Teaching Undergraduate Business Students.pdf

Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 14:230–247, 2009 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0896-3568 print / 1547-0644 online DOI: 10.1080/08963560802362849

Teaching Undergraduate Business Students to Access Public Company Information: Assessing Students’ Use of Library Resources SUSAN P. LIEBERTHAL Stony Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, New York, USA

During the spring 2007 semester, a large cohort of undergraduates enrolled in the BUS110 course offered through the Stony Brook University College of Business. The business librarian and other library instruction librarians provided single library sessions to all sections of the course. Toward the end of the 1-hour library information session, the students were asked to fill out an online user satisfaction survey to assess how much they had learned and to evaluate the teaching tools and methodology of the librarians. Toward the end of the semester the business librarian posted a follow up survey to the BUS110 Blackboard site to assess whether the students had used the resources demonstrated by the librarians in the library session, whether they had had follow-up interactions with the librarians, and whether they had positive attitudes toward the library, librarians, and business databases. The majority of students had used the databases and had a positive attitude toward the instruction and the library. KEYWORDS business instruction, surveys, assessment, library instruction, public companies–research, library instruction–undergraduate

INTRODUCTION Stony Brook University Melville Library established a 1-hour course-related lecture to teach all students enrolled in BUS110 (Business in the 21st Submitted: 11 September 2007; Revision Submitted: 21 November 2007; Accepted: 8 January 2008. Address correspondence to Susan P. Lieberthal, Interlibrary Loan and Business Librarian at Stony Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3335. E-mail: susan. [email protected] 230

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Century) how to use the library, and specifically how to use the business databases. This library instruction program has now been in operation for three semesters. In the Spring 2007 semester the instruction librarians gave a single information session to 432 undergraduate students registered for the BUS110 course. The instructional setting was the computer laboratory in the College of Business Harriman Building where all students had access to a computer during the class. The business librarian prepared a standard handout for all the librarians to use (Appendix 1) and designed initial and follow-up surveys to gauge whether the students had retained some of the concepts that were imparted during the class. The goal of the first survey was to provide a formalized way for students to tell us what they had just learned (Appendix 2). The goal of the second follow-up survey was to see how much information students had retained from their library session and also how much they had used the subscription and scholarly databases and library services in completing their assignments throughout the semester (Appendix 3).

Hypotheses • After attending this library instruction session, students will use the subscription and scholarly databases in addition to free Web sources. • The students will use the library services for the duration of the semester.

LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review on database instruction and the use of the free Web reveals differing opinions on the use of the free Web in instruction. Some faculty members are satisfied with students using only the free Web to complete assignments. “All faculty respondents allow their students to use Web sources, and a large majority . . . either requires or encourages their students to use Web sites” (Dewald, 2005, p. 213). Other faculty members require students to use proprietary databases as well as the free Web. “Although faculty accept the Web as a suitable tool for their students’ research, they do not consider it a sufficient resource in either quantity or quality of research information available” (Herring, 2001, p. 6). Dewald did find that those users of databases had a higher satisfaction with the information they retrieved than the users of the free Web had with the information that they had retrieved. “Despite the Web’s clear edge in ease of use and similarity to databases in timeliness, databases received a higher score in overall satisfaction among those who used them than did the Web” (Dewald & Silvius, 2005, p. 322). The information in subscription databases is of uniformly high quality, and the databases have proprietary in-depth articles that are frequently not available on the free Web. There have also been studies that survey faculty’s satisfaction with use of the Web “because many faculty have doubts about their students’ ability to use the Web and the information

