New online Library subscription to Economist.com

Dear Staff and Students

We are pleased to announce that the Library has purchased an online subscription to Economist.com

Aston University staff and students can access the content both and and off-campus.  Off-campus, you will need to log-in with your Aston University username and password, via Library SmartSearch, Databases or Journals tab.

Within the Economist web site, you can click on the Print edition to browse issues from 1997 up to the present date.

Please have a look and let us know whether you have any questions or feedback.

Best regards

Lydia Matheson and Nicola Dennis
Information Specialists
LIS

Looking for something a bit different for your research project?

 





Check out the free resource called VLearn which links you to a collection of talking head videos from business leaders and academics.  You can see and hear discussions on a range of business research topics including sustainability, business ethics, change management, leadership, entrepreneurship, finance, operations management, human resource management and more..

As an academic, if you are interested in talking about your research you can contact VLearn or students can put forward suggestions for future topics.

Vlearn is hosted by the University of Central Lancashire and you can access the collection via your Business and Management LibGuide > Databases tab > Information Portals category  , directly at http://vlearn.org or keep up to date @VLearnTweets

NEW - Sustainable Organization Library

 


    NEW for 2014



Are you studying or researching Corporate Social Responsibility, Governance, Environmental issues or a related field?  Then this new collection may be able to help your research needs...

The Sustainable Organization Library contains more than 8000 individually searchable chapters, case studies and journal papers drawn from more than 600 book and journal volumes, published by the leading independent sustainability publisher, Greenleaf Publishing, and a number of partner organizations. Each item carries its own metadata, which means that the collection is fully searchable at the chapter/article level.

The Sustainable Organization Library 2014 gives instant access to:

• Leading international authors, commentators and researchers on sustainability
• Case studies on best practice from international organizations
• Evidence-based research to inspire the next generation of leaders and environmental researchers.

SOL is a unique, focused library of key texts in sustainability. 

How to access the Sustainable Organization Library
Unfortunately, it is not accessible via the Library SmartSearch search engine so you will need to choose to:

• Access the Sustainable Organization Library from the Business & Management LibGuide and then choose the Journals tab.  
• Access the Sustainable Organization Library directly from Library SmartSearch and then click on the Databases tab in the grey toolbar at the top of the screen. 

 If you would like assistance using this collection, please visit the Library Help Desk on the Ground Floor of the Library or contact us at library@aston.ac.uk

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Information Specialist

A win for the Information Services Team

Congratulations to Clare Langman, one of our Information Specialists in the Information Services Team, who has won access to Industrial Analysis data worth £5,000 until 31st March 2014 for Aston University staff and students.

The Library subscribes to a market analysis database called Passport which is supplied by Euromonitor.  Clare attended a webinar on new developments within this market analysis database.  At the end of the webinar, Clare answered all the quiz questions correctly and was offered the prize to the additional Industrial Analysis data by our academic account manager Ruth Bysshe.

• To read more about the additional Passport Industrials data please view Euromonitor's publicity
• To access the additional Passport Industrials data please view our Business & Management LibGuide 
• Choose the Databases tab and then Market Research from the menu
• Choose Passport
• Once you have logged in, choose Industries 
• The Industrials module is located in the far right column.

The Business Information Specialists, Nicola and Lydia would like to thank

• Clare for this addition to the Library's portfolio of databases
  
•   for providing the prize

New Library subscription to warc.com for advertising and marketing case studies, data and research reports

The Library is pleased to announce a new subscription to warc.com

warc.com provides information about advertising and marketing, including statistics and case studies.

It is available on and off-campus via university username and password from the 'Databases' tab on the Library SmartSearch web page.  It is also available via the 'Databases' tab on the LibGuide for Marketing.

Warc is a global provider of ideas and evidence for marketing people.  It combines current new thinking and trends with best practice so that you can make the most informed decisions about your marketing strategy, with access to over 6,000 award-winning case studies, in-depth trend analysis, and research reports in one place.

If you have any feedback about warc.com or any other Library subscriptions or databases we would be pleased to hear from you.

Best regards
Lydia Matheson

Information Specialist, LIS
l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk

Research Bites 2012 announced!

The programme for the Research Bites 2012 seminars has now been announced.  These short, informal seminars are held on Wednesdays at 1pm throughout July and August, and feature topics relevant to researchers at all levels.  Whether you want a quick refresher on a single topic or a comprehensive updating of your information and research skills, you will find something for you.

Topics for this year's seminars include:

• Which are the best journals to publish in?
• Making EndNote work for you
• Don’t mind your own business: business intelligence & market research
• Copyright and intellectual property

You can find the full programme and more details about each topic on the Research Bites 2012 webpage.

Global Market Information Database

If you use GMID (Global Market Information Database) to find information about countries, industries or consumer products, you will be pleased to know that the facility to download PDFs has now been restored.

Regards
Lydia

Lydia Matheson
l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk
Information Specialist
LIS

GMID - Facility to download PDFs temporarily suspended

Dear staff and students,

This is just to alert you, that although you can still search and view content from GMID (Global Market Information Database) as normal, the facility to download PDF files has been temporarily suspended.

I will let you know when this facility is restored.

Regards
Lydia Matheson
Information Specialist
LIS
l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk

Keynote - UK Industry market reports

Are you looking for UK data on industry sectors?  Have you tried accessing Keynote?

Keynote will provide you with cutting edge consumer research, company information and market insight in to over 2000 industry sectors.  Aston University Library has subscribed to small section of Keynote reports for a long time but recently we have accepted trial access to the entire range of market reports.  

