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Magazine Issue 3 - Spring 1997
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| DIY Corporate Watching- Part 111- Using the media Although the media obviously doesn't cover everything that a corporate watcher would find interesting, and although that which it does cover isn't necessarily very balanced, it can nevertheless be a very powerful tool. If you want to use back issues, indices or obscure periodicals, or if you simply can’t afford to subscribe, go to your local Iibrary or a university library. All the publications mentioned below are available in Oxford libraries so we assume most readers should be able to find them reasonably nearby . Finger your index An index is essential for media searching. You can use it to find out just what a company has been in the news for in the last ‘n’ years, including convictions. alleged corruption, major contracts awarded etc. The best one is Business Surveys Ltd.'s Research I ndex. This comes out in monthly instalments which are combined at the end of the year, then separated into a companies amalgamation and an industries amalgamation. It covers most major newspapers and magazines. Failing that you could try the 6 monthIy Clover Newspaper Index, which covers the four broadsheets, plus the FT, the European and the Economist: it also has a company data supplement. There are sure to be others - just browse the indices section of your library. These general ones are the most wide ranging but don't cover ALL the articles in each of the periodicals covered: it's also worth checking the individual indices for those. The FT the Guardian and the Times each produce monthly indices which are amalgamated at the end of each year. The FT is by far the best. If you're lucky your library may have these on CD-ROM, which makes the job much quicker. For general American and International news, try Industry Week, which has a company index in each issue. Getting the industry view If you are following a particular company or industry you should certainly be monitoring the relevant trade journals. These cover stuff that mainstream media doesn't find interesting. Generally the best bit is the news section; there will occasionally also be feature articles on interesting companies. The following are recommended:
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