Welcome to Business Research Plus
From specialist databases to business literature, Business Research Plus provides advice and tips based on the MBS library service resources and expertise. See our About page for more details. Exploring our resources - try the MBS library service website eResources tab, try our category or tag cloud in the right-hand column, or search Manchester Business Answers 24/7 (FAQ). For latest news see @MBSLibrary.
(Manchester Business School (MBS) Library Service is part of the University of Manchester John Rylands University Library. )
Sovereign and company debt on Bloomberg
Debt, both sovereign (country) and company, has been an almost constant feature of the financial news over the last couple of years. 
Bloomberg offers a useful function DDIS (Debt Distribution) that gives a graph showing debt by maturity.
For company debt DDIS is relatively simple. Use the predictive search to select your security (e.g. TCG LN Equity) and then type DDIS and GO/Enter. If you know the Bloomberg ticker you can type the function directly, e.g. TCG LN Equity DDIS GO/Enter.
For sovereign (country) debt you need to first find a specific debt – a treasury or long term bond. Use the predictive search to select the sovereign debt (e.g. GREECE Govt), then select a specific security (e.g. GREECE 4 5/8 06/25/13 Corp), and then DDIS and GO/Enter. Below the debt – maturity graph you will see the corporate structure for the borrower, in this case the Helenic Republic. Select the top of the corporate structure to update the graph with all the sovereign debt issues.
Bloomberg DDIS example (click to expand)
Note that you can click on a column in the graph to display all the relevant debt securities.
Bloomberg will not allow you to use the DDIS function if you have selected a generic bond. For some countries concentrating on treasuries (e.g. UKT Govt or UST Govt) can be effective. As above if you know the ticker you can just type 6152Z LN Equity DDIS GO/Enter for the UK debt distribution.
Bloomberg offers many other debt related functions including CRPR (Credit Profile), CAST (Capital Structure), WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital – companies only) and DEBT (Sovereign Debt Ownership).
The CMI Management Book of the Year
The Charted Management Institute (CMI) promotes excellence in all areas of management and leadership. The CMI Management Book of the Year prize has been created to do just that – to celebrate the very best in the field of management writing.
Held in association with the British Library, the competition aims to celebrate the best of management books published or distributed in the UK, from the most inspiring to the most useful.
MBS Library Service has added all 25 Shortlisted books to our collection.
Before the winner in announced on February 6th at the British Library Conference Centre, we thought you might like to take a look at some of the leading contenders for the prize.
Bad Apples by Adrian Furnham and John Taylor
If you leave a rotten apple in a barrel of apples, the bacteria destroying it will gradually spread throughout the whole barrelful. In the same way, a person who causes difficulties or is dishonest may influence others in the community or organization he or she belongs to. Examples of this are a disruptive, foulmouthed and violent pupil whose behavior may render an otherwise easily
manageable class quite unteachable, and a crooked policeman who persuades his colleagues to join him on the payroll of the local mafia. Bad Apples describes the risks and negative effects and influences that destructive employees bring to the workplace. Using case studies and practical tips and tools, the authors explain how to reduce the risks and develop loyalty and commitment within an organization.
The Leader’s Guide to Influence by Mike Brent and Fiona Dent
A Leader’s Guide to Influence will show you how to step up your people skills and improve working relationships so you can get the business results you want. Combing the hugely popular areas of influence and leadership, this book will show you how to step up your interpersonal effectiveness by learning how to work more successfully with those around you, be they people you manage, colleagues, client or business partners. Through a combination of practical exercises, case studies and no-nonsense advice, this book shows you how it can be done.
Identifying Hidden Needs by Keith Goffin, Fred Lemke and Ursula Koners
Many new products fail because they are based on ideas generated in focus groups and surveys – methods that only scratch the surface of the customer’s imagination. This book describes an approach to market research that uses new, probing methods to identify customers’ hidden needs – requirements that customers have not even recognized themselves. New products and services which satisfy customer’s hidden needs can be clearly differentiated from existing products and lead to real competitive advantage. Written by experts in the field, this book takes a practical approach to explaining how to generate real customer insights and contains a wealth of international case studies demonstrating how breakthrough product development can be achieved.
