Team Librarian Consultation

Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of business databases on its homepage; see under Business Databases; see also the four folders at the top of that list for lists of Foster databases by topic:  books, articles--full text, articles--citations and abstracts, and company and industry.   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. Most information on this site is free and available on the Web (not just through the Foster Business Library homepage) but, via the Foster homepage, you can access the more detailed Premium Content.

  See the company factsheets for Gucci Group, Dolce & Gabbana, and and Gianni Versace, including the various overviews, financials, history, competitors, etc. Only Gucci is public so there is much less information for the two private Italian companies—and Gucci is a foreign company so information is not as full as for a U.S. company. Gucci and Versace are sited, by Hoovers Online, in the Accessories part of the apparel industry while Dolce & Gabbana is placed in the main Apparel industry. See the Hoovers Online industry overview for the Apparel & Accessories-- Retail industry which includes all three companies.

• Lexis-Nexis Academic:   To find company information, go to Business and then to Company Financial where you can obtain financial and other data for companies. Information is available from twenty different sources (each of which must be searched separately). Included among the sources is Hoovers Online, with members' access to company profiles. SEC filings, particularly company 10K annual reports, are a particularly rich source of company as well as industry information. Use your browser's Find command (or Control-F) to locate references to particular terms of interest in 10K filings such as trends, strategy, competitors, industry, etc. (This database is available widely on campus and may be accessed from home via the U.W. connectivity kit or via the Libraries' proxy server.)

  Since Gucci is a foreign company, they file no 10-K forms with the S.E.C.; instead, they file a 20-F. A search for SEC 20-F reports for GUC, for all dates, retrieved just ten reports or parts of reports. A quick look in their 20-F filing dated 30 July 2002 retrieved no references for Information Technology, or Electronic Commerce.

• Investext:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases; also listed under Company and Industry. 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. (This database is available widely on campus and may be accessed from home via the U.W. connectivity kit or via the Libraries' proxy server.)

  A company search for the Gucci, ticker symbol GUC, produced over 700 reports, some of them about Gucci Group. An industry search for Apparel produced a list of more than 4,000 reports. An industry search for Retailing produced over 30,000 reports.

• Euromonitor Market Research Monitor:   This database provides global consumer market information, with demographics, trends and developments, market background, market sizes and forecasts, market shares, key players, and company profiles. This database provides over 1,800 reports with market data and detailed company profiles, including market shares, brand information, company strategy and SWOT analyses of the companies, for many countries. For eight major countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States), in-depth industry information is also available. Euromonitor also publishes important print titles in the Foster Business Library reference collection including European marketing data and statistics, International marketing data and statistics, and World consumer income and expenditure patterns.

  A search in this database, in titles, for Apparel, produced six reports including reports on the apparel markets in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. A search in this database, in text, for Apparel produced 180 reports. A search, in titles, for Luxury Goods produced one report, on luxury goods distribution, dated March 2002.

• 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.)

  A search for Gucci retrieved just two reports, one of them about the online luxury goods market, dated 2001, and over 20 pages in length; for Dolce, just one report, also dated 2001; for Versace, the same report as for Dolce.

• EIU Online:   One of the world's top sources for country intelligence, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 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. Go to Client Access to obtain country information.

  A search in Viewswires for Gucci produced over 80 articles; for Gabbana, just nine news articles; for Versace, 20 articles.

• Mediamark Reporter:     CD-ROM version of Mediamark Research, a tool for market research, with information on demographics, product and brand usage, and advertising media preferences based on survey responses from a sample of over 25,000 consumers in the United States. Print copies of Mediamark Research are available in over 20 volumes in the Foster Business Library reference collection, call number HF5415.3 .M43, dated spring 1998; the online version offers year 2000 data. Search tips for using this database are available by clicking here. Available only on PC #19.

  Demographics of purchasers of Apparel may be found under Apparel & Accessories; no Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana or Versace, however.

