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• Editorial
  By Monique Cuvelier
  
  
• My Favourite Tipples
  Adrian Janes
  
  
• FreePint Bar
  In Association with Factiva, from Dow Jones
  
  
• Jinfo :: Jobs in Information
  
  • Information Officer - Stand Alone - Charity sector
  • Funding Researcher
  • Senior Cataloguer/Library Metadata Expert
  • Cataloguer
  • Information & Knowledge Manager
  • Relationship Managers, Editors and Researchers
  • Assistant Librarian
  • Senior Information Officer (Virtual Learning Environment)
  • Training & Know-How Co-ordinator
  • Research and Development Research Librarian
    
    
• Tips Article
  "CI: Collaborative Intelligence"
  By Daphne R. Raban
  
  
• Review
  "Teaching Web Search Skills: Techniques and Strategies of Top Trainers"
  Written by Greg R. Notess
  Reviewed by Louise Ellis-Barrett
  
  
• Feature Article
  "Vigilant Due Diligence"
  By Jill Fenton
  
  
• Events, Gold and Forthcoming Articles
  
  
• Contact Information
  
  

By Adrian Janes

• Karen Blakeman, of RBA Information Services <http://www.rba.co.uk/>, shares her considerable expertise in searching the Internet through downloadable presentations, a free newsletter and a guide to business information sites. Extremely informative and regularly updated.
  
  
• Thumbshots.com Ranking <http://ranking.thumbshots.com/> graphically compares results from major search engines, to show striking differences in coverage and ranking. An impressive training tool and a search time-saver.
  
  
• Pinakes <http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/pinakes/pinakes.html> conveniently brings together a large range of subject and multi- subject gateways across many academic disciplines, including art, law, psychology and business and economics.
  
  
• Find Articles <http://findarticles.com/> is a good general source for free articles, mainly from American sources. Also provides links to the individual publications' websites.
  
  
• Literary Resources on the Net <http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/> is an excellent collection of annotated links spanning the Classical era to the Twentieth Century, both movements and individual authors. Includes some links to non-English literatures.
  
  

Adrian Janes is a librarian with the London Borough of Havering. He enjoys reading 'books', a sort of PDA that needs no internal power supply.

Submit your top five favourite web sites. See the guidelines at <http://www.freepint.com/author/>.

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In Association with Factiva from Dow Jones

By Monique Cuvelier

<http://www.freepint.com/bar>

• If Al Gore had enemies in the room at the keynote address of the SLA conference in Denver, they weren't easy to spot. His speech was tailored for information practitioners and mentioned how workers can deal with the deluge of information. It sounds a little like FreePint's FUMSI - read how <http://www.freepint.com/go/b144200>.
  
  
• One FreePinter has been asked to keep tabs on the erection of The Shard in London <http://www.freepint.com/go/b144236>, a task that seems easier than it really is. In particular, this researcher is looking for a mapped 'footprint'. Sources welcome.
  
  
• Ever-organised project managers are always looking for tips to streamline their processes, including the Six Thinking Hats <http://www.freepint.com/go/b142710>. A 'Pinter is looking for tips, and a few interesting ideas have surfaced. And if you manage projects, you might be interested in the latest FUMSI report: Project Handbook Report and Tool Kit < http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/report/project-handbook/>.
  
  
• Similarly, another Bar visitor is wondering how people keep track of their time and tasks. What recording sheets do you use? Are there any free resources? Read tips and share your own <http://www.freepint.com/go/b136371>.
  
  
• Copyrighted images are always a hot topic on the Bar. A fresh one regarding cartoons in a presentation has just surfaced. See helpful hints at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b141751>.

** Has FreePint helped you with a project or job? Think about giving us a testimonial <http://freepint.com/testimonial.htm>.

The FreePint Bar is where you can get free help with your tricky research questions <http://www.freepint.com/bar>

Help with study for information-related courses is available at the FreePint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.

Subscribe to the twice-weekly email digests at <http://www.freepint.com/subs/>.

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<http://www.jinfo.com/>

The Jinfo service enables you to search and advertise information- related job vacancies.

The Jinfo Newsletter now features a CV Makeover, in which a job seeker's CV is critiqued and revised by specialists in the field as well as career tips for all experience levels. Read the latest edition and subscribe free at <http://www.jinfo.com/newsletter/>.

