MN E 409/509: Management Operations Technology
From the syllabus: "This course covers management information technology, advanced management and financial tools, operations research, database design, incentive systems and workforce motivation ... Mining technology has evolved to include not only large, complex machines, but also complex, involved information systems that require knowledge of management techniques and computer skills."
The first rule of business research:
DON'T PANIC!
Business and management resources are extremely well-indexed -- so well, in fact, that it's fairly easy to find information about most business topics.
The second rule of business research:
The best things in life are free; other things will cost you.
Some business information will not be available to you for a variety of reasons. Many companies' processes are classified as trade secrets and are thus not available to the public. Private companies are under no obligation to report anything at all to the public. Some information is so esoteric or specialized that it's not reported anywhere but in highly specialized trade journals to which the University of Arizona do not have access. And some information is collected by companies that then require a large fee for access -- fees that the University of Arizona Libraries can't afford. Almost everything you'll need for this class is readily available from the UA Libraries' databases.
Management databases:
Business and Company Resource Center
Company and industry profiles, company brand information, business rankings, investment reports, and articles from business periodicals. Mostly full-text. BCRC is a great database for locating information about mining companies and their internal processes.
For best results: try a company search, using the name of a company. For example, let's say you were interested in Phelps Dodge's operations. On the BCRC home page, click on "Company," then enter "Phelps Dodge." From the resulting list of companies, choose the company name with the ticker tape symbol in parentheses. This will take you to BCRC's main entry for Phelps Dodge Corporation. The tan-colored box on the left has links to news articles about Phelps Dodge, sorted by subject ("Operations and Technology," "Strategy and Planning," et c.), and the row of tabs on the top of the page has links to corporate histories, industry snapshots, rankings, and other useful items.
Includes citations and abstracts of articles in over 1000 academic journals, magazines, and newspapers, of which over half are full-text. Broad subject coverage of business, management, accounting, information sciences, and related disciplines. Also includes information on over 60,000 companies.
For best results: use the "Browse topics" option to find the appropriate subject headings for research. For example, if you needed articles about operations management, you might browse for "operations management." Now only would you find "operations management" and "operations management AND production management" listed as possible topics, you would have the opportunity to refine your search by clicking on "NARROW by related topic." Suggested topics include "performance evaluation," "operations research," "quality control," and "production management."
Management case studies of particular companies can be located by doing a combined company name and document type search. For example, if you were looking for case studies about Phelps Dodge's operations, you would enter "Phelps Dodge" next to "Company/Org" in the pull-down menu and "case study" next to "Document Type" in the pull-down menu.
Materials Business File focuses on industry news, international trade data, government regulations and management issues related to the metals and materials industries. Updated monthly. MBE is a particularly good database for locating information about industry technological processes.
For best results: use the Thesaurus linked at the bottom of the page under "Search Tools" to find appropriate subject headings.
The addition of a psychology database to a list of management databases may seem odd; however, PsycInfo is a great place for finding studies on the psychology of management and related topics, like motivation, goal-setting theory, and reinforcement theory. PsycInfo contains citations and abstracts to articles in journals, dissertations, and book chapters in all areas of psychology. Many articles are available full text.
For best results: use the Thesaurus linked at the top of the page in the green tool bar to find appropriate headings. For example, "goal setting theory" will take you to the following subject headings: goal orientation, goal setting, incentives, and and motivation.
Information Technology databases:
While it may seem a bit surprising to see databases about library and information science listed here, it's also very necessary. The following databases are rich sources of information on information technology and management information systems.
LISA - Library and Information Science Abstracts
Abstracts to articles from over 550 periodicals, as well abstracts of book reviews and conference proceedings. Also includes the Current Research in Library and Information Science (CRLIS) database through 1999, which provides international coverage of research in progress or recently completed research projects in library & information science.
For best results: use the Thesaurus linked at the bottom of the page under "Search Tools" to find appropriate subject headings. A [+] sign next to a thesaurus term indicates that narrower terms can be found by clicking on the term. Terms related to information technology and management include "document management systems" and "information systems."
LISTA - Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts
Indexing and abstracts of more than 600 periodicals, plus books, research reports and proceedings. Subject coverage includes librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s for some publications.
For best results: click on "Indexes" in the green tool bar at the top of the page to browse for index terms. LISTA's indexes can be searched by subject term, author-supplied subject term, and company name and ticker symbol (among other options).
Gartner, Inc. is the leading provider of research and analysis on the global IT industry. Their web site includes their research and reports. Free access to the reports available on this web site is provided by the UA Center for Computing and Information Technology to current UA students, faculty and staff. A valid UA NetID is required to login.
For best results: scroll down the page to the "Research Fast Finder." You'll find a list of topics under "Markets," "Topics" and "Industry." Or use the search box at the top of the page. WARNING: "mining" as a search term retrieves many articles about data mining, so unless that's your topic, be sure to add the type of mining you're researching ("copper mining," et c.).
Mining and Engineering databases:
Comprehensive source for information on metals and alloys, their properties, manufacturing, applications, and development. Coverage is from 1966-present with monthly updates. Useful subject headings are "Mines", "Mining", "Open Pit Mining", "Underground Mining".
This source is one of the most comprehensive interdisciplinary engineering databases in the world. It contains over nine million references from approximately 5,000 engineering journals covering over 120 years of engineering information. Coverage is from 1884 to the present with weekly updates.
Indexes all geoscience disciplines and provides links and direct access to full-text of thirty major journals from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the American Geological Institute (AGI), the Geological Society of America (GSA), The Geological Society of London (GSL), the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA), the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)and other professional organizations in the discipline. References are available from 1765-present; some full-text available from 2000-present.
Online directory of industrial products, parts, services and companies. Search for a specific part or company or browse the directory listings.
Library research resources
Here are links to the library research resources presented in class:
The first assignment (the annotated bibliography) will use MLA format for citations. There's a "quick and dirty" guide linked above; or, if you want more information, you could look at the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., located at LB2369 .G53 2003 in the Information Commons Reference Collection (Main Library).
Popular vs. Scholarly Articles - Guide
Remember, the annotated bibliography must be compiled with peer-reviewed journal articles only. Here's a guide to what constitutes a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article, and what does not. NOTE: Peer-reviewed articles are sometimes called refereed or juried.
Plagiarism is using the words and/or work product of another person without clearly stating that the words and/or work product cited are not your own. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and the penalties at the University of Arizona can range from failure of the course and denial of course credit to expulsion from the university, depending on the severity of the offense. The UA Libraries has created a web page with information about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
While we did not discuss copyright and plagiarism during class, these are very important topics in academic research, and will continue to be important in your professional career. For graduate students, copyright issues are particularly fraught, given the common use of graphs and maps in graduate theses and dissertations and the need to get permission from the graph or map creator/s before incorporating them into one's thesis or dissertation. The above link will take you to the UA Libraries' page on copyright, which includes contact information for the copyright librarian. Of course, you can always discuss copyright with Olivia or Maliaca if you have any questions.
Where to get help
Maliaca Oxnam, Mining and Engineering Librarian
oxnamm@u.library.arizona.edu / 520-621-6386
PLEASE CALL OR E-MAIL BEFORE DROPPING IN!
Web page created by Olivia Olivares, MAP Librarian
Page created: January 11, 2006