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Business

Tips, Tricks and Time-Saving Tools

Phrase Searching: Pinpointing Key Business Insights

When you use phrase searching, you instruct the database or search engine to locate a specific group of words in that exact sequence. This is especially valuable when:

  • You're looking for a specific company name or product: Searching for "Apple Inc." will find information about the company, not just articles that mention the words "apple" and "inc." separately.
  • You want a specific industry term or concept: Searching for "supply chain management" will find articles that use that exact phrase, not just those that mention "supply chain" and "management" independently.
  • The order of the words is significant: Searching for "customer relationship management" will find information about CRM strategies, not just any mention of customers and relationships.

How to Use Phrase Searching in Business Research:

Simply enclose the phrase you're looking for in quotation marks. Most business databases and search engines recognise quotation marks as a signal for phrase searching.

  • Example: "sustainable business practices"
  • Example: "corporate social responsibility"

Why Phrase Searching is Crucial for Business Students:

  • Precision: It helps you find the exact business information you need, not just vaguely related content.
  • Relevance: It ensures that the results you get are focused on your specific business topic, not just general mentions of the words you're searching for.
  • Efficiency: It saves you valuable time by filtering out irrelevant results, allowing you to focus on the most pertinent information for your research or business decision-making.

Remember:

  • Don't use quotation marks around excessively long phrases: If your phrase is too long, you might not find any matches.
  • Combine phrase searching with other search techniques: You can use phrase searching in conjunction with other tools like Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and filters (date, industry) to refine your search even further.

Proximity Searching: Finding Related Business Concepts

Proximity searching allows you to find words or phrases that appear near each other in a document, even if they're not directly adjacent. This is useful when:

  • The order of the words is flexible: You might remember two business concepts being discussed in an article, but not the exact phrase. For example, searching for "supply chain" NEAR/5 "disruption" would find documents where those terms appear within five words of each other, in any order.
  • You want to find linked business ideas: You might want to find documents where two business concepts are discussed in close proximity, indicating a potential relationship or impact on each other. For example, searching for "e-commerce" NEAR/10 "consumer behaviour" could find articles exploring the influence of e-commerce on consumer purchasing patterns.
  • You're unsure of the exact business terminology: Maybe you recall a general idea from a business report but not the precise wording. Proximity searching can help you locate it even if you don't remember the exact phrase.

How to Use Proximity Searching in Business Research:

Different databases and search engines use varying symbols and syntax for proximity searching. Common operators include:

  • NEAR/ or N/: Finds words within a certain number of words of each other. For example, "market" NEAR/5 "volatility" would find "market volatility" but also "volatility in the market."
  • W/ or WITHIN: Finds words within a certain number of words of each other, in the order you specify. For example, "market" W/3 "volatility" would find "market volatility" but not "volatility in the market."

Why Proximity Searching is Valuable for Business Students:

  • Flexibility: It offers more freedom than phrase searching, which requires exact word order, accommodating variations in how business concepts are expressed.
  • Relevance: It can help you find documents where business ideas are closely related, even if they're not expressed in the exact same way.
  • Discovery: It can help you uncover valuable information that might have otherwise remained hidden with a more rigid search, leading to deeper insights and a broader understanding of complex business issues.

Remember:

  • Check the database's help guide: Different databases might have different rules for proximity searching, so be sure to check the specific syntax and operators they use.
  • Library Search does not allow proximity searching: Be sure to use the appropriate database that supports this feature.

 

Wildcards: Your Secret Weapon for Uncovering Business Opportunities

Wildcards are special characters that substitute for unknown or multiple letters, enabling you to expand your search and uncover variations of words, leading to valuable business insights.

The Asterisk (*):

  • Replaces zero or more characters
  • Ideal for finding different word endings, plurals, or variations of a word stem
  • Example: Searching for "market*" could find:
    • market
    • marketing
    • markets
    • marketability

The Question Mark (?):

  • Replaces a single character
  • Useful for alternative spellings or when you're unsure of the exact spelling
  • Example: Searching for "organi?ation" could find:
    • organisation (British spelling)
    • organization (American spelling)

How Wildcards Amplify Your Business Research:

  • Capture All the Variations: Instead of typing every possible ending or variation of a word, use a wildcard to find them all in one go. This saves you time and ensures you don't miss any relevant business data or reports.
  • Account for Industry Jargon and Acronyms: Different industries and regions might use varying terminology or abbreviations. Wildcards help you find all the relevant terms.
  • Find What You Don't Know: If you're unsure of the exact spelling of a business term or acronym, wildcards can help you fill in the gaps and discover the correct information.

Important Note:

  • Each database might have its own rules for wildcards: Some databases might use different symbols, or have restrictions on how many wildcards you can use in a search. Always check the database's help section for specific instructions.
 

Boolean Operators: Precision Tools for Business Intelligence

Boolean operators are simple words (AND, OR, NOT) that help you combine or exclude search terms, making your searches more precise and focused on the most relevant business information.