Here is a selection of the latest featured entries in the Jinfo database:

• Information Officer - Stand Alone - Charity sector
  Charity and Not-for-Profit sector clients. Organisation requires confident Library and Information Specialist. Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6915>
  
  
• Funding Researcher
  The European Association for Jewish Studies, based near Oxford, will appoint a Funding Researcher for 1 year from September 2007. Recruiter: European Association for Jewish Studies Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6969>
  
  
• Senior Cataloguer/Library Metadata Expert
  Cataloguing and researching ontologies, metadata and taxonomies. Recruiter: Bridgeman Art Library Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6973>
  
  
• Cataloguer
  Qualified Cataloguer required asap for a 6 month contract based in Birmingham Recruiter: Weekes Gray Recruitment Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6978>
  
  
• Information & Knowledge Manager
  Oversee strategies to effectively gather, retain and distribute knowledge, learning and awareness, throughout the organisation. Recruiter: WWF Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6999>
  
  
• Relationship Managers, Editors and Researchers 
  An Exciting new project in Education. Recruiter: TenUK Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j7002>
  
  
• Assistant Librarian
  Legal research role, 6-12 months, Sheffield - must have law firm library experience or legal qualification. Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j7008>
  
  
• Senior Information Officer (Virtual Learning Environment)
  Liaise closely with VLE manager on all operational aspects of the system. Specific responsibility for developing new solutions. Recruiter: TFPL Ltd. Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j7015>
  
  
• Training & Know-how Co-ordinator
  Exciting new training and marketing position work within a leading international law firm. Recruiter: Aslib, The Association for Information Management Country: United Kingdom <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j7027>
  
  
• Research and Development Research Librarian
  R&D Research Librarian to join Analyst group; develop and present complex business search strategies. Recruiter: Agilent Technologies Country: United States <http://www.jinfo.com/go/j6972>

[The above jobs are paid listings]

NB: These are just a selection of information-related jobs in the Jinfo database <http://www.jinfo.com/>. Receive the latest job listings weekly with the free Jinfo Update. Free to subscribe at <http://www.jinfo.com/>

Jinfo -- the best place for information-related job vacancies.

• JOB SEARCHING?
  -- Free search and sign up to the Jinfo Newsletter
  
  
• RECRUITING?
  -- Complete the form and advertise a vacancy for just GBP195 <http://www.jinfo.com/recruit/> -- 10% discount for agencies -- 50% discount for registered charities

Find out more today at <http://www.jinfo.com/>

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"CI: Collaborative Intelligence"

By Daphne R. Raban

Like most CI practitioners and academics, I always took the term CI to stand for 'competitive intelligence'. I taught a class on the subject in the MBA program at the University of Haifa, and through discussions with students I learned the term CI might better stand for 'collaborative intelligence'.

My students and I used this class at the Graduate School of Management <http://gsb.haifa.ac.il> and the Center for the Study of the Information Society <http://infosoc.haifa.ac.il> to launch an experiment that fulfilled a need for a customised textbook, an interactive lesson and a collaborative model that can easily be replicated in academic and corporate environments to great success.

CI (collaborative intelligence, that is) means pooling knowledge from a variety of people to produce unique sources of information co- authored by many. CI is part of the solution to the paradoxical nature of today's information environment. What's the paradox? On the one hand, for a number of years we have seen the rise of user-generated content (UGC); on the other hand we have yet to create effective and efficient organisational knowledge sharing. It seems that people are much keener on sharing tags, photos, videos and knowledge in public spaces such as Del.ici.ous, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia than they are on logging into elaborate platforms for knowledge sharing. This paradox calls for managerial as well as academic attention. In this article I will provide an account of how CI was applied in an academic setting and I will show its high relevance to managers in industry as well.

Why CI?

Why should CI interest managers? There are a number of reasons, including:

• One of the biggest obstacles to good competitive intelligence is managerial blind spots that characterise hierarchies and long-time managers, according to CS Fleisher and BE Bensoussan in the chapter "Blindspot Analysis" in the book "Strategic and Competitive Analysis". Collaborative intelligence decentralises knowledge and may attenuate some common blindspots.
  
