2010 – 2011 Business Information Alert Index
Note: Below are listed the issues published for the last two years with details about
content.
Issues are available in PDF format only. Each issue is $25. The order
number is indicated after the month of publication. Click on the order number to purchase.
Vol22#1
(January 2010)
Order
Order # B22.1
Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Business Information Review 2009 and the
Outlook for 2010
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia
shares her observations on business information activities for 2009.
She discusses business information research trends and provides
important details on research features from Internet searching. A
useful table details those features.
From the Editor: Researching an IPO
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia
explains her research on the large initial public offering (IPO) for
United Company RusAL, an enormous Russian aluminum company. She chose
this rather unusual IPO as an example and challenge for finding relevant
documents.
News and Trends: Global Warming – Business Chilling
By
Terese Mulkern Terry, reference librarian at the Lippincott Library of
the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in
Philadelphia
After
a little digging Terese found some good information reports on the
commercial aspect of global warming. Most are from relatively new
programs or projects professing high expectations. Read more about those
sources. Another source will give you the record of EPA compliance
and/or violations for your company.
Info Intro: Privatisation
By Sylvia James*
Privatisation
is the transfer of ownership of an enterprise or governmental function
from the state to private control. This brief guide provides the main
methods of privitisation, the main books and sources on this global
topic.
Info Intro is
intended to be a guide to the basics of a topic. It will give you all
you need to know when you are faced with researching an important,
tricky, new-to-you, or a “hot topic” in business. Novices will be able
to learn the basics of the covered topic in a nutshell.
Vol22#2 (March 2010)
Order # B22.2
2010 BRASS Goes Virtual: ALA Midwinter Conference Report
By Toby Pearlstein, PhD and Special Libraries Association fellow
For
the first time this annual conference did not include any formal BRASS
(Business Reference and Services Section) activities. BRASS has gone
virtual. To get a better understanding about this experiment in going
virtual, Toby spoke with Celia Ross (Kresge Business Administration
Library, University of Michigan), incoming BRASS chairperson.
From the Editor: Private Equity Hits the Buffers – or Does It?
By Sylvia James*
A statement from an article in the Financial Times
regarding the fate of private equity funding caught Sylvia’s attention.
In particular, she had come across a statement in the article stating
that the biggest buyout groups will never do a deal again, spelling doom
for corporate finance! She wanted to read the full report for herself
but discovered that obtaining it became a research case study in
itself. Learn how she found this elusive report!
Info Intro: (Bank) Capital Adequacy
By Sylvia James*
Capital
Adequacy is a measure of a bank’s capital. It is generally expressed
as a ratio known as Capital Adequacy Ratio or CAR. This brief guide
gives you the formula and how it is divided by the bank’s risk.
Essential books and sources give you the tools to understand this
important business metric.
Info Intro is
intended to be a guide to the basics of a topic. It will give you all
you need to know when you are faced with researching an important,
tricky, new-to-you, or a “hot topic” in business. Novices will be able
to learn the basics of the covered topic in a nutshell.
Vol22#3 (June 2010)
Order # B22.3
Researching Corporate Failures: An Overview for Business Researchers
By Sylvia James*
In
light of the numerous corporate scandals of 2009, Sylvia has been hired
to research corporate failures and subsequent restructurings. More
often than not she found herself researching bankruptcies. This led to
organizing the projects into four distinct business information
challenges. This same model can be used by all business researchers.
Detailed tables provide examples of case studies and the major
commercial sources that researchers will want to use. This is an
overview of the topic of corporate failure and the first in a series on
bankruptcies.
From the Editor: Lehman, Vulukas, Ernst & Young & Repo 105
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia
talks about the recent publication of a 2,200 page investigation report
into the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Read her spot on comments about
this report and why you need to read it. Ironically, the report was
written by attorneys at the Chicago firm of Jenner & Block and is
available through its website.
Vol22#4 (August 2010)
Order # B22.4
Researching Corporate Re-Structuring
By Sylvia James*
This
article focuses on the business research aspects of corporate
restructuring and the subsequent sale of assets or companies. Sylvia
includes a series of corporate finance sources to help understand the
background of re-structuring.
From the Editor: The Sellout(s)
By Sylvia James*
Read Sylvia’s review of The Sellout: How Three Decades of Wall Street Greed and Government Mismanagement Destroyed the Global Financial System and its predecessor King of the Club.
