Library
Business Resources
ENL 265
Business
Communication
Kate Randall Haley
Librarian, Business & Economics
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Claire T. Carney Library
© Copyright 2010 Kate Randall Haley
Key Points of Contact
 UMass Dartmouth Library Reference Desk
– 1st floor library, ext. 8678
– Reference@UMassD.edu
– Live Chat (instant message) service
Analytical Reports
Assess Opportunities
Solve Problems
Support Decisions
Can also include recommendations,
according to your textbook,
Business Communication
Today, chapters 13-15
Solve Problems
 “Managers often assign troubleshooting
reports when they need to understand why
something isn’t working properly, from
malfunctioning industrial processes to
financial disappointments, and what needs
to be done to fix it.
 Failure analysis reports study events that
happened in the past, with the hope of
learning how to avoid similar failures in the
future.”
Solve Problems
 In this course we are going to focus on
problem solving analytical report writing.
 Areas under investigation will include how
companies solve problems either related to
some aspect of cultural differences, or
issues with customer satisfaction, or
requirements for ongoing training and
development for all staff.
 Two articles will be required, using
ABI/Inform Global as your source.
Solve Problems
 Articles from ABI/Inform Global , a highly
regarded management literature database,
frequently examine company actions in regard
to problems such as recent product recalls at
Toyota, or make it possible to compare two or
more companies with similar problems and
review their solutions.
 ABI/Inform Global contains newspaper,
magazine, trade publication, and scholarly
journal articles, as well as special reports.
UMD Library Resources
 Find Articles & Databases: Business &
Economics on the library home page
• ABI/Inform Global
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Newspapers such as Wall St. Journal
Magazines such as Fortune or Forbes
Trade Publications such as Marketing Weekly News
Scholarly Journals such as Academy of
Management Journal
– Other types of reports such as case studies,
dissertations, or working papers
Where to Begin
Select ABI/Inform Global at the “Find
Articles and Databases” link on the
library home page.
Click on “Browse Topics” to
determine your search phrase(s).
Click “Add to Search.”
Click the Search box and review
your results, sorting by type.
ABI/Inform Global
Using Browse Topics
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Note the number of articles retrieved below;
sorting by type reduces each set of results.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Sort the articles retrieved by type: Scholarly
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Scholarly journal articles are usually longer,
more in-depth or specialized, use a peerreview process, are available by subscription
or in libraries, with lengthy bibliographies.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Sort the articles retrieved by type: Magazine
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Magazine articles are usually short, more general
or current-events based, are available in
convenience or bookstores, with no bibliographies.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Sort the articles retrieved by type: Trade Publication
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Trade Publication articles are often shorter, are
likely to be more current, are generally focused on
a specific industry or an area such as marketing,
are available by subscription or in libraries, and
may include bibliographies or references.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Sort the articles retrieved by type: Newspaper
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Business newspaper articles are usually quite short,
are likely to be the most current, are generally
focused on a specific company or unusual recent
event, are available everywhere, never include
bibliographies but may reference other reports.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Browse Topics
Special reports such as case studies,
dissertations, or working papers may also be
available. Use these to add value to your
understanding of your topic in this case.
ABI/Inform Global
Using Suggested Topics
Suggested topics derive from your original search
and can be broader, narrower, or related. Click on
“cultural differences and globalization” to greatly
narrow your search results.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Suggested Topics
These results will typically be much fewer and a
little less current, and may not include all types,
but may be more relevant or specific. You may sort
again by type to choose individual articles.
ABI/Inform Global
Using Multiple Fields
 Multiple fields cause results also to be much fewer,
perhaps a little less current, and may not include all types,
but should be much more relevant or specific. Use a
specific company name in the Company/Org field (choose
a large public company) or an industry or market area in
the Classification Codes field to narrow your search.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Multiple Fields
 Notice the date range—from 1994 to 2007--and the variety
of articles. This search has very useful results.
ABI/Inform Global
Using Multiple Fields
 Select an industry or market area from the Classification Codes to
narrow your search; you can use one or many to narrow or broaden
your results. Use the “Lookup Classification Codes” function to add
your choice to your topic search.
ABI/Inform Global
Using Multiple Fields
 Using the “Lookup Classification Codes” function to add your choice
to your topic search allows you to choose the entire financial
services industry, for example. It includes commercial and retail
banking as well as investment services, and pastes “81??” when
you choose more than one code.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Multiple Fields
 Since the search results include so many documents (92),
you can review carefully for specific companies, or select a
single classification code to further narrow results.
ABI/Inform Global
Results Using Multiple Fields
 Since the search results include so many documents (92),
you can review carefully for specific companies, or select a
single classification code to further narrow results.
Using Journal Locator
 Sometimes a really good article will not be available
full-text in the database you are searching, but may be
so elsewhere.
 Use the Journal Locator to find journals, magazines
and newspapers full-text in other databases or in print
or on microfilm.
 Type or past the TITLE of the JOURNAL or MAGAZINE
in the search box (not the article title) and carefully
check the dates available; use ILL if necessary.
Your Analytical Report
 Writing an analytical report begins with good
writing and a focused objective. Remember that
your goal is communication.
 Choose TWO articles that you believe fully
illustrate either the issue of cultural differences,
customer satisfaction, or training and employee
development, then develop the problem and
explore its solution(s).
 Your report can either “troubleshoot” a current
problem, or conduct a “failure analysis” of events
from three to five years previous.
More information
Questions?? If you need help:
– Email Reference@umassd.edu
– the Reference Desk telephone
508.999.8678
– Live Chat service