From Brainwave to Business by Celia Gates
You have a great idea and are inspired to start up a business on the back of it. But what should you do first and what are the most important things to know and do to get your business off the ground? From Brainwave to Business is the book you need to get you moving and get you making money from your ideas. Wherever you are on your start-up journey, from creative brainstorming, to patenting and prototyping your ideas, to bringing them to market, this is your definitive guide to the actions you should take in order to be successful.
For Catalogue details of the books listed please click on the title of each item.
Further details about the CMI and this year’s shortlisted books can be found by visiting the CMI web-site.
How to access Harvard Business Review
You find an interesting Harvard Business Review (HBR) article on the web and want to read the full-text.
HBR website - article (click to expand)
You have found your article – keep title, author, year and issue (i.e. the bibliographic details) to hand.
University of Manchester students and staff do not have to pay but you do have to access HBR via a journals database.
If you are accessing from a mobile device you can use the EBSCOhost app.
Using a browser, follow these steps:
HBR on e-journal A-to-Z list (click to expand)
1. Goto the e-journals A-to-Z list.
(For example goto www.mbs.ac.uk/library select eResources – Electronic Journals and then A-Z Electronic Journals)
2. Search Electronic Journals A-to-Z list
Search for all journals with the words “harvard business review ” in their title.
The result indicates that the University subscribes to HBR through the journal database Business Source Premier.
Note the access information, especially if you are off-campus.
login page - off-campus (click to expand)
3. Authenticate your access to Business Source Premier
This step will vary depending on whether you are on-campus or on-campus.
On-campus, your PC is recognised as belonging to the University and no additional authentication is required.
If you are off-campus you need to select the Shibboleth login link and provide your details (for more detail see previous access Harvard Business Review post).
If you are off-campus and using the VPN software then you are virtually on-campus.
HBR All issues (click to expand)
4. Select the HBR issue
When you get to the HBR page on Business Source Premier (EBSCO host):
Expand the year (from the article’s bibliographic details) and then select the relevant issue.
Or
Use the search within this publication link.
HBR article (click to expand)
5. Get the article
When you get to the page for a HBR issue:
Scroll through the articles to find the one that you want
Or
Amend the search at the top of the page with further details e.g. author surname, title keywords …
You can download the full-text by selecting the PDF full text link.
Use the add to folder link and then the folder view and export to add the bibliographic details to your reference management system.
Finally
For other articles from other journals the stages are the same but the details will vary depending on the journal database. For more information look at our research guides or FAQ answers on e-journals.
Regulatory News Announcement from Carnival
At 07.00 AM on Mon 16th Jan 2012 Carnival Corporation and plc issued a “Required Announcement on Financial Impact of Costa Cordia“.
“At this time, our priority is the safety of our passengers and crew,” said
Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO. “We are deeply
saddened by this tragic event and our hearts go out to everyone affected by the
grounding of the Costa Concordia and especially to the families and loved ones
of those who lost their lives. They will remain in our thoughts and prayers,”
…
The announcement then provided information in accordance with financial disclosure regulations. The full text of the announcement is available on Bloomberg and several other business databases.
Carnival PLC - Price Graph to 16 Jan 2012 [click to expand
If on Monday 16th you want to see how the market reacts to the Costa Concordia tragedy, then Bloomberg is the best database. It provides an integrated view covering the news and the Carnival share price (price down and an increase in trading volumes), and the news is the most read story of the day.
Factiva
If you don’t have access to Bloomberg the announcement is also available on the business news database Factiva. Select Companies/Markets, lookup company Carnival Plc, and the select Press Releases from the news options. (You can also do a Factiva text search, but you either have to read through many results of spend some time constructing an effective search. Company = Carnival Plc AND Source = Publication: Wires AND Free Text = “announcement” worked for me.)
Thomson One Banker
Thomson One Banker has lots of financial market information but almost all numbers (at least in our subscription). However you can get the regulatory announcement so long as you know to lookup Carnival and goto Recent News at the foot of the Thomson Overview Report- see screencast http://screencast.com/t/STFffmOd
PI Navigator
PI Navigator is the easiest database for going straight to the regulatory annoncement. You just lookup Carnival Plc and search. However, because PI Navigator only covers the regulatory news and regulatory filings of companies, you have to use another database for additional news or financial market information.
Previous post on business news: How Business News can enhance your Research
John Adair’s 100 Greatest Business Ideas
New to our collection are “John Adair’s 100 Greatest Ideas”, a series of titles from the noted business expert. Focused on concise, practical, and straightforward business wisdom, this series offers the kind of real-world insight that business leaders thrive on.