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they find there effectively, this is an appropriate point for the introduction of information literacy training by library faculty”(Herring, p. 255). Surveys of students indicate that they see themselves as effective library users, but that they also seem to value library instruction. Freeman (2004) in his survey of 40 undergraduates concluded that students tend to overrate their skill sets: “They are rating themselves in general terms based upon the way they perceive their ability to perform simpler tasks such as using the catalog to find titles of interest and find items in the library using call numbers from the catalog” (p. 44). Undergraduates need to be taught to use more complicated databases before they come to the realization that not all information is retrieved with one quick search. With instruction, however, students can change their perception of the Web as being the only source of data gathering. “[The students’] perceptions of the Web as a convenient, easy-to-use, comprehensive research tool were not so ingrained and inflexible as to blind them to the benefits of using other resource types to complete their research projects” (Lombardo & Miree, 2003, p. 19). Assessment of students and the instruction provided to them is not an exact science. Libraries are attempting to study the impact of instruction on information literacy. “The new role for the ‘teaching library’ calls for assessment of teaching results. Methods for measuring outcomes . . . include surveys after instruction” (Poll & Payne, 2006, p. 553). Assessment of students’ retention of the one-session instruction model can be done immediately after the teaching session and also several weeks after the session or toward the end of the semester (Wong, Chan, & Chu, 2006). Library assessment is necessary to ensure that what we are teaching is valued, that the instruction provides insight into resources some of our students might not know about or be able to use and to give librarians feedback on whether they are succeeding or not. “Outcomes assessment alerts us to what students know or do not know about library research” (Carter, 2002, p. 41). Another facet of the literature discusses whether instruction is useful for business students and at which stage in their studies most of this instruction is taking place. Cooney and Hiris (2003), among others, have studied the design of information literacy sessions for business students, and have followed their progress: “Educating students in information literacy is not only a worthwhile goal but is an essential component in the development of students as lifelong learners” (p. 213). Most business instruction is taking place with upperclass students and graduate students in business schools. Information literacy for business students is fairly new, and most instruction is provided on demand: “Information literacy instruction is most often provided to business students, who are graduate students (86 percent), or juniors or seniors (each 85 percent)” (Cooney, 2005, p. 11). Auburn University-Montgomery has been providing bibliographic instruction for several years in close collaboration with the business faculty (Judd, Timms, Farrow, & Periatt, 2004); however, providing instruction for undergraduate business students in an introductory class is not yet widespread.

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METHOD Students enrolled in BUS110 included freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and most of these were not Business majors. For this assignment students would need to choose a public company trading on one of the U.S. exchanges. They would then follow various aspects of the company, for example, financials, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, information technology, and so on as assigned by the faculty for the duration of the semester. During the information session, the librarian showed the students how to access various aspects of company information from the many databases subscribed to by Stony Brook University Libraries, including HooversPro, Mergent, Business & Company Resource Center (with Investext), Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe, and Business Source Premier. The librarian also demonstrated the benefits and the pitfalls of using free sites on the Web such as Yahoo! Finance, CNN Business, and a public company’s Web site. After this, the librarian gave the students approximately a half-hour to start their research and walked around the room offering assistance. At the end of the session the librarian posted the URL for the survey on the screen and had the students fill it out online before leaving the classroom. Of the 432 students registered to take the course, 167 (39%) filled out the first survey. Two weeks before the end of the semester the followup survey was posted on the BUS110 Blackboard site. Of the 432 students registered, 97 (22%) students filled out the follow-up survey. The first survey differed from the second survey in that it had questions designed to reinforce aspects of the classroom presentation that had just taken place (Table 1). The second survey focused more heavily on whether the students had continued to use the subscription databases throughout the semester (Table 3).

Highlights of the First Survey As the results of the first survey indicate, the students learned that they had a choice of many databases. This survey showed that students already know how to log on to the library home page and use their NetID, but they do not

TABLE 1 Classroom Instruction Short-Term Outcomes What are the most important facts that you learned during the library session? Check all that apply.

Count

Percentage

I I I I

136 97 76 19

81 58 46 11

found out where to find databases in my subject area. realize there are many ways to search for items. learned about the library home page. figured out how to use my NetID and password.