To access : -

• Please log in to the Aston e-Library
• Choose Find Resource from the right hand side of the screen
• In the NAME field type Keynote
• Click the orange FIND RESOURCE button
• Click the name Keynote in the results list at the bottom of the screen
• You will need to login with your University username and password if you are accessing off-campus

Once you have access to the front screen, please choose the Market Research Report pod at the top of the screen and then you can browse alphabetically or search for an industry.

Please note: As we are running Keynote as a trial, there are prices showing next to the title of each report.  You will not be asked to pay for the report.  Just click on the title and you should see an Executive Summary.  On the left hand side you should also see a list of chapter headings for the report and a series of green ticks.  If the green ticks are showing then you have full text access.

You do not have access to the data sitting within the Company Information pod as this is not part of our trial access.

If you have any questions, please contact the Library Help Desk on 0121 204 4525 or email library@aston.ac.uk

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

Are you interested in any topics related to "Social Responsibility"?

Dear Students,

The Library is pleased to announce a new subscription is now available to a web-based magazine called Ethical Corporation. 
 

The e-version of the Ethical Corporation magazine contains the world’s largest archive of business sustainability articles.  There are currently over 7,000 available to search and browse.  There is also access to weekly web-only opinion to the monthly magazine and database – 7,300 searchable CR related articles.  Finally, there is access to podcasts from key personnel within the Corporate Responsibility industry.

Access is available through the Aston e-Library and then choose Find Resource. You can either search for the resource in the Name search box OR choose the Business category and the Full Text Journals sub-category.

Please note:  If you are trying to access this resource from a computer based off the University campus you will need to choose Login on the top of the screen and type in the required email and password.  You can find these details via our Library Matters module on Blackboard and the menu item Passwords and Logging on.  Alternatively, please ask at the Library Help Desk.

Kind Regards

Nicola Dennis

Business Information Specialist 

Are you a final year undergraduate business school student?

Dear final year business school students,

Are you free next Wednesday 23rd November between 2.30pm and 3.30pm?
Then please book a place on a Library Research Skills refresher session to help you locate academic journal articles, company information or market research data.

To book a place email l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk by Monday 21st November.
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thank you,
Lydia

Lydia Matheson
Business Information Specialist, LIS

Downloading PDFs from Business Source Premier EBSCOHost on a MAC

If you are having problems downloading PDFs from Business Source Premier / EBSCOhost and you are using Safari 5.1 on a MAC, then you may need to install a plug-in.

Please see the following instructions from EBSCOHost to help resolve this problem:

Why am I receiving a "Plug-in not found" error when opening a PDF on a Mac using Safari?
http://support.ebscohost.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=5765

Lydia Matheson
Business Information Specialist

Library free trial to Perfect Information has now ended

This is just to let you know that the free trial to Perfect Information has now ended.

There are several alternative resources you can use for business information including:

FAME, ORBIS, Business Source Premier. You can use the Aston e-Library to explore what's available.

Alternatively, please contact Nicola Dennis (N.Dennis@aston.ac.uk) or Lydia Matheson (L.A.Matheson@aston.ac.uk) for advice on using LIS business information sources.

Thank you and regards

Lydia Matheson,
Information Specialist,
LIS

Perfect Information - free trial is ending 1st June

Dear Library users,

The free trial to Perfect Information is ending 1st June 2011. If you have any comments about this service please email feedback to: library@aston.ac.uk

PI Navigator is a financial and capital markets database providing access to over 15 million global company filings including annual reports, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), equity transactional documents (including Initial Public Offerings) and bond prospectuses. PI Navigator surfaces the value of the data buried within financial documents, providing the ability to significantly reduce the time taken when modelling company financials.

EIU Global Forecasting Service now available to staff and students at Aston

Please find below a message from the Economist Intelligence Unit:

I would like to bring to your attention the news that for the first time, the EIU is making access free to our Global Forecasting Service.

For staff and students alike, once registered you will have free and unfettered access to this database.

Global Forecasting Service

• download the monthly Power-point presentations, that summarise the main points of our global forecasts
• A free, monthly updated PDF report covering our global forecast
• data, analysis and forecasts for the global economy, plus drill down options for the regions most important to you
• regular articles on the critical issues that influence economic prospects
• succinct analysis of the top ten risks confronting the world economy at any given time

Just go to www.eiu.com/gfs to register.

New Database: Xtreme Information

Xtreme Information now available

Launched in 1983 as The TV Register, Xtreme Information captures and archives over 25,000 new TV and press advertisements every month from over 60 countries, as well as cinema, radio, outdoor and internet banner ads. Xtreme Information holds over 3 million ads and material going back as far as the 1950s.

Xtreme Information is now available via the Aston e-Library: Find Resource, Business Category, Market Research. Your Aston university username and password will be required.

http://libra.aston.ac.uk:8331/V/IBJHUQSNIS2T84754JUKNBAJ4L9HFUQX9J1U5PHU5N48QIMLCD-28122?func=native-link&resource=AST02938

In case of any queries please contact:

Lydia Matheson
Business Information Specialist
l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk
ext. 4507

Market research / market share information

If you are looking for market research / market share information then try the following e-resources:

1. For consumer products, probably the easiest way is to go to GMID and do a text search for the company producing the product, or the product or brand itself and load all the results.

• You can then go to Statistics section, then Company Shares or Brand Shares. This provides the market share information for global company brands.
• Company reports on GMID include a competitive positioning section which includes market share information

2. Based on annual accounts you could use Fame (UK) or Orbis (Global). This is particularly useful if you know the companies you want to compare.

• You could search for company names one by one (using expert search)
• Add them to the search screen
  
• Use Peer Analyses (click on pie chart) to bring up the market share according to turnover

3. Some market research reports include market share:

• Datamonitor resports on Business Source Premier – industry or company profiles
• Keynote reports (we have purchased a selection)
  
• Business Insights reports