Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of business databases on its homepage; see under Business Databases. For more information on the three dozen Foster business databases, click here.   For more information about which of the three dozen Foster business databases to use, click here.   For more information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, click here. For answers to some frequently-asked questions about connecting to UW library databases from off-campus, click here. And, finally, see the UW Libraries' Database Usage Guidelines.
• Hoovers Online:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Hoovers Online offers information about 14,000 public and private companies worldwide, with links to company homepages and annual reports, charts, company capsule, competitors, divisions, earnings, financials, Fortune and Forbes rankings, history, industry information, insider trading, mission statements, news links, press releases, officers, patents, products, SEC filings, splits, subsidiaries, etc.

  See the industry factsheet for Information Technology Services.

• Investext:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Investext contains indexing and the full text of company and industry research reports prepared by leading Wall Street firms, as well as regional and international brokerage and financial firms. All reports are in PDF format.

  A keyword search for Information Technology produced a list of over 288,000 reports.

• EIU Online:   One of the world's top sources for country intelligence, the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) employs 500 analysts who research almost 200 nations. The Foster Business Library provides access to their Country Profiles, Country Reports, Country Commerce, and Country Finance in print editions and this database provides online access to these publications, often in both HTML and PDF formats.

  An advanced search in Viewswires, in Telecoms & IT, for Information Technology retrieved over 1,000 articles. This search can be narrowed by adding a country name to the search. For Information Technology information by country, for 55 countries, see the Country Commerce reports, and, in particular, section 1.5 Foreign Investment and Protection of Intellectual Property.

• Forrester Research:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Forrester Research provides access to reports and briefings on the effects of technology change on businesses, consumers, and society, and analyzes such technology areas as new media, computing, software, networking, telecommunications, and the Internet. To use this database, UW users must establish a personal account from a UW IP address. (Available from off-campus.)

  This database is a good source for information on topics in Information Technology.

• InfoTech Trends:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. This database indexes statistics and forecasts published in computer and telecommunication trade publications and offers this information in chart format (also available in Microsoft Excel format).

  This database is a good source for tables with data and statistics on topics in Information Technology.

• Conference Board Business Knowledge Research:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, under List of All Business Databases. This searchable database of full-text research reports, published by the Conference Board, is focused on major issues in business and economics. For a 37-page PDF cumulative index to this database, click here.

  See their nine reports on Information Technology.

• Country Commercial Guides:   These guides, available in STAT-USA, are prepared annually by U.S. embassies with the assistance of several U.S. government agencies.

  See chapter five of these reports for Leading Sectors for U.S. Exports and Investment. See also chapter six for Trade Regulations and Standards. Both of these chapters often refer to Information Technology. Try, also, searching for this term in the full text of the entire guide.

Web Resources:

Unlike library databases, these online resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the UW Connectivity Kit or the UW Libraries Proxy Server for authentication. For links to business websites by topic, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage. Good sources for business topics include trade associations (which often provide industry data unavailable elsewhere) and government regulatory and oversight agencies (which are also a good source for industry data). When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources.
• Internet Surveys & Statistics:   Find this collection of five websites on the Foster Business Library homepage, under Research Links, for surveys and statistics on internet usage.

• CIO Magazine:   This site is the expanded online webpage for CIO Magazine, "read by more than 140,000 CIOs and senior executives who oversee annual IT budgets in excess of $175 million. CIO.com is visited by close to 500,000 unique visitors each month." The magazine is published by a subsidiary of International Data Group.

• Larta:   Formerly the Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance, this nonprofit corporation bills itself as the "think tank for technology businesses" and publishes a weekly magazine with a readership of over 20,000.

• TechWeb:   This information technology website offers both its own content and content from such publications as InformationWeek, Internet Week, Network Computing, Network Magazine, Optimize Magazine, The Open Enterprise, and the Financial Technology Network.

• WashTech:   The Washington Alliance of Technology Workers is an organization of high-technology workers, a local affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, active locally on the issue of information technology outsourcing to India and other countries.

• World Economic Forum:   The World Economic Forum is "an independent international organization incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation and has NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations." See their Country Competitiveness Profiles for 80 countries, from their publication entitled Global Competitiveness Report.

Foster Business Library Reference Collection:

The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in the center of the library's first floor. The reference works listed below are arranged according to call number and, since none of these books circulate, they should always be available--except when in use by a library user.
• International marketing data and statistics.
  Demographic trends and forecasts, economic indicators, labor force, trade, energy, environment, consumer expenditures and market size, and retailing information for the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania; companion volume to European marketing data and statistics.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA42 .I56. 2003.