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TABLE 2 Students’ Short-Term Positive Feedback What did you like most about this session?a

Count

Percentage

Learned about the databases. Librarian Other comments Informative session It was quick. Handout and presentation Hands on and interactive Total responses

47 17 12 9 8 7 6 106

44 16 11 8 8 7 6 100

a

Compilation of free text responses.

know how to find and choose an appropriate database. Of the 167 students who filled out the first survey, 106 gave positive comments (Table 2). Most students said that what they liked was learning about the databases (44%). Because that was the main goal of teaching this session it was encouraging for the librarians and a way to assess the actual content and format of the class. The students were also to a large extent complimentary about the librarians. A large number of students filled out the first survey. They were asked what they learned and also what they liked. Most students answered that they learned about and liked the databases. They also learned that there are many ways to search for company information. This positive response indicates that the students had found the session informative and had a positive attitude toward the session.

Highlights of the Second Survey Results in the second survey indicate that students learned that they needed to use the library’s subscription databases throughout the semester. Seventy-four percent of the students thought that databases had helped them with their research, and only 8% had not used any subscription databases (Table 3). TABLE 3 Students’ Long-Term Assessment of Library Services How did the library help you with your research (databases, librarians, handouts, etc.)?a Use of databases Librarians, handout, etc. Didn’t use library or databases Other comments Total responses a

Compilation of free text responses.

Count

Percentage

39 6 4 4 53

74 11 8 8

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Apparently students still felt that librarians had helped them (11%) even though they rarely visited the library, or the chat or e-mail features on the Web page. This could possibly mean that the library session had made a positive impression on the students and that they equated their success using the databases with the library and the librarians. Students have come to accept that using the library does not necessarily mean they have to be in the library. They have an integrated view of “library, librarians, databases” as one service and gaining access to databases and learning how to use them is to them as good a service, or even better than coming to the reference desk to get help or checking out a book. An encouraging feature of the second survey is that 96 of 432 students actually filled it out. Success for this high response rate is probably because the librarian posted the follow-up survey on the BUS110 Blackboard site. Surveys posted on content management systems (CMSs) appear to elicit a high response rate. All other attempts in the previous semester to locate students and have them fill out a follow-up survey had failed. The survey stayed up on the Blackboard site for about a week, and then librarians removed the link. Twenty-two percent of students registered in BUS110 responded to the follow-up survey. This experience of having a librarian presence on the university’s CMS site underscores the importance of librarians actively participating in instructors’ online syllabi. Librarians should try to embed their handouts, tutorials, message boards, and surveys on the university’s CMS site in partnership with instructors. Some faculty members are using only a few features of CMS and do not have the time or energy to devote to learning how to “embed” the librarian. Embedding the librarian takes place when a faculty member signs the librarian up as an instructor or course builder on his or her CMS site. Alternately, if the librarian obtains the faculty member’s permission to ask the CMS administrator to allow the librarian access to their particular site, the administrator can make the librarian an instructor on the faculty member’s CMS site. This way the librarian can post handouts and tutorials to the site. Students are already using so much material from the university’s CMS that librarians should try whenever possible to collaborate with faculty and be a presence on the faculty’s CMS site.

Comparison of Responses between the Two Surveys When comparing the first survey to the follow-up survey it is interesting to note how little the students actually used library services compared with how they thought they would use these resources immediately after the library session (Table 4 from first survey vs. Table 5 from second survey). Although many of the students expressed a positive attitude toward the library and its services initially, they did not subsequently utilize librarians as a resource. For example, 39% of students initially said they would e-mail

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TABLE 4 First Survey To get help from a librarian I would: (Check all that apply) Use the Library’s Web pages to try and find the answer Go to the reference desk in the Central Reading Room of the Melville Library Ask a fellow student E-mail the reference desk Call the reference desk E-mail Susan Lieberthal, the Business Librarian Click on the Chat button from the library’s home page and chat with a librarian