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.
• Gucci Group   Public company homepages are often (but not always) an excellent source for information about the company, with links to annual reports, company news, product details, information about corporate goals and culture, company financial information, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and company history. Look for the Investor Relations and About Us areas on the company homepage for company information.

  See the CEO Message and Financial Profile. See the Investor Center for financial reports and management presentations, and Annual Reports back to 1998. See also their Press Release Archive for recent management changes. Unfortunately, this site lacks a search engine though you can search the group's annual reports. A search in the latest Gucci Group annual report (220 pages long) for Electronic Commerce and Information Technology produced no references.

• Quicken.Com:   This site is a good source for information about companies and about their position among their competitors; use the Compare Companies feature on the left menu for this information.

  See the company profile for The Gucci Group as well as the company's position among its competitors in terms of market capitalization in the Textile—Apparel/Footwear/Accessories industry.

• Yahoo! Finance:   This site is excellent for company and investment information as well as an excellent source for financial ratio comparisons with industry, sector and S&P 500.

  See the company profile for the Gucci Group as well as the as well as its Key Statistics.

• The NPD Group:   This market research and consulting company offers some free information on the many industries it tracks, including Fashion. For instance, see their Industry Trends and Viewpoint.

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.
  Also available online.

  See Clothing Expenditures on pages 390 and 402 to 403; Clothing Retailers, on pages 427 and 430; Clothing Retail Sales, on page 446.

• Statistical abstract of the United States.
  Information about many industries as well as demographic information; check index for references to tables. The sources for each table are often a valuable source of additional information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA202 .U56 2001.

  See index pages 946 and 947 for tables on Apparel Manufacturing and Apparel Goods.

• 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 2002.
  Also available online.

  See Clothing on pages 280 and 287; Clothing Expenditures, pages 240 to 243 and 252 to 253; and Clothing Retail Sales, page 319.

• 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)

  For apparel manufacturing, see Apparel and Footwear in volume One; no mention of Gucci Group.

• 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 Apparel on pages 970 to 977.

• 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 Luxury Goods E-Commerce on page 173.

• International directory of company histories.
  Studying the history of leading companies in an industry is a good way to learn more about the history of an industry. This set of more than forty volumes covers over 5,600 company histories worldwide, with each history running just two to four pages; check the company index in the latest volume to locate a specific company history or update as well as any other references to that company in other company histories. There is also an index by industry.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2721 .I57

  See Gucci in volume 25, pages 198 to 200, with an update in volume 50, pages 212 to 216. See Versace in volume 22, pages 238 to 240. This set does not yet include a history of Dolce & Gabbana.

• Market share reporter.
  Annual compilation of U.S., Canadian and Mexican market share data for companies, products and services, arranged by SIC code, and with indexes by product, company and topic.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .M35 2003.

  See Gucci in table 10 on page 3; no listings for the other companies.

• World market share reporter.
  An annual compilation of market share information for worldwide companies culled from thousands of periodical articles; use the company, product or brand indexes in the back of the volume to identify the company that you are researching.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .W67 2001/2002.

  See Gucci in table 371 on page 100; no listings for the other companies.

• U.S. market trends & forecasts.
  This large volume provides an overview and projections for 400 significant industries and their component products or services, arranged alphabetically by industry name. For each product or service, there is a brief indication of the value of the U.S. market in 1998 and the compound U.S. market growth rate from 1993 to 1998 as well as a graph depicting market value in dollars and the growth rate. There is also a brief analysis of the market sectors for the product or service and a description of the market segmentation by volume for 1997, plus U.S. market share and market forecast information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.1 .U8 2001.

  See Apparel on pages 39 to 71.

• The lifestyle market analyst.
  Market analysis information including demographic, geographic and lifestyle information to identify who customers are, where they live, how they spend their time and money and how to reach them.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.33 .U6 .L54 2003.

  See Fashion Clothing demographics on pages 748 to 751.

• Ad $ summary.
  This two-volume work reports paid advertising expenditures in major media categories for companies and brands in America.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5801 .A18 January-December 2001.
  

  See Gucci in book I, page 326.

