Business Ethics

Doing Good Business?

  

IC Library Print and Media Resources

Recommended Subject Searches

Note: There are many angles of approach to business ethics, perhaps reflecting people's ingenuity in bending--or breaking--the rules.  I've tried to arrange them in groups that (almost) make sense, but you'll need to do some serious scanning.

Business ethics
 
 
Pharmaceutical industry--Corrupt practices--United States
Discount houses (Retail trade)--United States--Management


 
 

IC Library Databases (Articles)

ArticleLinker

 
Most of the IC Libary databases listed below contain only some full text.  If the article you want is not availabe full text from the database you are searching, check below the citation for one of the images above.  This is ArticleLinker and if available it will search a wide range of other IC Library databases, retrieving links to any full text it finds.

Recommended Databases

General OneFile :
     The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).  Among the Subjects available here are Business Ethics, Corporate Corruption, Corporate Social Responsibility, False Advertising, and Insider Trading.
     When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Economic aspects," "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "Laws, Regulations and Rules," "Media Coverage," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," "Social aspects," and "Statistics," to name only a few.
     If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.

ProQuest Research Library :
     This is another comprehensive database with substantial full text.  Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.  Subect searching can be a more efficient way to search than with only Keywords, since it guarantees that the articles retrieved actually be about the Subject--not just use a particular word. 
     Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals),  "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), "Document Feature" (including Photographs, Illustrations), and "Location."
     Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
     User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot; if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location." 

Academic Search Premier & SocINDEX with Full Text :
     Both these Ebsco databases will provide quite comprehensive coverage of business issues with ample full text.  Note that in both you can browse the "Subject Terms" (above the search slots) and once you find a likely Subject Heading for your topic you can "explode" (double click) it for a list of related Subject terms.  These will include Business Ethics, Corporations--Corrupt Practices, Accounting Ethics, Business Enterprises--Environmental Aspects, Whistleblowers, Deceptive Advertising, and Social Responsibility of Business.
     Note that after you have retrieved a set of articles you can keep adding Keywords above or suggested Subject Headings listed on the left (though note that these Subject Searches are added to your old search--they will narrow your results.  Also note that with each retrieval set there is a "Geography" button on the left where you can narrow the results by country--for instance, the United States--as well as "Source Types" where you can choose to view only the "academic" (scholarly) journal articles.

Business Source Premier (Special Business Interface) :
     Our largest database of newspaper, magazine and journal articles on all aspects of business and management. Notice the links for “SWOT Analyses,” “Company Profiles,” and “Industry Profiles” in the right-hand Browse box, as well as a Subjects button, where you can test which Subject headings will work for this database. Also notice all the business-specific Limits you can set if you open the “more options” link at the bottom of the search page: product name, industry code, ticker symbol.

Business Insights: Essentials :
     If you search by company (and sometimes your second step will be to select the headquarters from a list of branch offices, subsidiaries, and companies with a similar name), you will arrive at a page with the company profile and tabs along the top to open articles and data in several categories: News, Histories, Investment Reports, Suits and Claims, Products.

LexisNexis Academic :
   LexisNexis Academic  News: Our best national, international, and local newspaper coverage--100% full text.  Don't settle for the default "Easy Search"--choose "News" at the lower left and then "All News."  Then change the default "Everywhere" search to "Headline & Lead" (otherwise a keyword searche of full text will retrieve too many irrelevant hits). Even more effective at targeting articles where your topic is discussed, not simply mentioned, is to use the "atleast" formula.  For example, if you enter atleast4("global warming"), it will retrieve only articles in which that phrase is used at least 4 times--a guarantee that it is a main topic.
   Use  "Specify date" to select a time range also helps narrow your results.  Also be aware that by clicking on the "Sources" at the bottom left, then choosing "Browse Sources"  and opening the "News" folder, you can access an alphabetical list of individual news sources that includes every state.  By checking boxes you can compare how an issue is covered in, say, Vermont versus Alabama.

   LexisNexis Academic  Law Reviews: Most issues have legal ramifications and result in court cases.  In reviewing these cases, legal scholars provide analysis and discussion of a wide range of topics. Click on the "US Legal" button at the lower left and then choose "Law Reviews."
As in the "News" section, this is a Keyword search of full text, so use the "atleast" command to focus on sustained discussion.  For example, atleast5("illegal immigrants") will return only articles in which the phrase "illegal immigrants" is used at least 5 times--an indication that it's a central concern.  Also note that you can limit your search by topic category at the bottom.

