Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

Exercises

Log into LexisNexis via www.nexis.com (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) using the username and password supplied by your lecturer.

1. Search Type: Topic Search

The Australian government has taken on a controversial approach to stop illegal immigrants (HINT: refugees) attempting to arrive by boat. Off-shore processing centers, or detention centers have been set up, where people who illegally seek refuge in Australia are detained while they’re immigration applications are processed.

Summary

Initially, I searched Nexis News using the “News” tab and entered this search string: ((("Australian government" and "offshore processing center" w/5 "located") Or ("offshore processing Centre" w/5 "located"))) and DATE(>=2014-08-04). This gave me 5 results in which I identified 2 offshore processing centers. Next I edited my search via the “go” button next to “edit search” drop-down menu. I tried to replace “offshore” and “processing” with “onshore” and “detention” with no luck. I then searched: ((("australi!") And ( "refugee detention cent!"))) and DATE(>=2013-11-04) in order to find 2 detention centres in my 20 results.

Using my search results, I collect the following index terms:Immigration, refugees, Australia, human rights, immigration detention centers

I did a Power Search with all the index terms and found 78 results.

I. Use Nexis News to identify the names of 2 off-shore processing centers and 2 on-shore detention centers.

Manus Island (Papua new guinea) offshore processing center located on the PNG navy base Lombrum. Nauru Australian offshore processing Center. Curtin Immigration detention Centre. Darwin (Northern) detention Centre.

II. Now re-run your search using the 'Index Terms' in the Power Search

(Immigration and "Australia" and refugees and "human rights" and "immigration detention centers")

III. Supply a summary, documentation of the steps you took to run your final searches and the records in which you located the names of these facilities

Record links: off-shore processing Centre in Nauru

now in a detention Centre in Darwin

include sending migrants to camps in impoverished Papua New Guinea

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

WA's squalid Curtin detention Centre known only by the number

2. Search Type: Company - Sources: US Company Reports

G4S was/is a major contract holder for Australian detention center management. In the company search tab, find company information for this company in LexisNexis

Using GlobalData Reports answer the following:

Summary

I initially searched for G4S (which I recalled seeing in the previous Search Type #1) in the Company tab of Nexis. I used Sources: GlobalData Company Profiles to perform a search on the company. I found 13 results which looked like they could answer all the questions for this part of the exercise (fingers crossed!). At the bottom of each report were links to other available reports including SWOT Analysis and Key Facts. I browsed most of these to find the answers below.

At prompt “V” (V. Can you locate the financial overview of this company? What was the company’s gross profit in 2012? ), I started a search using Lexis.com>>>Legal Tab>>>selected Reuters Knowledge Direct as a source and searched g4s. This returned 16 results. When I clicked on financial information under the first citation, “the page could not be found”. I then clicked on the homepage url: http://www.g4s.com.

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

At the G4S homepage, I scrolled down and clicked on Financial Calendar. Next I scrolled down to click on Publication of 2012 Annual Report and Accounts. Next I scrolled down and clicked on preliminary final results announcement. I saw that PBITA*** is defined as “as profit before interest, taxation, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs and exceptional items “. Next, I found the annual reports at the G4S website. (Maria:) The last 2 prompts for this segment have a summary included in the question.

I. When was the company incorporated and who is the current CEO?

2004 - Incorporation/Establishment and Nick Buckles Chief Executive Officer

II. What are the SIC code for this company? What does this reveal about searching information about the work a particular company does?

Sic Codes The SIC codes help identify between countries and industries, what a specific company does or what industry it belongs to. The codes also help to categorize business activities. In this case, G4S, has 4 SIC codes:

719 - Holding Companies, Nec7381 - Detective & Armored Car Services7382 - Security Systems Services8999 - Services, Nec

III. Who are G4S’s major competitors?

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

Top Competitors

IV. Download and attach the list of parent and subsidiary companies of G4S.

found at: Locations and Subsidiaries

Using Reuters Knowledge Direct answer the following:

V. Can you locate the financial overview of this company? What was the company’s gross profit in 2012? 516 Million pounds. This was up 6% from the year 2011, nice! (See summary for how I got here).

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

VI. Visit the G4S website. How many years’ worth of Annual Reports are you able to access (There are databases that provide company annual reports including Mergent Online and Connect4, but often companies have a nice selection of them on their websites as well)

I found the reports under the Financial statements Section and the Report Archive section. In the report archive section, I saw 2004-2012 annual reports. In the Download Centre under Financial statements, I found the 2013 annual report. This gives us a total of 10 annual reports available. Not bad!