• Red book/Standard directory of advertisers.
  This annual two-volume publication is the most comprehensive source for information on the advertising practices of 24,000 U.S. and Canadian companies spending a minimum of $200,000 on national and regional advertising. Companies may be accessed by 54 business categories or by state, province or city. Entries for companies advertising include SIC codes, business descriptions, statistics, personnel, approximate advertising expenditures, and media. Entries for ad agencies often include the companies and brand names handled and the executive assigned to each account. Volume two includes indexes by product by state or province, by brand name, by SIC code and by personnel. There is also a geographic index volume.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5805 .S7 2002 (volume 1: businesses)
  

  See Gucci America on page seven.

• Company/brand$.
  This two-volume work reports and itemizes all paid advertising space and expenditures in ten major media categories for companies and brands in America, in several hundred consumer and Sunday magazines, in newspapers, outdoor advertising, television, and radio.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5813 .U6 .C68 2001.
  

  Neither Gucci nor Dolce & Gabbana are in this set—but Versace is in book I, on pages 418 to 419.

• Mergent international manual.
  This four-volume work covers 11,000 international companies in 117 countries, arranged alphabetically by country, with extensive information about companies, including history, chronology, acquisitions, mergers, spinoffs, properties, joint ventures, subsidiaries, officers and directors, consolidated income and balance sheets for three and two years, respectively, long term debit, options, etc.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4509 .M66 2002.

  See Gucci Group in volume three, pages 7487 to 7488.

This collection is located on the south side of the library, through the two pass-throughs to the Balmer basement. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

The Foster Business Library General Stacks collection contains 70,000 business-related books. These books may be found by searching the UW Libraries Catalog. The UW Libraries Catalog may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases or at the top of the left menu under FIND IT).

Look under Keywords for the company of your choice; limit by library Location to the Foster Business Library when doing a Keyword search for business topics. For help in searching the UW Libraries Catalog, click HELP.

Circulation status is indicated in the box in the middle of each online catalog record, on the right. Check Shelf 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. Books that are already checked out to someone else, or books at the Bothell or Tacoma campus libraries (or elsewhere on the Seattle campus) may be reserved for your use and sent here to Foster by using the Request button on the upper menu. Books unavailable in any of the University of Washington Libraries may be available in the collections of Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, Washington State University, or Western Washington University through the Cascade online catalog. To search Cascade, use the menu button for Repeat Search in Cascade. It can take from a few days to a week or more to obtain books from other libraries and to have them sent to Foster for you to pick up so use this option only if you can afford to wait.

A keyword search for Gucci retrieved seven records, only three of which are relevant to the Gucci Group—and one of those is a young readers' book. Repeating this search in Summit (whose books can be requested to be sent to the Foster Business Library for you) produced just relevant title:

• The house of Gucci: a sensational story of murder, madness, glamour, and greed.   (2000)

In a related vein, see:

• Living it up: our love affair with luxury.   (2002)

The subject term for the apparel industry is Clothing Trade. A search for this term, limited to the Foster Business Library, retrieved a list of 42 records.

See also such subjects as Affluent Consumers, for which there are eight records in the UW Libraries, including three records in the Foster Business Library.

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 does not include annual reports for Gucci but does include other companies in the Consumer Products 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. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed alphabetically under Business Databases or in the Articles: Full Text folder.

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 over 800 journals. 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.

  For example, a search for CO(Gucci Group NV), in multiple databases, produced a list of more than 220 articles; a search for CO(Gucci Group NV) and Electronic Commerce, just two articles; for CO(Gucci Group NV) and Information Technology, no articles; for CO(Gucci Group NV) and Marketing, six articles.

  A search for the broader topic of SUB(Luxury products) produced just twenty articles. A search for SUB(Wealth) and SUB(Consumer Spending) produced over 80 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)      (Marketing Assignments)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by industry)      (Consumer Products Industry)      (Retail Industry)
• 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)

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.

Prof. Giambattista's MKTG 301 Website         (Sample Student Papers, MKTG 301, Autumn Quarter 2003   (UW Net ID required for access)