  
• CI is an easy, fast and effective way of building a knowledge-based community as part of an organisation-wide plan to manage knowledge
  
  
• CI crosses internal organisational boundaries and brings together experts that share common knowledge but do not belong to the same organisational units
  
  
• CI reduces the power of specific 'indispensable' individuals by pooling knowledge and documenting it. This may reduce the barriers for occupational mobility and increase flexibility in the process of hiring
  
  
• CI is achieved by amassing fairly small contributions by many participants. A small effort by many generates unique sources of knowledge not available outside the organisation. The cost or effort of participation is low and the benefit is high to the individual and to the organisation
  
  
• CI is a platform that allows managers and employees who are not necessarily known by many in their organisation to express their expertise and get respect for it. CI is empowering!
  
  
• CI can also be used to open the organisation to external sources of knowledge and innovation, for example, one can think of joint projects for companies and their suppliers or customers. Microsoft uses a collaborative platform for customer support where customers help customers sort out their difficulties with MS applications.

Why should CI interest academics?

• CI makes academic teaching more engaging and interactive
  
  
• CI offers opportunities to custom-design learning materials
  
  
• CI has the potential for improving learning by the students. CI is empowering!
  
  
• CI offers a new dimension for student assignments and since it is done in an online network, measurement is inherent
  
  
• Speaking of measurement, CI is fertile ground for academic research on collaboration, learning and social phenomena in these projects.
  
  

 A case in point: CI in academia

Since the year 2000 I have taught a course entitled "Online Competitive Intelligence" as part of the MBA program in the School of Management, University of Haifa. The course was always accompanied by a website and an e-learning system. The website contained links to databases and other valuable sources of business information. The e-learning system consisted of the class presentations, assignments, readings and discussion groups. All information in both online environments was supplied by me as the course instructor.

The job of updating it became harder every year as the number of sources increased together with a rise in Internet business dynamics, with sources disappearing and reincarnating in other locations. In this 'broadcast' mode, the students' involvement was limited to participation in discussions.

Another difficulty was the absence of a good academic textbook in Hebrew. While our students are proficient in English, it is desirable to have a textbook in our native language with local examples. In addition, one of our classes includes students who are managers in the non-profit sector. The course was tailored for their special needs, and, again, I felt the lack of a solid textbook for this sector.

Obviously, one solution could be that I, as the course instructor, would embark on the daunting task of writing a textbook. There had to be a more practical and faster solution! Then I remembered the book I read about two years ago: "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Surowiecki. The solution seemed simple: Harness the knowledge and ability of MBA students to write a textbook in a collaborative effort. Within three months 130 students and I have built a rich and unique textbook which is available to anyone with an Internet connection and who can read Hebrew <http://ci.haifa.ac.il>. How did we go about achieving this wonderful feat?

First, I decided that the wiki platform is the most appropriate way to create UGC for long-term use. The University's computer support personnel constructed a MediaWiki platform within a day, and I started filling it. After writing a brief homepage describing the project, I created an elaborate table of contents that included all the chapters that I thought were essential in such a book.

Students were also invited to suggest topics that were not yet mentioned in the initial TOC. The student assignment specified writing according to acceptable academic standards. Each pair of students had to write a complete chapter from scratch. In addition, each individual student was charged with reviewing two chapters written by others and improving them. Improvements could be anything from semantic or grammar corrections to the introduction of new content and additional references.

 Addressing concerns

I am sure some of the readers of this article are nodding their heads saying: 'How good can student papers be?' Our MBA students are all mid- or upper-level managers, they are mature and intelligent. They are highly motivated to succeed and usually learn out of deep interest and commitment. Their contributions are usually of very high quality. The papers, in our case chapters, are mostly very good, although some are better than others. The book is by no means finished, and that's part of its beauty. This book will never be finished. It will always be subject to improvements, expansions and updates; unlike 'stale' textbooks, this is a living project.

Moreover, the writing process demanded that the students apply some of the practices required by competitive intelligence work: analyse information needs, identify sources of information, run searches, evaluate the information obtained, synthesise it into a coherent report, and provide pertinent examples. The assignment expresses the students' ability as independent learners, their critical thinking, and it even gives some of them the satisfaction of doing original work.

