BA 385 Business Environment: Issue Identification
Research Tips
Scan the headlines:
- Do a news search in Google (use Advanced Search or refine Web searches): e.g., search for company name in the article title and limit results to those published within the last 3-6 months or even shorter if you get too many hits.
- Scan recent articles in key publications such as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or Financial Times. Visit publication websites or use links through the Library (under Current Awareness on this page).
Brainstorm keywords. While broad keywords like scandal, failure, fraud, or violation may work, also think of different types of issues, such as: lawsuits (suggested keywords: sued, lawsuit, class action, investigation, litigation, court), labor/employee (sweat shop, discrimination, harassment, exploitation), environment (pollution, hazard), privacy (hacked, data breach), product issues (recall, injury). Consult the two encyclopedias on business ethics or your textbook to explore more categories of concerns and related keywords.
Current Awareness
Search for the name of the company in the article headline. Limit your search to the last twelve months (or shorter if you get too many results).
- U.S. Major DailiesProvides full text access to: The Chicago Tribune (1985-present), The Los Angeles Times (1985-present), The New York Times (1980-present), The Wall Street Journal (1984-present), and The Washington Post (1987-present). Closed captions are available. Interactive transcripts are available for many, but not all, titles.
- Google Advanced SearchDo a power search to narrow down the results.
- Financial TimesFull text from 1999 - 30 days ago (30-day embargo by publisher). Library also maintains last six months in print and older copies on microfilm. See print version.
Corporate Accountability Watch
- Business & Human Rights resource CentreTracks "news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies."
- Corporate Subsidy Tracker & Violation TrackerTracks economic development subsidies and other forms of government financial assistance to business, as well as regulatory violations by businesses.
- CorpWatch"Non-profit investigative research and journalism to expose corporate malfeasance and to advocate for multinational corporate accountability and transparency"
- Federal Contractor Misconduct DatabaseA "compilation of misconduct and alleged misconduct committed by the top federal government contractors from 1995 to the present."
- OpenSecrets.org - Organization ProfilesOnline directory of corporate lobbying and donations to political parties and candidates. Use the "Search for an organization" search box (left side of the screen) to search by company name.
Business Articles
Search databases across multiple publications:
- Business Source Premier
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Provides full text and citations to articles in various business publications; also includes company profiles, industry profiles, and country information. - Google Scholar
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Google Scholar searches the academic, scholarly Web for peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles. Searching Google Scholar from the Portland State University Library will identify full text articles available from PSU Library resources as well as open access articles from other universities and colleges. - Nexis Uni
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Includes full text sources for regional, national, and international newspapers as well as business, legal, and medical publications, and also, government documents. - Regional Business NewsComprised of full text articles from local business publications, newspapers, and newswires in the U.S.
- Business Insights: Global
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Provides company and industry profiles, including SWOT reports, market share reports, investment reports, articles, financials, and case studies. - U.S. Major DailiesProvides full text access to: The Chicago Tribune (1985-present), The Los Angeles Times (1985-present), The New York Times (1980-present), The Wall Street Journal (1984-present), and The Washington Post (1987-present). Closed captions are available. Interactive transcripts are available for many, but not all, titles.
- Ulrichs International Periodicals Directory** No full text articles ** This is a database to discover relevant trade journals on a topic and which databases cover them.
Direct access to specific publications:
- Wall Street JournalOffers full text articles in The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition, 1984-present) and the online edition (2010-present ), excluding stock quotes and classified ads. Updated daily.
- Financial TimesProvides online access to the Financial Times Newspaper. You must create an individual account to access.
PSU faculty/staff/students please create an account using your PDX email - Portland Business Journal
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Provides access to Portland Business Journal (and other city business journals) and Book of Lists. You must create an individual account to access.
PSU faculty/staff/students please create an account using your PDX email - Daily Journal of CommerceCovers construction news, real estate, urban planning, energy, and transportation news for the greater Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. PSU faculty/staff/students please log in with your PSU (ODIN) ID to view username/password. Visitors please contact the Reference Desk.
- The EconomistLimited access to current articles (1988-). PSU does NOT have a full subscription.
- Economist Historical Archive 1843-2015Maintains the Economist full text, the British weekly newspaper that focuses on business, international events, and opinion pieces.
- OregonianProvide the Oregonian from 1987 for text access and 2017 for image access until present day.
- Bloomberg TerminalBloomberg Terminal includes news.