Back in the News search, find the following:

VII. Provide citations to 2 recent news stories on this company coming out of Australia. How did you locate these stories? Australian Contract Award: G4S SECURE SOLUTIONS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD awarded a contract worth $220,965.10, for "Guarding Services Victoria State office"

Human rights complaint issued against G4S over Manus asylum seeker treatment

I found these two news articles in the News search. I used only “G4S” as a search term and selected the “In Headline” segment. For region, I chose “Australia & Oceania”. My Source was English Language News (Most recent in 90 days). This gave me 34 results and I was able to choose my 2 from the top 10.

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

VIII. Supply a summary, documenting the steps you took to run your final searches and the records in which you located the answers to these questions

See summary, and prompts listed previously.

3. Search Type: Legal Case

Summary (see below)

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

I. A client brings you a piece of paper with this written on it, indicating it relates to a court case. Can you figure out how to search for it in LexisNexis? 132SCt2492 – where did you search, what syntax did you use to write this and how did you figure out what syntax to use and what is the name of the case?

I went to the Legal tab in LexisNexis since this was a “court” question. In the Legal search page there is a Citation Number blank with “Citation help” next to it. I clicked on the Citation help and saw that a similar number (example: 118 S Ct. 62) was listed under the Federal heading. I then formatted my case (as suggested by the citation help section, see image below) number as follows: 132 S Ct. 2492, in order to find it in the search. The name of the case is ARIZONA, et al., Petitioners v. UNITED STATES No. 11-182 SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

4. Search Type: Biographical

Summary

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

I went to LexisNexis>>Biographical tab to search for this prompt. I performed a search for Nicholas Buckles and chose Natural Language with “daughter” as an additional term. My Source was Biographies Plus News. This resulted in one search results: Nicholas Peter (Nick) BUCKLES .

I. Locate the name of Nick Buckles' wife, the date of their wedding anniversary, the name of their youngest daughter and her birthday using LexisNexis. Provide these details and summarize your search to locate them (use screen shots if you like).

My record in the results showed that Nick Buckles married Loraine Dawn on 26 March 1988. Their youngest daughter is Helena Joy (born 15 Dec 1993).

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

Instructions:

Exercise #4

Due Date: November 11, 2014 by 11:59pm PST

Submission Instructions

Name your file as: lastname_firstname_Ex4. Ensure you replicate this naming convention when uploading the file to Canvas

Late assignments will not be accepted unless there are extenuating circumstances and arrangements have been negotiated between student and lecturer in advance of the due date.

Student Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate a broad understanding of the design of major fee-based online databases and how to search them effectively.

Describe database content, search language, and syntax. Identify the value and role of fee-based database aggregators in obtaining precision results quickly

and efficiently. Understand how knowledge of database aggregator systems increases the quality of Internet

research.

Exercise Instructions

Complete each information request and submit to Canvas in a Word file using the following instructions:

1. Complete the following exercises, documenting your results in a Word file.2. Include your name and assignment details in the header of the document3. Use the numbering system below to lay out your document

4. Place a summary at the beginning of each information request. The summary must be an objective and organized analysis of your steps, strategies, and findings (including answers to specific questions posed) for each problem, written in a narrative form and described in two to three paragraphs (or more if needed). It should also answer any specific questions posed in the assignment. Bullets may be used within paragraphs. You may like/prefer to provide screen shots to illustrate how you approached the exercises. This is okay, but please be mindful of final file size.

5. Document the steps that you use to produce the final result. Though you are likely to try multiple searches before deciding on the best way, you need only document this final attempt:

Example:

Search Terms: Google AND “Right to be forgotten”

Sources: Major World Publications

Dates: Previous 3 months

Owens_David_Ex4 (Lexis Nexis)

Result: 150 hits

Provide screen shots as necessary (essentially you need to supply enough

information for someone else to replicate your search and results)

6. Single space your summaries.7. Start each Problem on a separate page.

In addition to becoming familiar with LexisNexis as a database, these exercises will give you an opportunity to navigate kinds of information you might otherwise be unfamiliar with or use infrequently. It is important to be able to quickly understand a database structure but also to understand the information environment you’re working within. You need to understand what the information is in order to effectively search for it. If you come across stuff that looks unfamiliar, don’t get stumped. Give it a go, and ask your lecturer and fellow students.

David, really good work on this assignment. With the exception of the minor misstep on Gross Profit (see my comments in the margin) you correctly answered all of the information requests and provided clear document for your search strategies and processes. Well done! -Mari

Comments: 19/20

PBITA is not the same as gorss profit.  I suspect that where you went astray was in using the Legal tab rather than the Company tab or even the main search tab.

A search for G4S in company, then limited to sources from Reuters Knowledge Direct, provided the result with the needed information.  The gross profit for G4S in 2012 was 1,486,000,000 GBP.