Short, punchy, and packed with real solutions, these books provide 100 proven and effective ideas for business people in need of fresh ideas, whether they work for a small firm or an Industry giant.
Having original ideas in business has never been a greater challenge. Time is stretched, staff can be highly motivated but can be highly demanding too and business is competitive. John Adair’s 100 Greatest Ideas series will help you find the answers and inspiration you need. The books provide accessible advice and practical exercises from one of the worlds best-known and most sought after authorities on leadership and management – advice you can put into practice immediately.
Available via MBS Library Service these books are quick bites of business wisdom for everyday business success:
John Adair’s 100 Greatest Ideas for Smart Decision Making is a one-stop shop of practical advice and tips on problem solving and productive thinking from one of the best-known and most sought after authorities on leadership and management. Inside you will find: “11 Greatest Ideas for Practical Wisdom” “8 Greatest Ideas for Problem Solving Strategies” “13 Greatest Ideas for How Your Mind Works” “8 Greatest Ideas for Clear Thinking” “13 Greatest Ideas for Productive Thinking” and 47 other fantastic ideas, tips and tricks that will give you the confidence, answers, and inspiration you need to succeed.
Everything You Need to Communicate Effectively in an Instant. John Adair’s 100 Greatest Ideas for Brilliant Communication is all you need to master the skills of speaking, listening, writing and reading. Inside you will find: “10 Greatest Ideas for Giving Presentations” “12 Greatest Ideas for Leading Effective Meetings” “5 Greatest Ideas for Delighting Your Customers” “24 Greatest Ideas for Effective Speaking” and the “9 Greatest Ideas for Clear Writing”.
Effective business people have fine tuned leadership and management ability backed up by exceptional decision making, communication and creative skills and the know how to implement it all successfully. This book puts a spotlight on the key areas required to be a Brilliant Manager
John Adair has worked with directors and senior managers as a consultant to a wide range of international organizations, including Shell, Exxon Chemicals, Mercedes–Benz and Unilever. He is currently an international management consultant advising a range of organizations spanning business, government, and the voluntary, education and health sectors. The author puts all his experience to use in this original yet satisfying read.
Click on the titles above for quick links to our Catalogue entries for each book.
Get to Know TED in 2012.
As part of our commitment to supporting you with all your research needs, over the last few months we’ve been recommending some useful business research apps for you to download to your mobile devices, some of which are for accessing our databases and some which are for useful external sources.
We thought we’d start 2012 by introducing you to TED. This app is a real favourite for discerning tablet users throughout the world. It brings a diverse range of interesting lectures from people that are at the top of their game together in one place and the subject matter is truly diverse.
The app allows you to stream a whole host of TED talks in video or audio format. Features include browse and share which brings up the latest TED Talks videos as soon as they’re published; and all this can be browsed in the TED library by theme, tag or rating.
There is also a playlist function called “Inspire Me”, which can build a tailored TED Talk list for you to listen to, just tell the app what kind of lecture you’re after and it’ll pluck out some likely candidates. All the lectures can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and by email.
There are two new additions to the app as well: a bookmarks tab enables listeners to save talks for later, whilst the TED radio brings a station full to the brim with TED Talk audio 24/7. Even better is that it will work when the app is closed down.
In practice the app works extremely well, with a clear and intuitive user-face combined with some great content. This app is a must for anyone interested in the world around them, and it’s free to download!
To access simply download the free app from your App provider.
Remember if you’re using an iPad make certain to add the MBS Library Service page to your Home Screen for easy access to all the Resources we have to offer you for your research. Simply open our page then tap the arrow in a box symbol next to the top URL line and then select “Add to Home Screen”. You can even edit the name of the Web Icon, after you’ve done this – tap the “Add” button.
FTSE 100 – changes in 2011
FTSE 100 Return in 2011 (Bloomberg UKX TRAX) - click to enlarge
The FTSE 100 index declined just over 5% in 2011, starting the year at 5899.94 and finishing at 5572.82.