  • AND: Narrows your search. Like saying "I want companies that are profitable AND have a strong online presence AND operate in the renewable energy sector." All conditions must be true.
  • OR: Broadens your search. Like saying "I want companies that are publicly traded OR have a significant market share OR are leaders in innovation." At least one condition must be true.
  • NOT: Excludes terms. Like saying "I want companies with high growth potential, but NOT those with excessive debt." This eliminates certain companies from your search results.

Why Use Boolean Operators in Business Research?

  • Find exactly what you need: By combining terms in specific ways, you can zero in on the most relevant business information, like niche market reports, competitor analyses, or industry trends.
  • Save time: Avoid wasting time sifting through irrelevant results by using Boolean operators to filter out unwanted information.
  • Get more accurate results: Be specific with your search terms and combinations to get the most precise answers to your business questions.

Examples in Business Research:

  • AND: "supply chain management" AND "artificial intelligence" (Find articles about the use of AI in supply chain management)
  • OR: "marketing strategy" OR "brand management" (Find articles about either topic)
  • NOT: "startups" NOT "funding" (Find articles about startups that are not focused on funding issues)

Parentheses (Brackets): Your Blueprint for Precise Business Searches

Parentheses (or brackets) act like assembly instructions, guiding the search engine on how to group your search terms and in what sequence to process them, ensuring you get the most relevant business results.

Here's why parentheses/brackets are essential for effective business research:

  1. Controlling the Search Engine's Logic:

Search engines have a default order for processing search terms (typically AND first, then OR). Parentheses allow you to override that order and prioritise certain terms or combinations, just like a project manager prioritising tasks in a business plan.

  • Example: Searching for "sustainable business" AND ("supply chain" OR "manufacturing") will find documents about sustainable practices specifically related to supply chains or manufacturing. Without the parentheses, the search engine might find documents about sustainable business in general, and then either supply chain or manufacturing separately.
  1. Grouping Similar Business Concepts:

By using parentheses with the OR operator, you can group together synonyms or related business terms to broaden your search and ensure you capture all relevant information.

  • Example: Searching for (CSR OR "corporate social responsibility" OR "sustainability") AND ("employee engagement" OR "workplace culture") will find documents related to corporate social responsibility and its impact on employee engagement or workplace culture.
  1. Building Complex Business Queries:

Parentheses help clarify the meaning of complex searches that combine multiple operators and terms, like constructing a multi-faceted business strategy.

  • Example: Searching for ("artificial intelligence" OR AI) AND ("customer service" OR "chatbots") AND (implementation OR adoption) will find documents about the implementation or adoption of AI or chatbots in customer service.

In Summary:

Parentheses act like punctuation in a sentence, guiding the search engine to understand your intended meaning and deliver the most relevant results for your business research. By using them effectively, you can:

  • Control the logic of your search, ensuring the search engine processes your terms in the order you intend.
  • Group related business terms to broaden your search and capture all relevant information.
  • Construct complex business queries that accurately reflect your research question or information needs.

Search String:

("e-commerce" OR "online retail") AND ("customer experience" OR "user experience" OR "UX") NEAR/5 (personali?ation OR customi?ation) NOT ("artificial intelligence" OR "AI")

Explanation:

  • Phrase Searching:
    • "e-commerce": Searches for this exact term.
    • "online retail": Searches for this exact phrase.
    • "customer experience": Searches for this exact phrase.
    • "user experience": Searches for this exact phrase.
    • "UX": Searches for this acronym, often used interchangeably with "user experience."
  • Boolean Operators:
    • OR: Broadens the search to include either "e-commerce" or "online retail," any of "customer experience," "user experience," or "UX," and any of "personalisation," "personalization," "customisation," or "customization."
    • AND: Narrows the search to include only results that contain both an e-commerce/online retail term AND a customer experience/user experience/UX term.
    • NOT: Excludes results that contain the phrases "artificial intelligence" or "AI" to focus on strategies that don't rely on these technologies.
  • Wildcard:
    • ?: The question mark wildcard is used within "personalisation" / "personalization" and "customisation" / "customization" to account for both British and American English spellings.
  • Proximity Searching:
    • NEAR/5: Ensures that the terms on either side of this operator appear within five words of each other in the text. This links the e-commerce/online retail terms to the customer experience/UX terms and the personalization/customization/tailoring terms, ensuring the results discuss their relationship.

What this search will find:

This search will uncover articles, research papers, or other documents that discuss the impact of personalisation or customisation strategies on the customer or user experience in e-commerce or online retail settings. It specifically excludes documents that primarily focus on artificial intelligence to highlight strategies that can be implemented without relying on AI. By incorporating wildcards, it ensures that variations in spelling between British and American English are accounted for.

Key Points:

  • This search is tailored to business students interested in e-commerce and customer experience.
  • It prioritises relevance by ensuring that the key concepts are closely linked within the text.
  • It avoids unwanted results by excluding the terms "artificial intelligence" and "AI," focusing on alternative strategies.
  • It accounts for variations in spelling between British and American English.

Additional Notes:

  • You can adjust the proximity distance (NEAR/5) based on your specific needs and the database you're using.
  • This search can be further refined by adding more specific terms or using other Boolean operators (e.g., adding "mobile commerce" or "customer satisfaction").
  • Always consult the specific database's help guide to confirm the correct syntax for wildcards and proximity operators.