Count

Percentage

84 81

50 49

77 65 64 58 44

46 39 38 35 26

a librarian for help (Table 4), whereas in the follow up survey only 1% of students had actually done so (Table 5). Twenty-six percent of students initially said they would click the Chat button to chat with a librarian whereas only two students in the follow up survey (2%) actually used the Chat feature. Other comparisons show that 53% of students used the databases heavily compared to 74% who used their company’s Web pages. Seventy-six percent said they used a combination of free Web and databases, and this is the most encouraging result for the library. Because so much of a library’s expenditure goes toward subscription databases, knowing that a single instruction session can find a large majority of students using them is a sign of tremendous success. Twenty-eight percent said they had obtained all their information from the free Web. Yet in Table 3 only 8% of the students had not used the databases. This discrepancy may be related to the confusion students feel about what the term free Web sources means to them. The library might pay for the proprietary databases, but the students themselves do not pay. So to some of the students “free Web” might also include the databases they can get through the library. In general, the students had used the subscription databases quite heavily, and because they are undergraduates, the librarians have helped them form a basis for using databases for the rest of their college years. The instruction session also forms a foundation for building information literacy skills at the undergraduate level.

TABLE 5 Second Survey Please check all that apply I I I I I I I I

used a combination of free Web and databases. went to the company home page for information. used the databases a lot. got all my information from the free Web. went to the library for help. used the Chat feature of the library’s Web page to get assistance. checked out a book. e-mailed a librarian.

Count

Percentage

73 71 51 27 6 2 1 1

76 74 53 28 6 2 1 1

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Public Company Information and Library Resources TABLE 6 Students’ Long-Term Use of Databases Most used databases My company’s Web site HooversPro Yahoo! Finance Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Business & Company Resource Center Business Source Premier Mergent Online

Count

Percentage

60 49 38 19 16 14 11

63 51 40 20 17 15 11

In the first survey only 44% of respondents indicated they had learned about the use of the databases during the information session (Table 2). In the follow-up survey 74% of those commenting about how the library had helped them mentioned the database availability and use (Table 3). In the first survey we had asked them what they had “liked” most about the session. In the second survey we asked what they had actually used. The students had retained the knowledge of the databases and possibly had learned about them again during the course of the semester, either from faculty, fellow students, or from remembering the library session. There was a marked increase in knowledge and use of the databases from the time of the information session until the end of the semester. With so much free and accurate financial information easily available on public companies, it is not surprising that the students gravitated toward these Web sites, possibly to the exclusion of subscription databases. The one cautionary piece of assessment here is the extent to which students used the Web site of their particular company. Although the financial data are the same on subscription databases, the free Web, and the company’s Web page, there are no regulations that require companies to put all news including certain negative information on their Web site. Therefore it is imperative to warn students that they will only get the “positive spin” from a company’s Web site, and in order to get a balanced view they would need to use one of the subscription databases. We did not assess whether they used the subscription databases to verify what they had obtained from their company’s Web site or whether they searched the subscription databases for the “negative spin.” They did still use their company’s Web site heavily. Sixty-three percent of students used their company’s home page most heavily, and 57% of them used their company’s Web site most heavily for obtaining financials (Tables 6 and 7).

Use of Subscription Databases at Stony Brook University Of the subscription databases, it is interesting to note that for this cohort of students HooversPro was the most popular paid database in general, and

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TABLE 7 Students’ Strategies for Obtaining Company Financial Data Most useful for downloading financials My company’s Web site HooversPro Yahoo! Finance Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Mergent Online Forbes.com CNN

Count

Percentage

55 41 39 18 12 11 10

57 43 41 19 13 11 10

also for downloading financials (Table 6 and Table 7). It received the highest rating of all the subscription databases. There are several possible reasons for this. First, most of the librarians teaching the information session heavily favor this database and feel most comfortable demonstrating its features. Another reason could be that students had already found a free version of Hoovers on the Web, and some of the use of Hoovers could have come from that free version. “It showed me some useful sights. Although I actually bumped into Hoovers before being introduced to it by the library, I now learned it was a trusted site and could always access it confident that it could give me some of the information I needed” (Student comment, Survey 2). Although use of the other databases was low, students did use all of them for company information and for downloading financials. In our library information session we had emphasized features unique to one or another paid database, for example, SWOT analysis being available in Business Source Premier, the ability to compare companies in Mergent, and investment reports in Business & Company Resource Center (with Investext). The hope is that students found some of these unique features in each of the databases; and although overall use was relatively low, each database was used several times. To see how much the business databases were used, the Stony Brook University librarians obtained statistics for the business databases for an eight month period, September 2006–April 2007 (Table 8). Trying to gather matching statistics from the various databases was rather a challenge. Not every company provides COUNTER compliant statistics, nor do they collect the same types of data. “Launched in March 2002, COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) is an international initiative serving librarians, publishers and intermediaries by setting standards that facilitate the recording and reporting of online usage statistics in a consistent, credible and compatible way” (About COUNTER, p. 1). This data shows that our business databases are being used, especially Business Source Premier, the most heavily used business database which provided 10,284 searches in the eight month period (Table 8). The university community, including students in other business, finance, and marketing