Some impediments to the successful application of CI projects include:

• Technophobia - people not understanding what they should do and how to do it, preferring to stick to familiar document forms. This impediment can be easily overcome by brief training and preparation of light support tools such as 'cheat sheets'. In fact, I encountered this difficulty only after the course was over. Students came to me and said that learning the technicalities of the wiki platform was very demanding for some of them. This took me by surprise and I learned a lesson in this regard
  
  
• Vulnerability to attack since the system is open. This requires the attention of capable computer support people who will preserve backups and apply the necessary level of security. Several months after the completion of the first phase of the wiki the project disappeared from the server and an error message replaced it. I was horrified! A quick call to the computer support staff revealed that they didn't have the technical knowledge to retrieve the information from the backup files in its original form with a division to chapters, inclusion of links etc. After a day of panic I found out that one of the students who participated in my class was an expert on open-source applications. Thanks to him the project was completely recovered and returned to its natural state following two days of intensive work
  
  
• Lack of support for a variety of file formats. The wiki platform does not currently accommodate most common file types such as pdf, xls, doc, ppt and others. In other words, a wiki won't be a good host for information which was previously stored in these formats. It is a good host for original information that is written directly for the wiki and when no need for the other formats is anticipated.

This CI project has huge potential for future development. First, it can serve as a bridge between academia and industry. Any Hebrew- speaking practitioner is invited to read, and better yet, to contribute to the wiki-CI book. The book must be improved by future generations of students who can find and correct errors, expand chapters, add new ones, add references to academic research and to magazine articles. The biggest potential lies in making this project international by creating similar books in many languages. Any takers?

Beside the possible cooperation between academia and industry in further developing this particular project, this type of CI has a variety of applications: IBM uses it for customer support <http://www-941.ibm.com/collaboration/wiki/dashboard.action>. Microsoft uses it for supporting its community of developers <http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx>. Ebay is developing a user's guide with tips from users <http://www.ebaywiki.com/>. Other application ideas include brainstorming, conference preparation, project development and documentation of 'lessons learned'. In short, any kind of information that may generate lasting interest can be preserved in a wiki CI platform quickly and easily.

The future is in CI. Let's face it now.

Daphne R. Raban, Ph.D. <http://gsb.haifa.ac.il/~draban/home/> is an Assistant Professor at the School of Management in the University of Haifa and an active member of the Center for the Study of the Information Society. She received her Ph.D., Summa Cum Laude in 2004 from the U. of Haifa. She is recipient of the Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in the category of enterprise applications of Internet technology and the Roger K. Summit scholarship for her academic and professional achievements. Her interests are in economics of information goods, information/knowledge sharing, competitive intelligence, and games and simulations. Her work has appeared in refereed IS journals and professional magazines. She teaches online competitive intelligence, virtual communities and information economics.

 Related FreePint links:

• "Embracing the Wiki Way: Deploying a Corporate Wiki" By Leigh Dodds <http://www.freepint.com/issues/270706.htm#tips>
  
  
• "Wikis: The Tools for Information Work and Collaboration" Written by Jane Kolbas Reviewed by Leigh Dodds <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/wiki.htm>
  
  
• "Using a wiki as a knowledge base?" FreePint Bar Discussion <http://www.freepint.com/go/b73583>
  
  
• "Wikipedia: To Use or Not To Use" By Caryn Wesner-Early <http://www.freepint.com/issues/071206.htm#tips>

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Plain text | PDF | Contents

"Teaching Web Search Skills: Techniques and Strategies of Top Trainers"

Written by Greg R. Notess
 Reviewed by Louise Ellis-Barrett

 Offering the advice and wisdom of 11 top trainers from librarians to website owners and consultants to university lecturers, Greg Notess advises his readership how to approach and put into action a programme of Web search skills. He offers not only examples of good practice but also worked examples along with discussion of potential pitfalls that may be encountered along the way. Whilst the contributions of the 11 can be found throughout the text, Notess also has helpfully reproduced them in the final chapter, 'Anecdotes, Examples and Exercises', and has included full biographies, complete with contact details, in Appendix A.

After having provided a background of the development of the Internet and World Wide Web and a discussion of the way in which, for many librarians, it can be considered an extension of bibliographic and reference searching, Notess moves on to the essence of his text: how to teach search skills in the most effective style.

To begin he notes that it is important to realise that searching the Web has been designed to be easy - the so-called 'box and button' technique should provide the opportunity for even the most techno- phobic person to access the wealth of information potentially available.

However, many people need help. Notess writes that the student body is likely to fall into three specific groups: the novice, the know-it-all and the experienced user, regardless of the size of the group. For this reason he usefully presents a number of different ideas for styles of teaching. It is important to remember, he says, that when teaching Web searching, despite the basic 'box and button' approach there is a considerable variation between browsers. The trainer should never assume student knowledge. Notess then considers the benefits and drawbacks of the hands-on session and lecture with discussion.

