Sources: the course teaching-learning approach and training methods • Demonstration, discussion, elements of lecture, group-work, hands-on practice

6. Business Information Sources: very selected additional readings • Research guides and tutorials • BERA: Business and Economics Research Advisor. A Series of Guides to Business and Economics Topics by Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/BERA/index.html • Intute: Virtual Training Suite http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/ • Journals and weblogs • „Business Information Review”. Quarterly by Sage [paid] • ResourceShelf http://www.resourceshelf.com/ [free]

7. MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS INFORMATION (BI)

8. The Module 1 structure and content • Meaning, definitions, terminology, characteristics and importance of business information • Business information needs and users • The business information industry: producers and providers of BI • General description and categorization of BI resources

9. Meanings of the term „business information” • Business Information is a domain of activity that: • involves – preparing/producing information sources; collecting, managing and giving access to them; finding, evaluating and using information, etc.; • includes – products (i.e. business information resources), services, systems, professionals, organizations, needs, users and uses, etc. • Business information is a type of information

10. Definitions of business information • (1) Information FOR (doing) business • to make informed decisions – short-term, long-term, strategic • to enhance business, products, technology with current information • to gain profit, recognition and success • (2) Information ABOUT business (and economics, and related issues)

11. Terminology • Business information • Business and economics information • Business intelligence • Competitive intelligence • nearly synonyms

12. Business information features • Business information should be reliable, trustworthy, authenticated, current, up-to-date; but – historical data and controversial issues may also be needed • Business information is based on resources that are already published and made available • Note a: that does not mean – these sources are always easily available • Note b: of course there are exceptions 

13. Business information areas • General business information resources = „starting points” • Company information • Financial information = investment information • Product and service information • Markets, marketing and trade information • Other

14. Business information needs, users and uses • Who needs business information? What for? Why business information makes a difference? Why business information literacy is an advantage – for organizations and for everybody? • Discussion with the course participants

15. Business information needs, users and uses – who needs business information? • In professional life • business enterprises • associations, not-for-profit organizations, NGOs • central and local governments, authorities • journalists, writers • researchers, scientists, students • advisers, brokers, lawyers • In private life: everybody • anybody who wants to set up a business • buyers • credit takers • complaining clients • investors • job seekers • tax payers

16. The Business Information Industry: producers and providers of BI (I) • Non-commercial: • International organizations, like European Union, OECD, United Nations, for example • Your Europe – Business (by EU European Commission)http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/nav/en/business/index.html • Enterprise Europe Network (by EU European Commission) http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm • Governments’ bodies, administration, local authorities

17. The Business Information Industry: producers and providers of BI (II) • Libraries (academic, government, public), librarians, for example • Buffalo & Erie County Public Library – Reference Desk – Business and Finance http://www.buffalolib.org/refdesk/index.asp • Harvard Business School Baker Library http://www.library.hbs.edu/guides/ • NGOs • Professional associations, chambers of commerce • Universities, other educational/research institutions, scholars, students • Volunteers, enthusiasts

18. The Business Information Industry: Producers and Providers of BI (III) • Commercial: • Commercial publishers and providers of BI resources, for example – • Dun & Bradstreet http://www.dnb.com/us/ • Internet Securities, Inc. (trading as ISI Emerging Markets), http://www.securities.com/ • Corporate intelligence centers • see The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) http://www.scip.org/ • Information brokers = independent information professionals • see the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) http://www.aiip.org/ • Journals, for example • „The Economist” http://www4.economist.com/countries/

19. The business information sources • There exists a great amount of business information sources • Where and how to find them? • How to read and understand them? • How to evaluate them? • How to use them?

20. The business information sources: categorization (I) • By financial barriers / availability of information • Free information, for example: • CIA World Factbookhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html • Intute: social sciences: businesshttp://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/business/ • Commercial information – sold to the public, for example: Business Source Complete (EBSCOhost) • Proprietary information – not available, trade secrets

21. The business information sources: categorization (II) • Note • There are numerous commercial sources – databases, directories, etc. that are available online: • partly free – basic information • partly free – but you have to register or subscribe • partly as paid services, for fee • Examples: • http://www.corporateinformation.com/ • http://www.kompass.com/en/

22. The business information sources: categorization (III) • By producer/provider status (formality) • official (by government) • non-official (by commercial provider) • By format • electronic (online and offline), print, people • By level of processing • primary sources • secondary sources • tertiary sources

23. The business information sources: categorization (IV) • Online electronic sources – by type of website • General-purpose (global and local) search engines, meta-search services, catalogs, portals • Specialized search tools (for example – „harvesting” services, Deep Web directories) • Quality-controlled subject/information gateways, vertical portals • Full-text resources – archives, e-journals, digital libraries, repositories • Web 2.0 forms – blogs, wikis, etc. • Databases online • Institutions’ and organizations’ Websites • …