Conference Report: Highlights from the SLA Annual Conference
By Amy Affelt, Director of Database Research at Compass Lexicon in Chicago
Held
in New Orleans in June of 2010, Amy gives her thoughts and impressions
as she walked through the exhibit hall. One thing quickly caught Amy’s
attention – many information providers are incorporating iPad apps into
their products.
Vol22#5 (October 2010)
Order #B22.5
Researching Corporate Risk Management: An Overview for Business Researchers
By Sylvia James*
The
business research aspects of corporate risk management are covered in
this article. This is not the easiest type of company research to
perform. Sylvia attempts to clarify the scope of projects that might be
undertaken and ways these projects can be successfully completed.
From the Editor: Truly Busted
By Sylvia James*
This is Sylvia’s review of Edmund Andrews’ Busted.
Andrews is the economics editor at the New York Times. It is an unusual
account of the progression of the sub-prime mortgage situation as it is
from both his personal and professional viewpoints.
Info Intro: Chapter 11
By Sylvia James*
Info Intro is
intended to be a guide to the basics of a topic. It will give you all
you need to know when you are faced with researching an important,
tricky, new-to-you, or a “hot topic” in business. Novices will be able
to learn the basics of the covered topic in a nutshell.
Vol22#6 (December 2010)
Order # B22.6
Researching Annual Reports, Part One: North America
By Amy Affelt, Director of Database Research at Compass Lexicon in Chicago
In
this two-part series, sources of company annual reports in both print
and digital formats are explored. Non-North American companies will be
reviewed in Part Two.
From the Editor: Can a “Sensational “Trial Spotlight Private Equity?
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia discusses the leveraged buyout and subsequent jury trial between Terra Firma and Citicorp in New York.
Vol22#7 (January 2011)
Order #B22.7
Researching Annual Reports Part 2: Collections for Companies Outside North America
By Sylvia James*
Sources
of company annual reports in both print and digital formats are
explained for companies outside of North America. North American sources
were reviewed in Part 1.
From the Editor: 21,000 Transactions
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia
discusses the announcement in December 2010 by the Federal Reserve of
the details of the loans to businesses that had been helped by the
buyout and tells you where to find those details.
BIA Comments: Risk
By
Ann Cullen, Curriculum Services Specialist in the Knowledge and Library
Services division of the Harvard Business School in Cambridge, MA
Introduced
in this issue, BIA Comments is a short multi-purpose column on a new or
well-established source of US business information.
Vol22#8 (March 2011)
Order # B22.8
Reading Bernie Madoff: Seven Books About a Scandal
By Sylvia James*
In
this feature article Sylvia discusses several books written about the
Madoff scandal. Sylvia is the consummate researcher and she has been
fascinated with the Madoff scandal and how it could have happened. So
she set out to learn all that she could about this scandal, the largest
in history. This article lists all the books [and not just in English]
that she could find about Madoff. Is anyone from the SEC out there?
Read this article, then read the books. What is the saying: “Those Who
Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It!” Fascinating from a business
and human perspective.
From the Editor: New Emerging Markets
By Sylvia James*
Sylvia's
editor’s column is very different from the ones that I write. They are
mini articles in themselves. In this column she discusses the
development of the phrase “emerging markets” and whether time and events
have changed what this term means. You should read this so that you
can explain to the associate, junior analyst, partner, and other
researcher what this phrase means now.
Info Intro: Fund of Funds
By Sylvia James*
A
guide to the basics of what is meant by “fund of funds” with
explanation, list of key books and other sources. This topic is related
to the Madoff scandal in that his scheme was based on this concept.
Info Intro is
intended to be a guide to the basics of a topic. It will give you all
you need to know when you are faced with researching an important,
tricky, new-to-you, or a “hot topic” in business. Novices will be able
to learn the basics of the covered topic in a nutshell.
*Sylvia
James is an independent researcher, writer and lecturer on all types of
global business information. She has been working as a management
consultant in business information since 1988. Before this she worked
for 20 years in various positions researching business information for
financial service companies and multinational companies, including Head
of Research at Credit Suisse First Boston, an international investment
bank based in London.
Mrs.
James is a Chartered Member of the UK Chartered Institute of Library
& Information Professionals (CILIP), a fellow of the Special
Libraries Association (SLA) and former Treasurer of SLA’s Board of
Directors. She was named the American Library Association (ALA)
RUSA/BRASS award winner for 2007 for Excellence in Business Leadership.
Her most recent appointment is as Treasurer of ARA (the Archives and Records Association) in the UK.
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