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Public Company Information and Library Resources TABLE 8 Number of Searches September 2006–April 2007 at Stony Brook University Searches Sep-06 Oct-06 Nov-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Feb-07 Mar-07 Apr-07 Total responses a

Mergent

HooversProa

Business source premier

Bus. & Co. Res. center

1226 422 261 200 17 1024 990 227 4367

519 519 519 519 519 519 519 519 4157

1519 1012 1252 999 472 2024 1417 1589 10284

874 928 993 648 64 576 875 142 5100

HooversPro based on the average, 0–30 days (393) and 60–90 (644) days from August 2, 2007.

courses, is adequately using our business databases. This fact drives decisions on database retention. HooversPro is popular for the first-time searcher as well as for librarians whose subject specialty is not Business. HooversPro offers good basics and easy searching. For example, it shows competitive landscape, which gives detailed analysis of the selected company and four to five of its closest competitors. To obtain a comprehensive list of competitors and a more detailed look at all the financials a student would need to look at their company in Mergent. When demonstrating Mergent, the special features are that it is more comprehensive than HooversPro, offers data downloadable into Excel, offers a more comprehensive selection of time periods and output of financials, for example, quarterly, annual, and so on. The list of competitors and the financial data accompanying Mergent is excellent. Business Source Premier, which is the most heavily used business database at Stony Brook University, contains some unique features. The Datamonitor reports which are available here, well written, and in PDF format, have the useful feature of SWOT analysis for most of the companies in the database. The SWOT analysis is presented in a concise box followed by a narrative of each part of the SWOT analysis. In addition to this, Business Source Premier has the full text of the Harvard Business Review which is a very popular feature of the database, and it also offers the most peer reviewed academic journals. Academic Universe from Lexis/Nexis is part of the instruction because there are company profiles provided by Disclosure that also has financial information downloadable into Excel. In addition to this and the news articles available for each company, Lexis/Nexis now offers Company Dossier, which like Mergent, profiles a detailed list of competitors and their financials downloadable into Excel. When profiling Business & Company Resource Center (with Investext) (BCRC), there are two features that stand out for this cohort of students. The first one is that when the search results for the company appear on the screen, the database has divided the feature articles about this company into subject headings, for example,

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Operations & Technology which is one of the weekly topics students have to study about their company for this class. The other very valuable feature of BCRC is the ability to obtain information about the companies from the Investment Reports which is one of the tabs on the top of the search screen results. These investment reports, written by commercial investment firms, offer ratings of the industry and of the particular company and include a narrative with statistics and graphs.