   LexisNexis Academic  Business Information: For business research click on the "Companies" button at the lower left and then choose "Company Dossier."  The company search will bring up standard financial information and news, but LexisNexis is also strong in providing "Legal Information" and "Intellectual Property Information" by clicking those options on the left of your Company Dossier search results.  Also check "Parent & Subsidiaries" for the hierarchy of divisions and brands within a company.  And back under the "Companies" button note the "Dossier Compare Companies" option.  This allows you to display the business profiles of up to five companies side by side for comparison.

 JSTOR :
     JSTOR covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines--including business--always beginning with the first issue of each one.  This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th.  Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 2-3 years after publication. Also be aware that for 100% full text you must change the setting from "include links to external content" to "include only content I can access."
     JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages.  This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart.  So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
     The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tic the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.  

 Philosopher's index :
     No full text, but the “ArticleLinker” arrows at the end of each citation will connect to scholarly full text in our other databases--making this an efficient one-stop search for ethics.  "Business ethics" is an available Descriptor (Subject), but you will need to add other Subjects or Keywords to narrow your retrieval.  And be sure to check the Limits for "Journal Articles Only" and "English Only" if that's what you want.

CQ Researcher :
      A weekly publication from Congressional Quarterly. Each report (approx. 20 pages) examines a single issue relevant to American public policy, including health, criminal justice, internaional affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. The non-partisan analysis always includes a "Background," "Current Situation," "Outlook," and "Pro/Con" section, as well as numerous charts and graphs of statistical data, maps, and a bibliography for further reading.  Among recent issues are "Business Bankruptcy" (2009), "Financial Crisis" (2008), "Financial Bailout" (2008), "Socially Responsible Investing" (2008), and "Consumer Safety" (2007). 

ScienceDirect :
     Don't be put off by the name--"Science" here also includes the Social Sciences and there's a good deal of business information and discussion.
     Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
    To get a sense of the range of articles available here on business ethics, try entering an "Abstract Title Keyword" search on business or corporat* or industr* and another in the second slot on ethic* and moral*.  (* is the truncation symbol here: ethic* retrieves ethic, ethics, ethical, and ethically.)

Contact Us

Picture: Brian Saunders
Humanities Librarian
(607) 274-1198

And Don't Just Take My Word For It . . .

The IC Library Business Librarian Jim Bondra offers research guides in Business, Business--International, Business--Company Info, and Business--Industry info.

Web Resources

Web Directories

     Web Directories differ from search engines like Google in that all the online resources have been selected and annotated by editors, thereby promising a much higher degree of quality control. 

Yahoo Directory

     Yahoo Directory: Yahoo started out as a "Directory"--a database where each Web site was assigned to quite detailed categories and where you searched the categories rather than the full text.  The category structure still exists and includes Business Ethics & Responsibility.  But also be aware that while Yahoo usefully categorizes Web sites, it isn't selective like the directories listed above.

Gateway and Full-Text Sites

Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research: A selection of business ethics articles.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: Business Ethics: A good deal of full text here on a wide range of issues.  The 10 categories on the first page help you target articles, power points, and videos on the topic that interests you.

Multinational Monitor: Links: The Multinational Monitor itself is worth a look for investigative reporting on multinationals, and its categorized links constitute an excellent gateway to relevant online resources.

BusinessEthics.ca: Articles: as the URL implies, this is a Canadian site, but with a good cross-section of american and international full-text articles.  Also check out EthicsWeb.ca: Topics & Issues. 

The Business Ethics Blog: Chris MacDonald, a philosophy professor, posts an interesting blog that tackles business ethics issues and events month by month for the past several years.  A good site to brainstorm possible research topics.

Corporate Watch: Fascinating site from an activist corporate watchdog organization.  See especially "Company Profiles," "Research," and  "Reports."

CorpWatch: "Non-profit investigative research and journalism to expose corporate malfeasance and to advocate for multinational corporate accountability and transparency."  Look at the stories under 'Issues" and "Research."

Partisan Approaches

     The Web is home to many think tanks with political agendas.  An organization called SourceWatch can help you identify such ties and alert you to any political agenda the research was intended to serve.
     Meanwhile, for a look at a conservative approach to the proper conduct of business, you might begin with the Cato Institute's Finance, Banking & Monetary Policy or for a more liberal perspective try the Brooking Institute's Business section.

Citation Help

Noodlebib

Noodlebib guides you through the required data entry for citation in the MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian styles. It takes care of punctuation, alphabetization and formatting, producing a polished source list for import into Word.

MLA

  1. MLA citation for books: in print, from databases, on the Web
  2. MLA citation for articles: in print, from databases, on the Web.
  3. MLA citation for Web and Multimedia resources, including Web sites, movies, DVDs, CDs, and videos.
  4. MLA in-text (parenthetical) citation (far less satanic than the first three).