Three chapters are dedicated to the specific content of tutorials, with plenty of useful advice and some interesting in-depth discussion. Notess' chapter on online tutorials considers the positive and negative aspects of this teaching method, and he gives advice as well as annotated examples of tutorials, including the Web addresses and platform details. Notess emphasises that trainers should view these before attempting to produce their own, as this can be a very time- consuming process. They also reflect the nature of the training, which can be general or specific, and this influences the style and length of training. Some of the recommendations Notess makes for those planning to create their own training materials are helpful. For example, he suggests providing the class with opportunities to achieve and define terminology from the outset.

Examples of handouts, webpages and worksheets are provided in Appendix B, whilst Appendix C lists all the websites that have been referred to throughout the book in a chapter-by-chapter list. This is also available on Notess' website at <http://www.notess.com/teaching/>, where they are checked and updated. Readers are also invited to contact the author with suggestions of other useful sites or notification of dead links.

"Teaching Web Search Skills" is a highly accessible and very useful introduction to the process of teaching these skills to students of any age, background and ability. It could be used by teachers and academics to teach students in school or college, or by librarians and other information professionals to teach skills to library users and anyone whose job requires them to make good use of the resources available on the Internet. It should be invaluable to the novice, the know-it-all and the experienced trainer alike.

Louise Ellis-Barrett is a solo librarian at Downsend School, a prep school in Surrey. When not immersed in children's books or review titles she enjoys reading travel writing and 'classic' novels, and collecting old and antiquarian books. As well as this she can often be heard practising her saxophone and clarinet, found in the garden, the theatre or cinema or practising her knitting and embroidery skills. She enjoys the outdoors, has set herself the challenge of learning Ancient Greek and hopes to one day tour the classical world!

Related FreePint links:

• Find out more about this book online at the FreePint Bookshelf <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/teachweb.htm>
  
  
• "Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines" Written by Randolph Hock Reviewed by Nick Lloyd <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/extreme.htm>
  
  
• Enterprise Search Guidebook <http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/enterprise-search/>
  
  
• "Searching for success: an update on search engine developments" By Duncan Parry <http://www.freepint.com/issues/150404.htm#tips>
  
  

Related links:

• Teaching Web Search Skills: Techniques and Strategies of Top Trainers <http://www.notess.com/teaching/>
  
  * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk <http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573872679/freepint0C> * or Amazon.com <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573872679/freepint00>

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"Vigilant Due Diligence"

By Jill Fenton

 One could argue that today's global landscape hosts more risks to country, corporate and individual safety than ever before. Consider the war in Iraq, the volatile situation in the Middle East, global warming, organised crime, the growing threat of domestic and international terrorism, political regimes - for example in Zimbabwe - and military and nuclear weapon development by Russia, Iran and North Korea. These issues pose a threat not only to human lives but also to economic and business investment and development. But what kind of a threat?

Types of threat

Economic

As described in a recent Economist article, any shock to an economy will create waves. Output, prices, employment and inflation may all be affected. According to Nick Bloom of Stanford University, events that increase uncertainty, and therefore affect share prices, are actually fairly frequent. Extraordinary events like 9/11, the collapse of WorldCom and Enron and the Iraq war can have an even greater impact. Bloom describes how raised levels of uncertainty, brought on by a shock, tend to trigger a 'wait and see' attitude in companies: 'Firms that would otherwise have increased investment or taken on more workers postpone their plans.' An increase in uncertainty can, therefore, mean a drop in investment, employment and productivity in domestic and global economies.

Financial

In addition to threatening economics, a shock or threat, depending on its nature, can dramatically impact specific industries and businesses. The UK terror threats in 2006 were cited as a key contributor to revenue and profit losses experienced by the UK travel industry. MyTravel and BAA both reported losses in revenue. Other businesses, on the fringes of the industry, were also affected, like holiday product, electronic device and duty free retailers.

Direct financial threats may occur due to a specific event but they can also emerge from more generic avenues, for example foreign politics. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has announced that his government is preparing to seize majority shares in all of Zimbabwe's foreign-owned businesses and mines. Companies in the line of fire include Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Standard Chartered and Barclays. Not only could this move signal disaster for corporate business lines, it could also seriously hinder any future foreign investment in the country.

