Directory of Business Information

Description of publication

 

This very useful text authored by Lawrence Rasie complements Michael Lavin's Business Information. It is not intended to describe sources, but instead lists business sources usually with address and telephone numbers plus other resources, including electronic formats (CD-ROM and on-line) and microfilm, which are not included in Lavin's book (see also Chapter 19).

According to Rasie, business sources now appear in a bewildering variety. You must choose among business newspapers, business journals, on-line indexes, on-line abstracts of articles, on-line full-text copies of articles, CD-ROM indexes, CD-ROM abstracts of articles, CD-ROM full-text copies of articles, plus microfilm copies of materials, and more.

Rasie's book helps to tie it all together. It presents direct links from conventional sources you know to thousands of printed indexes, on-line databases, and CD-ROM databases. It's a network of direct links to advanced research technology, source by source, topic by topic-across the entire business spectrum. Unfortunately, not all of the citations have telephone numbers and addresses. (See Business Phone Book USA mention in this chapter.)

A sample citation for The Economist (see Chapter 43) demonstrates this network of specific sources (abbreviations for the format of databases are: ind = indexing only; abs = abstracts of articles; and ful-tx = full text articles):

The Economist. Economist Newspaper NA Inc.
This weekly offers world business and economic coverage. Edited for management, it has a reportorial and analytical approach to business, economy, finance, and politics. Very helpful on the global economy. Regular section "Economic and Financial Indicators" focuses on selected countries.
It's indexed in BPI, F&S, EnvironAbs, MgmtMark-Abs(abs), PAIS, Promt(abs), SocSciInd, and TextilTechDigst (abs).
It's on-line with ABI(ful-tx), AcadInd, BPI(ind,abs), DatTim(ful-tx), Dowj(some ful-tx), F&S, LEXIS-NEXIS(ful-tx), MagInd(ful-tx), MgmtMarkAbs(abs), Ne4wsPerAbs (abs), PAIS(abs), SocSciInd(ind,abs), and TradInduInd (ful-tx).
It's on CD-ROM with ABI(abs), AcadInd, Acad-Abs(ful-tx), AcadSerch(abs), BPI, BusI(ful-tx), BusSorce (ful-tx), F&S, MagArtSums(abs), MgmtMarkAbs, MagInd, PAIS, and SocSciInd. It's on microfilm with UMI.

The book has four major parts, each with sources for various kinds of business information. Part I describes general sources covering many business topics. These sources are good for simple research and as a launching pad for complex research. Chapter 1 describes general databases and broad business databases, directories, yearbooks, business newspapers and periodicals, major business broadcasts and transcripts, business statistics, prepared market research, and general management sources. Chapter 2 describes specialized databases for business research, such as Dow Jones News/Retrieval, PROMT, and Social Science Index.

Part II covers three essential business and investment topics: the economy,industries, and leading companies. It provides business and investment sources for the national economy, 350 leading industries, and their top companies. Chapter 3 helps readers navigate these unfamiliar waters. It starts with a brief summary or abstract of the overall economy, including future projections for several years. It also includes broad sources for the economy, industries, companies, and investments. Chapter 4 describes specific industries in a separate section. It summarizes the status and outlook for each, lists the top companies in each, and describes specialized sources of information for each. Chapter 4 also includes some general business functions, such as advertising and marketing and general management services.

Part III covers specific business functions:

  • Chapter 5 for new and small business.
  • Chapter 6 for international business.
  • Chapter 7 for sources in the federal government.
  • Chapter 8 for selected topics from antiques to taxes.

Part IV covers business in the 50 states and libraries in the 50 states. Chapter 9 covers state and regional information. The chapter begins with broad sources that have information about all states or regions. Then, each state has its own separate section. Each begins with a brief abstract describing the state's economy and its outlook for several years. Next are key business sources in that state, including state government offices important to business, state data centers and local/ regional publications, and the like. Each section concludes with a list of the 10 or so largest companies (by revenue) in that state. A second list names the leading employers within that state. Chapter 10 lists the largest public libraries and college libraries in every region of the country. The Appendix lists major publishers whose works are cited throughout the book.

A company that specializes in lists is American Business Information, Inc. located in Omaha, Nebraska, (402) 593-4600. In its 23 years of existence, it has been perhaps the leading provider of sales leads to businesses. A staff of approximately 300 people compile information from more than 5,000 Yellow Pages, Business White Pages, and other public sources. And, according to their representatives, they make over 14 million phone calls a year to verify the database and to collect additional information. Of particular interest is the American Business Directories division (Internet e-mail: directory@abii.com), which publishes over 2,000 different business directories. If you would like to see a sample page from a specific directory just call. The directories include:

  • Business name, address, and phone number.
  • Name of owner or manager and number of employees.
  • Sales volume and credit rating codes.



Directory of Business Information
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Directory of Business Information


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