DISCUSSION Teaching library sessions for business courses is beneficial for librarians and for the library. It provides librarians visibility on campus, enables them to meet faculty and students, and to promote the resources and services we offer. Assessing the actual use of databases based on these teaching sessions is not always conclusive, although from the surveys the BUS110 students filled out it is clear that they used the databases extensively. In addition, assessing this particular cohort and the content of this class is not necessarily typical of every subject that librarians teach. The most obvious difference is that these students were studying public companies. With the proliferation of the Web and good free financial Web sites, a much larger amount of useful company information is available for free on the Web. In addition to this, most public companies maintain very detailed Web sites. Even taking into account that most companies only put positive news and events on to their Web site, they are obligated to post their public U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and that public information is the same whether it comes from the Web site, the SEC’s Edgar database or the financial information pages of various subscription databases. Companies do add extensive descriptions of their products, percentage of the market for various products, and other newsworthy information. The value-added data available on the various commercial databases may be too comprehensive and not necessary for students taking a first-level business course. However with 41% of students using Yahoo! Finance and 57% of students using their company’s Web site, librarians might need to show the added value of subscription databases in a more convincing way. Despite the heavy use of free financial Web sites, many students retained the knowledge about the library’s subscription databases and had positive comments about them. In the follow-up survey of those students commenting on how the library had helped them with their research, 74% mentioned the databases as being useful. Only 8% said that they had not used the databases or library services (Table 3). In addition to this 11% commented that the librarian had helped them. In fact in Table 5, 53% of students had used the databases a lot. The students overall had used the databases extensively, which, considering how much is available for free is very encouraging.

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CONCLUSION The hypotheses have been validated by the results of our surveys. Seventy-six percent of students used the databases throughout the semester. The students also indicated that they had used the library services. They did not use the traditional services that we asked about in the first survey. However, knowing how to use the databases and actually using them throughout the semester is a sign that our library services are being used even if they do not include the traditional visits to the library and consultations with librarians. The fact that students also used the free Web and used their company’s Web site heavily does not detract from the fact that they did use the subscription databases as well. Teaching a single-session information literacy class like this is valuable for many reasons. It gives librarians and faculty, including adjunct faculty, the opportunity to meet each other. It demonstrates students’ willingness to fill out online surveys. Embedding a survey in the CMS site of the course is essential for obtaining follow-up information. The surveys help reinforce the services and databases of the library, which enhances students’ research assignments. Demonstrating the value and use of databases is useful, and students retain this knowledge for the duration of the semester and hopefully longer. This single-instruction session definitely made an impact on students’ use of subscription databases. Occasionally a student will express his or her positive attitude to the information session better than anyone could hope for. “The library (especially the library information session) informed me of the various sources that were available to me at any given time and at most given places. This not only provides me with opportunities to [use] information in Bus 110 but for many classes in the present and in the future” (Student comment, Survey 2).

REFERENCES About COUNTER. (2003). COUNTER: Counting Online Usage of NetWorked Electronic Resources. Retrieved August 20, 2007, from www.projectcounter.org/ about.html. Carter, E. W. (2002). Doing the best you can with what you have: Lessons learned from outcomes assessment. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28(1/2), 36–41. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from EbscoHost database. Cooney, M. (2005). Business information literacy instruction: A survey and progress report. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 11(1), 3–25. Cooney, M., & Hiris, L. (2003). Integrating information literacy and its assessment into a graduate business course: A collaborative framework. Research Strategies, 19(3/4), 213–232. Retrieved June 11, 2007 from ScienceDirect database. Dewald, N. H. (2005). What do they tell their students? Business faculty acceptance of the Web and library databases for student research. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(3), 209–215. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from ScienceDirect database.

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Dewald, N. H., & Silvius, M. A. (2005). Business faculty research: satisfaction with the Web versus library databases. portal: Libraries & the Academy, 5(3), 313–28. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from ProjectMuse database. Freeman, C. (2004). The relationship of undergraduate students’ self-assessment of library skills to their opinion of library instruction: A self -reporting survey. The Southeastern Librarian, 52(3), 39–46. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from EbscoHost database. Herring, S. D. (2001). Faculty acceptance of the World Wide Web for student research. College & Research Libraries, 62(3), 251–258. Retrieved July 26, 2007, from WilsonWeb database. Judd, V., Tims, B., Farrow, L., & Periatt, J. (2004). Evaluation and assessment of a library instruction component of an introduction to business course: A continuous process. Reference Services Review, 32(3), 274–283. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from Emerald database. Lombardo, S. V., & Miree, C. E. (2003). Caught in the Web: The impact of library instruction on business students’ perceptions and use of print and online resources. College & Research Libraries, 64(1), 6–22. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from WilsonWeb database. Poll, R., & Payne, P. (2006). Impact measures for libraries and information services. Library Hi Tech, 24(4), 547–562. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from Emerald database. Wong, G., Chan, D., & Chu, S. (2006). Assessing the enduring impact of library instruction programs. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(4), 384–395. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from ScienceDirect database.

