INFORMATION UPDATE July, 2003 Number 46 A Monthly Publication of Shamel Information Services mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com "Offering Information Solutions" Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, the free monthly newsletter for people who need to know. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ IN THIS ISSUE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ => Do It Yourself - Books to Help You Search => Did You Know? - Manufacturing Capacity and Competitive Intelligence => Notes, News and Announcements => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information ************************************************************ DO IT YOURSELF - Business Statistics on the Web Super Searchers on Competitive Intelligence ************************************************************ This month's searching tip is actually a reading tip. Two books have come out in the last few weeks that contain a great deal of practical advice for the do-it-yourself searcher. "Business Statistics on the Web" by Paula Berinstein offers 244 pages of guidance and direction to searchers seeking fast and low cost solutions for locating common business statistics. The book includes a chapter on Statistics Basics for readers who desire a better understanding of how statistics are gathered and calculated. There are also chapters on who generates and publishes statistics and on general search tips. The majority of the content, however, outlines English-language sources for industry, market, economic, financial, company, and demographic information. Berinstein even offers a chapter on how to estimate numbers you can't get otherwise. "Super Searchers on Competitive Intelligence" by Margaret Metcalf Carr is another in the excellent Super Searcher series for experienced and beginning researchers. This book contains interviews with 17 top competitive intelli- gence professionals addressing the techniques, sources, and strategies they use to gather the information they and their companies need to stay ahead of the competition. Each interview concludes with a selection of Super Searcher Power Tips, and a comprehensive appendix lists all of the sources and resources recommended in the book. Both of these titles are published by Information Today and are available at http://www.infotoday.com/default.shtml ************************************************************ DID YOU KNOW? - Manufacturing Capacity is a Key Component in Competitive Intelligence ************************************************************ A key characteristic of any industry is the manufacturing capacity of its participating companies. For many company executives making informed decisions about their own manufacturing facilities, it is important to understand the competition and the industry as a whole. While many corporate insiders have knowledge of what is going on at their company, they must depend upon contacts within the industry, articles in the journals they read, and costly market research reports to learn what might be going on over at the competition. For decision makers seeking a more systematic and comprehen- sive understanding of an industry as a whole, there are alternative search strategies. Thorough careful, professional searching of trade and industry publications online, coordinated contact with appropriate trade associations, and search of government regulating agency records, for instance, can yield information which presents a more comprehensive picture. Once the information is collected, it needs to be organized and analyzed. This is not a project that responsible corpor- ate decision makers want to leave to chance or to free and low cost information on the Web. By bringing in experienced competitive intelligence professionals to gather and analyze information such as manufacturing capacity for an industry, company executives can be assured that they will have reasonably valid information upon which to base their own manufacturing plans. To bring the experience and knowledge of professional search skills to your business decisions, contact Shamel Information Services at 858-673-4763. ************************************************************* Notes, News, and Announcements ************************************************************* Looking for a medical conference? http://www.mediconf.com/ is worth a try. For more comprehensive results, contact Shamel Information Services to explore the conference data- bases on Dialog. Safety Tip for Summer: Don't leave your dog in the car. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a shaded car is 90 degrees, while the inside of a car parked in the sun can reach 160 degrees in minutes. Animals can succumb to heat- stroke in just 15 minutes. Helping Animals http://www.helpinganimals.com/ American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals http://www.aspca.org * Shamel Information Services will be shut down for the week * * of August 7 for a little summer time rest and relaxation. * * For emergency research services, contact Laurie Powell at * * the Association of Independent Information Professionals * * for a referral (225) 408-4400 or http://www.aiip.org * Please let us know what you like or would rather see changed about Information Update. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Shamel Information Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com contains Information Update archives. Just click on "Newsletters" and check for any issues you might have missed. Cynthia L. Shamel, editor Shamel Information Services AIIP President, 2003-2004 http://www.aiip.org mailto:cshamel@shamelinfo.com Telephone: 858-673-4673 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free. You may subscribe or unsubscribe by sending a message to: mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com with SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Copyright 2003 Shamel Information Services Please feel free to forward this issue to colleagues, in its entirety. Other uses without permission may violate copyright. Online archives at http://shamelinfo.com/newsletter.htm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^