  See Communications on pages 556 to 589.

• European marketing data and statistics.
  Demographic trends and forecasts, economic indicators, labor force, trade, energy, environment, consumer expenditures and market size, and retailing information for European countries.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA1107 .E87 2003.

  See Communications on pages 372 to 383.

• World development indicators.
  This World Bank volume contains a large number of tables listing each country and key data about its people, environment, economy, markets, employment, poverty, etc. For data about personal computers, internet hosts, secure servers, etc., see section 5.10 for Information Age.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC59.15 .W656 (Annual)
  Also available, in part, online at http://www.worldbank.org/data/wdi/home.html.

  See Employment By Economic Activity on pages 56 to 58 and Information Age on pages 316 to 318.

• The global information technology report.
  This World Economic Forum publication provides country profiles and data about the diffusion of information technology, along with chapters on network readiness, global diffusion of information technology, information technology and poverty, regulatory reform, and a case study on Finland.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC79 .I55 .G56 2003-2004.

  See the pages for specific countries, such as China, on page 128, and India on page 152.

• Standard & Poor's industry surveys.
  This three-volume set provides 30-page profiles on 52 industries with a focus on the current economic environment, trends, regulation and outlook for each industry. Major companies in each industry are profiled, with references to sources of additional industry information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.6 .S74 (Quarterly)

  See the industry profile for Computers: Commercial Services.

• Encyclopedia of global industries.
  Twelve-page descriptions of 125 global industries, with background and development information, current conditions, industry leaders and further reading.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2324 .E53 2003.

  See the chapter on Data Processing Services.

• Encyclopedia of emerging industries.
  Five page descriptions of over 100 new industries, with an industry snapshot, organization and structure, background and development, pioneers in the field, current conditions, industry leaders and references to further reading.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2324 .E528 2001.

  See the chapter on IT Consulting.

• The IMD world competitiveness yearbook.
  This heavy yearbook, published by the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, provides ranking information in many competitiveness categories for 46 major countries. Among the many categories are international trade, employment, prices, business legislation, labor markets, management practices, impact of globalization, corruption. There is an index to criteria at the end of the volume.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF1414 .W67 2003.

  See pages 557 to 561 for International Investment and pages 602 to 603 for Foreign Investment.

• Dun & Bradstreet's guide to doing business around the world.
  Covering the U.S.'s top forty trade partners, this reference work offers ten page country summaries about these forty countries that include five top cultural tips plus brief demographic data, holidays, and work week information. Each country profile also includes brief information about economics, the five largest businesses, comparative data, trade flows with the U.S., country risk, monetary policy, trade policy, intellectual property rights, foreign investment climate, politics, passport and visa requirements, and contact information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF1416 .M78 2001.

  See the intellectual property protection and investment climate sections for specific countries--such as for China (on pages 80 to 82) and for India (on pages 175 and 176).

• International financial statistics yearbook.
  Published annually by the International Monetary Fund, this compendium of statistics for every country provides information on population, GDP, producer, wholesale and consumer prices, wages, labor force, unemployment, volume and value of imports and exports, and many other categories. Statistics cover each year of the past 30 years, where data is available. The most recent decade of the monthly version of this yearbook is available in the Foster Business Library Reference Serials collection, with the call number HG3881 .I626
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG3881 .I6263 2003.

• Directory of American firms operating in foreign countries.
  This three-volume annual publication lists 2,600 U.S. companies with 35,000 branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates in 190 countries. Volume one lists the firms in alphabetic order, detailing the countries in which the companies operate. The companies section is followed by listings by country, with Albania to Egypt in volume one, El Salvador to Mauritius in volume two, and Mexico to Zimbabwe in volume three.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4538 .A1 .D5 2003.

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of over 70,000 books on all business topics. To identify relevant books, go to the UW Libraries Catalog on the Foster Business Library homepage (under Business Databases). Try searching by keyword; use the Modify Search feature to restrict your list of books to the Foster Business Library and in order from newest book to oldest. To do so, use the pulldown menu under Location to specify Foster Business Library. Clicking on the titles in the resulting list will bring up the full catalog record, indicating which Foster area has the book (general stacks, reference, reserve, etc.), the call number and the circulation status.

Circulation status is indicated on the right of each online catalog record, on the right. Available indicates that the book should be on the shelves under that call number and available for you to check out. Due and a date indicates that the book is already checked out to someone and is due back on the date indicated. You can have the Request/Place Hold feature to recall the book for your use.