APPENDIX 1

www.stonybrook.edu/library Business Databases for Company Information Hoover’sPro • Download financials to Excel • Build customized report Most features work, but we don’t subscribe to Downloading Company Information feature. Link to SEC filings from results page.

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Academic Universe–Lexis/Nexis Click on Business then Company Financial Reports • All full text • Can use KWIC—keyword in context • Company financials downloadable to Excel Very extensive, up to date news from U.S. and international newspapers and magazines. Mergent All results pages have link tabs running across the screen. • • • • • •

International and U.S. companies Comparison reports of multiple companies Business ratios All financials downloadable to Excel Country reports NOTE: Good link to Edgar from home page

Business and Company Resource Center with Investext Put in name or ticker symbol of company then follow tabs across top of company page. • Global database • Box on left with articles about the company • Investment reports for selected firms Business Source Premier Click on Company, then type in company name. • • • •

Selected companies only Company profiles from Datamonitor SWOT analysis Country reports

Extensive journal collection including scholarly journals, Harvard Business Review, etc. Off-Campus Access to Databases Click on selected database

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You will be prompted for NetID and NetID password Books Online Catalog 2 search boxes: 1. If you know title, author, ISBN etc. use upper box. 2. If you just know a keyword, use lower box. To locate other interesting titles: WorldCat Check Quick Links Library drop down on left side of library home page. • Results show books at SUNYSB and elsewhere Interlibrary Loans On home page under Services- ILL/Document Delivery • For Books not in SUNYSB libraries Other Library Services Click this icon on library’s home page

Avoid Plagiarism • Quote and cite any text you copy and paste. • Example: “Brothers James and Edward Mead Johnson founded their medical products company in 1885 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.” MLA Style of Citation “Johnson & Johnson.” Hoover’s Online. Stony Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, NY. 6 Sept. 2006. . APA Style of Citation (2007). Johnson & Johnson: History. Retrieved February 5, 2007, from Hoover’sPro database.

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Tips for Searching ∗∗

Use Advanced Search Use quotes, for example, “case study” ∗∗ If not limiting to full text use button to locate full text articles in other databases ∗∗

Survey: http://tinyurl.com/28c4g6 [This handout is copied to make it 2 sided, then cut in half to provide a half-page double-sided “bookmark”]

APPENDIX 2 SURVEY 1 This is an anonymous survey. The number of people who took this survey by 7/18/2007 11:12:20 AM is: 167 Business 110 Instruction survey Spring 2007.final Thank you for taking this survey. Your comments will help us improve future sessions. Business 110—Using Business Databases to Access Company Information In this class you received a handout and followed along with the librarian’s demo

Strongly agree

Agree

Strongly Disagree disagree

1. The content of the session was presented in an organized and logical manner 2. The hands-on activities conducted during the class gave me a better understanding of how to use different business databases 3. I learned something in this class that will help me conduct research more efficiently and effectively

❍ [97]

❍ [57]

❍ [1]

❍ [5]

❍ [93]

❍ [57]

❍ [5]

❍ [5]

❍ [108] ❍ [45]

❍ [2]

❍ [4]

4. What are the most important facts that you learned during the library session? Check all that apply
[76] I learned about the library’s home page
[19] I figured out how to use my NetID and password
[136] I found out where to find databases in my subject area
[97] I realize there are many ways to search for items 5. The amount of time allotted for the session was: ❍ [61] More than enough ❍ [90] Just right ❍ [12] Not enough 6. The pace of the training was:

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7.

8.

9.

10. 11.

