Business 360W: Business Communication Research @ Simon Fraser University Library By Yolanda...

Business 360W:Business Communication Research

@Simon Fraser University

Library

By Yolanda KoscielskiLiaison Librarian to Business Administration

Objectives:

1. Gain an understanding that there is a huge world of information out there between the polar opposites of good (usually academic) and poor

2. Learn to evaluate any piece of information for recency, reliability, and relevance (the three R’s)

3. Review some basic search strategies

4. Know how to get help/additional resources

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Research Questions?

Radio in the Internet Era Promoting a Reduced Carbon

Footprint BC Construction Worker Safety Executive Safety ...

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Who might publish the information you need?

Exercise: Scholarly vs. non-scholarly article

Roberts, J., Tanner, J., & Manolis, C. (2005). Materialism and the family structure-stress relation. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15(2), 183-190.

Winfrey, O. (2007, November). What I know for sure. O, The Oprah Magazine, pp. 352,352. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from Canadian Reference Centre database.

Evaluating your Sources

The Three Rs Recency

Reliability

Relevance

Evaluating your SourcesRecency Date = currency

Reliability Bibliography+methodology= documentation Author info = authority Length = completeness Ads + pictures = purpose

Relevance Closeness to your topic Must judge info and explain to (ex. Professor/manager) High quality doesn’t always mean relevant

Evaluating your Sources

Quality vs. Quantity

Quality is your 1st Priority

Who might publish the information you need?

Academic articles: Evaluation Issues Peer-reviewed (reliability) University affiliation (reliability) Comprehensive + well-documented (reliability +

relevance)

But.. Information may not be that recent (recency) Information may not be that relevant + scholarly articles

may not provide all the information you need (relevancy) Not all scholarly articles/journals are created alike

(reliability)

News articles: Evaluation Issues Entry point to different topics, with useful references to

people, associations, studies, reports, etc. Source of unique content Possibly high geographical relevance Can be very recent

But.. Potentially biased Big reliability issues

Private Researchers: Evaluation Issues

http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchtools/restricted/globalentertainment/GEMO603.pdf

Source of highly relevant information May provide methodology + other documentation

But… Can be very expensive Can be slanted Relevance may be limited, e.g. American vs. Canadian law

Associations: Evaluation Issues

http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/default.shtm

Possibly highly specific relevancy) to the industry/question you are researching

But…

As advocates for their members, can present a biased/incomplete view

Government: Evaluation Issues Can be

geographically relevant

Research methodology can be very well documented (e.g. Statistics Canada)

But… May not be as

relevant as you wish

Companies: Evaluation Issues Possibly highly relevant information

But… Selective reporting Hard to obtain information for private companies

Alternatives: Refer to public organizations for policies Practitioner publications for policy/cost components

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Where do you find the information?

Books

News Articles

Business & Academic Literature

Library Catalogue

CBCA & Canadian Newsstand Business Source

Complete

Who might publish the information you need?

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Analyzing Your Topic Before searching the databases, analyze

your topic: break it down into concepts and think of synonyms for each idea.

Topic: What are the trends in the women's clothing market?

Concepts: clothing AND women AND trend*

Synonyms: apparel AND female AND fashion Search = (clothing or apparel) AND (women or female) AND

(trend or fashion)

Sample Search Question

Use AND / OR / NOT to combine terms to narrow or broaden your database searches.

Use * Truncation symbol to find all variations of a word ex. A search for "forest* " will result in items containing any of:  forestry, forest, and forests

Using the Index

http://cufts2.lib.sfu.ca/CRDB/BVAS/resource/5781

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Information Evaluation Exercise Satellite radio doesn’t worry broadcastersStar: Phoenix. Saskatoon, Sask.: Dec 10, 2005. pg. D.1

Retailers say satellite radio equipment is a hot-selling Christmas gift this year, but an official with the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters says satellite radio should not have any impact on traditional radio. Bjorn Vors, a sales associate with Future Shop in Saskatoon, says the store is almost running out of stock.

“I’ve got a couple left. They (satellite radio receivers) just go like hot cakes,” said Vors.

Vic Dubois, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters, says about 50 years ago television was supposed to bring about the demise of radio, and a few years ago the Internet was expected to make radio and newspapers obsolete, but that has not happened…Dubois believes that satellite radio might have zero or minimal impact on advertising revenues for traditional radio.

“Not much (impact). Because if they ran advertisements it would be national advertising or international…I would say 15 per cent of our revenue ads comes from national advertising and 85 per cent is local,” said Dubois.Credit: Abraham Akot

Information Evaluation Exercise Satellite radio doesn’t worry broadcastersStar: Phoenix. Saskatoon, Sask.: Dec 10, 2005. pg. D.1

Retailers say satellite radio equipment is a hot-selling Christmas gift this year, but an official with the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters says satellite radio should not have any impact on traditional radio. Bjorn Vors, a sales associate with Future Shop in Saskatoon, says the store is almost running out of stock.

“I’ve got a couple left. They (satellite radio receivers) just go like hot cakes,” said Vors.

Vic Dubois, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters, says about 50 years ago television was supposed to bring about the demise of radio, and a few years ago the Internet was expected to make radio and newspapers obsolete, but that has not happened…Dubois believes that satellite radio might have zero or minimal impact on advertising revenues for traditional radio.

“Not much (impact). Because if they ran advertisements it would be national advertising or international…I would say 15 per cent of our revenue ads comes from national advertising and 85 per cent is local,” said Dubois.Credit: Abraham Akot

Research Question

Sub Questions

Who Might Have the Info?

Where Should You Search For the Info?

SEARCHING

Evaluating

Writing

The Research Process

Writing - Citing Your Information Sources

http://www.lib.sfu.ca/

First Steps to BUS 360W Wiki

SFU Library Website

The library’s home page: www.lib.sfu.ca

Click on “Browse research guides”

Click on Business Administration,

-then on Course

-then on BUS 360

BUS 360W Research Guide Wiki

Reference & Research Assistance

In-person, Telephone, E-mail & Virtual Ask Us Now Reference Service

SFU Burnaby Yolanda Koscielski: ysk6@sfu.ca

SFU Surrey Greg Tourino: gtourino@sfu.ca

http://www.lib.sfu.ca/

Objectives:

1. Gain an understanding that there is a huge world of information out there between the polar opposites of good (usually academic) and poor

2. Learn to evaluate any piece of information for recency, reliability, and relevance (the three R’s)

3. Review some basic search strategies

4. Know how to get help/additional resources