The Foster general stacks collection is located south of the main part of the Foster Business Library, through the two pass-throughs into the basement of Balmer. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

A search for the keywords Information Technology produced a list of over 2,500 records in the UW Libraries, including over 200 records in the Foster Business Library, including:

• Operations, strategy, and technology: pursuing the competitive edge.   (2005)
• Management of information technology.   (2004)
• Managing information technology projects: applying project management strategies to software, hardware, and integration initiatives.   (2004)
• Complex IT project management: 16 steps to success.   (2003)

The relevant subject term in the UW Libraries Catalog is Information Technology. A subject search for Information Technology produced a list of more than 2,000 records in the UW Libraries, including more than 200 records in the Foster Business Library (with 11 records with Global somewhere in the title): :

• Global IT management: a practical approach.   (2003)
• Digital planet 2002: the global information economy.   (2002)
• Global executive information systems: key issues and trends.   (2000)

Foster Business Library Corporate Annual Reports:

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of several thousand annual reports for hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies. These reports are filed in lateral filing cabinets near the Foster Reference desk under the sign Corporate Annual Reports. Annual reports for companies in an industry can be a valuable source of information about the industry itself. For a list of all the companies in the Corporate Annual Reports collection, click here. For an index to corporate annual reports in the collection by industry sector, click here. For an index to companies with headquarters outside the U.S., click here.

Corporate annual reports are also often available on company homepages. A good source for those annual reports is Hoovers Online on the Foster Business Library homepage, under Business Databases.

The collection includes annual reports for public companies in the Computer Hardware, Software and Services industry.

Foster Business Library Articles:

In addition to the 800 journals in the Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection, the Foster Business Library offers access to 11,000 full text periodical articles through its full text article databases such as: ABI/Inform Global, Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed alphabetically under Business Databases.

Of these three main sources, all but Factiva are available from any computer on the campus network (as well as from home) via the UW Connectivity Kit or via the Libraries' proxy server. The easiest of these databases to use is ABI/Inform Global. For more information about accessing Foster Business Library databases from off campus, click here. For more information about business databases, click here.

• ABI/Inform Global: This database offers full text articles for thousands of scholarly journals, magazines, industry newsletters, and newspapers. To find articles on specific topics, search by word or phrase by keying your search phrase into the search box. ABI/Inform Global includes journals but not national or Washington state newspapers (though the Wall Street Journal is included). It also does not include valuable trade and industry and other periodicals. Your searches will span the widest possible array of publications by expanding your search to all databases in ABI/Inform. To expand your search to include all collections in this database, click on Select multiple databases, to the right of the search box. Click on all of the databases.

  Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article. For tips on searching this database, click here.

  A keyword search, in all databases, for Information Technology retrieved over 87,000 articles; for Information Technology and India, over 2,700 articles; for Information Technology and China, over 1,000 articles.

  A search for the subject SUB(Information Technology) produced over 46,000 articles; for SUB(Information Technology) and GEO(India), over 200 articles;
  SUB(Information Technology) and GEO(China) over 150 articles.

  A search, in all databases, for SUB(Voice Over Internet Protocol Technology) produced over 100 articles; for SUB(Outsourcing), over 17,000 articles; for SUB(Radio Frequency Identification), almost 900 articles; for SUB(Computer Security), over 21,000 articles; for SUB(Customer Relationship Management), over 3,600 articles.

The Foster Business Library Reference Desk is staffed nearly all the hours that the library is open. The staff at the desk will be happy to help you find research tools on any business subject. For e-mail questions, direct your query to balib@u.washington.edu. For assistance by telephone, dial (206) 543-8012 during library hours.

For research guides on a wide variety of industries, products, companies, issues and topics, see the Team Librarian Consultation archives.

• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by class or program)      (International Business Assignments)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by industry)      (Computer Hardware, Software and Services)      (Telecommunications)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by title of assignment)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by academic quarter)
• Index to all Team Consultations and Research Guides:
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Foreign Direct Investment
  • Globalization Resources
  • International Business
  • Supply Chain Management

IBUS 490A Homepage (Giambattista)

Need help with writing or revising the written part of your assignment? The Business Writing Center, in Lewis Hall 304, provides consultations on business class writing assignments (as well as cover letters, and resumes) with an advanced business student trained in critiquing drafts and coaching writers. Need help citing sources? Try our guide to Citing Sources.