[26] Too fast [123] Just right [12] Too slow The handout provided in this session was: ❍ [50] Excellent ❍ [45] Very good ❍ [50] Good ❍ [11] Fair ❍ [4] Poor Please rate the overall quality of the session: ❍ [53] Excellent ❍ [68] Very good ❍ [32] Good ❍ [6] Fair ❍ [4] Poor To get help from a librarian I would (Check all that apply): ❍ [64] Call the reference desk ❍ [65] E-mail the reference desk ❍ [44] Click on the Chat button from the library’s home page and chat with a librarian ❍ [81] Go to the reference desk in the Central Reading Room of the Melville Library ❍ [58] E-mail Susan Lieberthal, the Business Librarian ❍ [84] Use the library’s Web pages to try and find the answer ❍ [77] Ask a fellow student What did you like most about the session? [Student Comments removed] How can this session be changed or improved? [Student Comments removed]

APPENDIX 3 SURVEY 2 This is an anonymous survey. The number of people who took this survey by 7/18/2007 11:13:38 AM is: 96 BUS110 follow-up survey Spring 2007 At the beginning of the Spring 2007 semester the librarians showed you how to use the library and its databases. Please tell us how useful this was to you this semester. Thank you from Susan Lieberthal, Business Librarian.

247

Public Company Information and Library Resources Which databases or Web sites were most helpful for your BUS110 assignments Please rank your answers with1 being the most-used database and 7 the least-used database

DATABASES AND WEB SITES USED 1

2

3

4

5

❍ [10] ❍ [10] ❍ [6]

6

7

❍ [4]

❍ [8]

1. HooversPro

❍ [49] ❍ [9]

2. MergentOnline 3. YahooFinance 4. My Company’s Web site 5. Business Source Premier 6. Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe 7. Business & Company Resource Center

❍ [11] ❍ [9] ❍ [10] ❍ [16] ❍ [7] ❍ [38] ❍ [11] ❍ [9] ❍ [9] ❍ [9] ❍ [60] ❍ [9] ❍ [5] ❍ [6] ❍ [5]

❍ [12] ❍ [31] ❍ [2] ❍ [16] ❍ [3] ❍ [7]

❍ [14] ❍ [9]

❍ [11] ❍ [13] ❍ [9]

❍ [19] ❍ [18]

❍ [19] ❍ [8]

❍ [11] ❍ [11] ❍ [10] ❍ [13] ❍ [22]

❍ [16] ❍ [7]

❍ [6]

❍ [12] ❍ [11] ❍ [14] ❍ [27]

For downloading financials on a company, which resources were the most useful Please rank your answers with1 being the most-used database and 7 the least-used database 8. Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe 9. Yahoo

COMPANY FINANCIALS 1

2

❍ [18] ❍ [7]

3 ❍ [9]

4

5

6

7

❍ [15] ❍ [5]

❍ [12] ❍ [26]

❍ [39] ❍ [16] ❍ [7]

❍ [5]

❍ [4]

❍ [6]

❍ [15]

10. My company’s Web site 11. CNN

❍ [55] ❍ [15] ❍ [6]

❍ [3]

❍ [3]

❍ [2]

❍ [8]

❍ [10] ❍ [2]

❍ [12] ❍ [9]

12. Forbes.com 13. HooversPro

❍ [11] ❍ [4] ❍ [10] ❍ [13] ❍ [10] ❍ [9] ❍ [41] ❍ [17] ❍ [6] ❍ [9] ❍ [7] ❍ [6]

14. Mergent

❍ [12] ❍ [7]

❍ [9]

❍ [10] ❍ [9]

❍ [12] ❍ [36] ❍ [33] ❍ [7]

❍ [14] ❍ [11] ❍ [30]

15. Please check all that apply
[51] I used the databases a lot.
[27] I got all my information from the free Web.
[73] I used a combination of free web and databases.
[71] I went to the company home page for information.
[6] I went to the library for help.
[1] I checked out a book.
[1] I e-mailed a librarian.
[2] I used the Chat feature on the library’s Web page to get assistance. 16. How did the library help you with your research (databases, librarians, handouts, etc.) [Student Comments removed] 17. Please tell us what additional databases and services you would like to have [Student Comments removed]