You are required to select a company quoted on the FTSE 250 index which has the same first letter as your surname. Imagine that you are acting as a financial advisor to a potential investor in that company. You are to produce a report of a maximum2,500 wo

There is a growing collection of ebooks and you can see these by clicking to show only ‘Full Text Online’. Here is an example:

Just open up the record and click to ‘view online’ – we recommend that you choose‘Open source in anew window’.

TIP: Using e-books could save you valuable time if are waiting for a book to be returned or if you are working from home.

Online databases

Plan your search

The library subscribes to a number of online databases that provide access to journals, newspapers, reports and other types of information.

You can search the databases by keyword, so it is useful to think about the different search terms before you start. Scribble a few ideas down on paper as this will be a useful guide to follow when you search the different databases.

For example, if you are searching for information on corporate financial planning, the following search terms could be useful:-

Finance Business finance Corporate finance

Financial planning Business Corporate planning

Financial strategy Strategic planning Strategy

Individual keywords can be grouped together to create specific searches e.g. Corporate finance and strategy

TIP: Be flexible with your keywords and consider different spelling variations, abbreviations, synonyms and so on.

Access the databases

You can search many of the databases collectively through NELSON, by using the default setting ‘Everything’. Enter keywords in the search box (see example above) and use the options on the left to refine your results.

TIP: Don’t rely on Google alone! If you want to get good marks, try using a range of sources. Good business information is rarely free!

For advanced searching, go direct to the main databases for your subject. From NELSON, go to the ‘Databases’tab along the top menu and select an appropriate resource.

Good databases for accounting and finance

You will probably want to access journal articles more than anything else. The main journal databases are:

TIP: If you are looking for a particular journal (e.g. you already have a reference to an article), search Find My Reference

Other useful databases include:

TIP: There are different types of information e.g. academic (research) and trade (professional). Always evaluate the usefulness/quality of what you find.

Other help