However FTSE 100 performance is not just based on the 102 shares that made up the index on 01 Jan 2011. There was several changes of the FTSE100 membership in 2011:
- March 2011 Quarterly Review -
Hargreraves Lansdown , ITV , Wood Group (John) promoted to FTSE 100
African Barrick Gold , Alliance Trust , Bunzl demoted to FTSE 250 - May 2011
Glencore International (new issue/IPO)
Ivensys is demoted to FTSE 250
http://www.ftse.com/tech_notices/2011/Q2/30538_20110520_Glencore.jsp - June 2011 Annual Review -
Tate & Lyle is promoted to FTSE 100
TUI Travel is demoted to FTSE 250 - September 2011 Quarterly Review -
Ashmore Group , Bunzl promoted to FTSE 100
3i Group , Wood Group (John) demoted to FTSE 250 - October 2011
Autonomy Corporation removed when takeover by Hewlett-Packard is declared wholly unconditional
Meggitt is promoted from FTSE 250
http://www.ftse.com/tech_notices/2011/Q4/31118_20111004_Autonomy.jsp - December 2011 Quarterly Review -
CRH , Evraz , Polymetal International join FTSE 100, FTSE 350 and FTSE All Share [CRH - ammendment of primary listing to London : Evraz - new UK holding company acquiring 100% of old Evraz : Polymetal International - new issue/IPO ]
Lonmin, Investec, Inmarsat demoted to FTSE 250
In summary, we have shares entering and leaving the FTSE 100 due to natural growth or decline, new listings of large companies displacing others, and one company (Autonomy Corporation) leaving due to a takeover.
The FTSE UK Index Reviews are available online http://www.ftse.com/Indices/UK_Indices/Index_Reviews.jsp along with the changes related to specific companies http://www.ftse.com/Indices/UK_Indices/Index_Changes.jsp.
You can identify FTSE 100 index changes from the lists of members/constituents at different times using Thomson One Banker , Datastream or Bloomberg – see previous post Historical Index constituents for details.
FAQ update – Where can I find constituent lists for the FTSE UK indices?
2011 in review
WordPress.com has created a summary report for Business Research Plus in 2011, including the five most-viewed posts in 2011. Click here to see the complete report.
Thank you to all our readers. We will review the most popular posts and update as appropriate. If there is any post, or topic, that you would like us to re-visit please leave a comment.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 38,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Access library resources online (e-resources)
The physical libraries are closed over the festive period (re-open 3rd Jan 2012). However, you can still access the e-resources.
E-books are available via the library catalogue. Screencast of e-book access - http://screencast.com/t/JetUianN (e-book access off-campus)
E-journal articles are available from the journals databases in the usual way.
Other help for accessing e-resources off-campus:
- How do I access e-resources using VPN?
- Other posts tagged off-campus
- Examples in the demo video library
- Details of accessing e-journals, e-books and databases (UoM)
From all at the MBS library service.
Whether or not you will be using the online resources during the holiday period.
S&P 500 (Standard and Poor’s 500 Index)
The S&P 500 (Standard and Poor’s 500 Index) is one of the most quoted stock market indices. It is designed to measure performance of the broad US economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. As a widely used index, the S&P 500 is available on several financial databases.
If you are researching US stocks, you may be using WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services) where the S&P 500 is available, but is referred to as S&P’s Composite Index. For example you can get the S&P 500 index level from
- Web Query : CRSP – Annual Update – Index ; S&P 500 Indexes – Index File on S&P 500 : Variable : Level of S&P Composite Index
- Web Query : CRSP – Annual Update – Stock / Security Files – Stock Market indexes : Variable : Level of S&P Composite Index
Note that the “Annual” in CRSP – Annual Update refers to the frequency that the database is updated not the data in the database. You can get monthly and daily data from CRSP – Annual Update. The “Annual” means in Dec 2011 we have access to the data to the end of 2010. There will be an annual update around March 2012 and we will then have access to the data to the end of 2011. (The University of Manchester does not subscribe to the more expensive CRSP Quarterly Update, or CRSP Monthly Update.)
If you want to get recent data values for the S&P 500, or if you are not a WRDS user, there are other source of data on the S&P 500:
- Bloomberg – SPX Index
- Datastream – S&PCOMP (S&P 500 Composite)
- Thomson One Banker – S&PCOMP (S&P 500 Composite)
For related information on S&P 500 constituents or total returns:
Where can I find constituent lists for the S&P indices?
How do I find data on total returns for stocks, bonds, and indexes?
[Thanks to the PhD student who highlighted the difficulties in finding S&P 500 on WRDS.]
