Corporate Communications Research

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Corporate Communications Research

• Jane Foo
• Seneca_at_York Learning Commons

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Starting Out ...

• 1. What kind of information am I looking for?
• 2. Where and how do I search for this
  information?
• 3. Once I have found some information, how can I
  tell if it is useful? How do I find more similar
  information?

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What Kind of Information?

• Facts?
• Opinions?
• Research?
• News?
• Current? Historical?
• Local/National/International?

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Information Containers
( Print / Paper )

• Books
• Encyclopedias
• Directories
• Almanacs/Yearbooks
• Magazines/Journals/Newspapers
• Atlas
• Internet/World Wide Web

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Sources of Information (1)

• Current news, events, research periodicals such
  as newspapers, magazines, journals
• Facts, definitions, summaries almanac, atlas,
  dictionary, directory, encyclopedia, handbook,
  thesauri, yearbook
• In-depth analysis of a subject bibliography,
  biography, guide, report books

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Sources of Information (2)

• Journal
• - scholarly work
• - articles are written by experts in the field
  for a limited audience
• - abstract, keywords
• - references / bibliography
• - high-quality paper
• - page number does not always start at 1
• - peer reviewed

• Magazine
• - popular work
• - written for layperson
• - glossy, coloured
• - many pictures and photographs
• - ads
• - available from supermarkets and convenient
  stores

VS.
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Where Do I Search?

• Seneca_at_York Learning Commons Library
• Other Seneca Libraries
• Local University Libraries
• Local Public Libraries
• Free web
• Web or Deep web (Learning Commons Online)

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Research Tools
Library Catalog
Corp.Comm Reserve List
Article Databases
Web Search Engines
ONLINE Via the Web
LC Library
Reference Books
PRJournals
FieldReports
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Free Web What Is it Good For?

• Search Engines
• Keyword searching is most effective when you know
  what you want
• Example Name of a person or an organization
• Subject Directories
• Browse the subject listing of high quality guru
  sites
• Example unfamiliar topics, lii.org
• Directories, Dictionaries, Handbooks,
  Encyclopedias, etc.
• Quick fact lookup tools
• Example Webopedia, Intellicast weather, SEC
  filings

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Internet Searching is not as easy as it looks

• Search engines only index a limited number of Web
  sites (less than 5)takes at least 20 days to
  update all sites in the database

• "surface" Web
• 3.5 billion web pages
• rate of growth of 10 million pages per day

• "hidden" Web
• 600 billion web accessible pages
• contained in specialized Web-accessible databases
  and dynamic web sites

Free

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based Web Services Why?

• Usually available through your corporate
  information center or library via a secure
  website
• Article Databases
• Abstract citation or abstract citation
  full-text (pdf, html)
• Simple advanced keyword searching
• Example articles in newspapers, magazines,
  journals,
• Directories, Dictionaries, Handbooks,
  Encyclopedias, etc.
• Quick fact lookup tools
• Example Encyclopedia articles, word definitions,
  physical constants, corporate contact
  information, etc.

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Searching Tips
Search by keyword OR browse through options
Help / Examples
Limit to title, author, subject, publication, etc.
Boolean AND (narrows), OR (expands), NOT, etc.
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Learning Commons Online

• http//learningcommons.senecacollege.ca
• ACCESS
• 1. A Seneca or your home computer using Seneca
  as an Internet provider
• 2. Home through any Internet Provider but using
  your e-mail username and student number to
  authenticate into specific resources

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How do People Search?

• Random, Hit-and-Miss
• Browse
• Query by Navigation
• Targeted Search

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Creating an Effective Search

• 1. Define your topic
• 2. Write your research question
• 3. Identify key concepts.
• 4. Identify keywords and their synonyms.
• 5. Build your research statement
• 6. Select research tools to be used.

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1. Define a Topic
2. Write aResearch Question - Summarize your
topic
How do businesses that are a source of risk in a
community, manage relationships with their
community?
Risk Communication
4. ChooseAlternate Keywords
3. Choose Keywords - Identify the concept(s)
Risk, communication, community, nuclear power
plants
Scientific information, media, city, policy,
perception
5. Build a SearchStatement - Connect Words and
Concepts
Risk communication and nuclear power plants
The Search Process
6. Execute the Search - Select relevant resources
7. Review theSearch Results
Subject terms, references, authorship
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1. Define a Topic
Risk communication, community relationship
management, potentially hazardous industrial
operations

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2. Write aResearch Question - Summarize your
topic

• How do businesses that are a source of risk in a
  community, manage relationships with their
  community?
• How do they communicate the risk of their
  operations?
• How do they manage negative perceptions of their
  operations?
• How to they manage crises?

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Chemical plants
Risk
3. Choose Keywords - Identify the concept(s)
Environment
Public relations
Community
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4. Choose Alternate Keywords
Sociology Perception Fear / Dread
Chemical Plants Nuclear Plant Incinerator
Risk Hazard Danger Assessment of NIMBY
Community Neighbourhood City Province / State
Public Relations Community Relations Technical /
Scientific Communication Education
Environment Health Pollution (ex. Emissions)
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5. Build a SearchStatement - Connect Words and
Concepts

• OR - broadens a search
• Risk or Hazard
• AND - narrows a search
• Perception AND Fear
• words here narrows a search even more
• community relations
• (wildcard) simplifies a search
• cit (retrieves city, cities)
• NOT excludes specific terms
• education NOT schools

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6. Execute the Search - Select relevant resources
Choose a sourceand then
PR or public relations Chemical and plant and
community relations Scientific and
communication and health and industry Community
and perception and risk Health and risk and
industry
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7. Review theSearch Results

• Quantity of information
• Quality of information
• Relevance of the information to your topic
• Subject specificity
• Currency
• Viewpoint
• Grow Pearls

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Example

• Topic public relations employee communications
• Subject for example, business, communications,
  social science

Research Question What is the inter-relationship
between public relations and employee
communications? How do they influence or effect
each other?
Keywords public relations employee
communications
employee interaction, employee attitude,
employee-employer relationship(s), worker, staff
public affairs, corporate affairs, community
relations, corporate image, corporate culture
Sample search statement (public relations OR
public affairs) AND (employee AND
communication) AND influence
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Is this Information Useful?

• Authority
• Date
• Subject/Topic Coverage
• Bias / Voice

Consult LCO -gt Getting Started -gt How to
Evaluate
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Plagiarism and You
According to the Seneca College Student Handbook,
plagiarism is the inclusion of anothers
words, phrases, sentences or entire passages in
work which you claim as your own.
Consult LCO -gt Getting Started -gt Plagiarism
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Citing Your Information Sources

• When conducting research, you must properly
  acknowledge the sources of information you have
  used...
• This is commonly referred to as a
• Works Cited Page/List,
• References or Bibliography.

• Consult
• LCO -gt Quick Ref. Tools -gt Bibliography Style
  Guides
• APA Style for Electronic References
• APA Style Guide
• also check the Library Catalogue

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And of Course...

• If you have any questions or need help finding
  information, dont forget the Reference Desk!
• Good Luck!