Although uncertainty can create losses it can also generate gains. Eurostar experienced a boost in business in summer 2006 as travellers sought alternative means of transport. BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company, posted a 21% increase in half-year turnover in 2006 due to sales of military equipment. Opportunities are likely to continue to grow for Britain's defence industry as international relationships, with Libya for example, develop.

Reputational

The nature of some businesses and the geographic areas in which they operate mean that their exposure to factors that may threaten and influence their reputation is higher: corruption, organised crime, money laundering, environmental issues, social and human rights issues, political and personal connections, and corporate affiliations. In March 2006 Corporate Watch estimated that UK companies had won approximately 1.1bn GBP worth of contracts since the start of the Iraq war.

Very few Western companies, however, were keen to publicise their exact activities. Why? In the past, Nike and Gap have been accused of using overseas sweatshops. International energy companies, like Shell and BP, have found themselves in hot water over environmental issues, including the disposal of oil containers and rigs and intrusive exploration projects. How has this criticism affected the company's reputation, if at all? Would it influence a potential investor or partner? Would an association with these firms affect your reputation?

Some may suggest that in today's socially conscious environment, maintaining a sound and ethical corporate reputation is of upmost importance.

It's a risky business, but someone's got to do it

So, if there are so many risks involved in dealing with certain countries and companies, why would a business even consider entering a particular market or industry or investing in a relationship? Growth and development are key drivers.

Opportunities

BP, following in the footsteps of Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips, announced a 455m GBP gas exploration deal with Libya, the once vilified state. According to the Financial Times, UK and US energy companies have been keen to secure a share in the country's gas and oil reserves for some time, especially as it's the 14th largest in the world and includes the largest oilfield in Africa. Sanctions relating to Libya's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and involvement with the Lockerbie bombing were lifted, allowing foreign multinationals to fully explore opportunities within the region. And, according to Business Week, if the political climate and cross-border relationships remain positive, North Africa could become home to one of the world's next economic booms. All sounds very positive for opportunity-seeking multinationals. But risks still remain. If Libya's economic policy fluctuates then multinationals could face an increase in taxes and royalties. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War, the troubles in the Middle East seem far from over. Despite this, BG Group is apparently considering supplying Palestinian gas to Israel. This is a highly risky deal as Israel has previously vowed never to buy gas from its neighbour. The ongoing violence within the region may require BG Group to reconsider and renegotiate. Emerging Markets and Products.

We have all heard of the fantastic business and investment opportunities the 'Asian Tiger’ offers, but are there potential risks? HBR comments that in addition to intellectual property rights violations, corruption and potential political instability, CEOs should be aware of the huge environmental degradation in China, including soil erosion, water scarcity and pollution. These issues may not only affect the countries' GDP, and therefore economic stability, but could be a real risk to a multinational's operations and reputation if not dealt with sensitively. GE, for example, have taken this on board. In addition to their domestic operations, they are working with the Chinese government to help develop water and coal technologies.

As the world around us continues to change, so do behaviours. According to the FT, September 11th helped consolidate a global Islamic identity. Thanks to the rise in the number of Muslims seeking religiously sanctioned financial products and a boom in Middle East wealth, the Islamic finance market has rocketed. Standard & Poor's estimate that the sukuk market will grow from $70 billion to over $160 billion by the end of the decade. Western financial institutions have seized on this opportunity by offering innovative products to a growing sophisticated market. But risks still remain. In addition to confusion surrounding exactly which products comply with Islamic law, Mahomoud El-Gamal, chair of Islamic economics, finance and management at Rice University, Houston, makes the interesting point that '(Islamic finance) supports the development of a separatist and boastful Islamic identity.'

Reducing the risk

We have established that risks and threats to business investment and development exist through a multitude of external and associated factors. For a company to fully understand the risks involved in any new investment or venture effective due diligence research is essential.

Michele Bate of Archer Van Den Broeck Limited comments that without thorough due diligence a company can open itself up to risks to its reputation based on the companies (and people) with which it does business - suppliers, customers and joint venture partners.

A stark example of this is the case of the Global Relief Foundation. After the September 11th attacks, investigations brought to light the real nature of the charity, as the finance facility for Al Q'aeda. Any company or individual associated with the charity was, therefore, also under scrutiny.

Due diligence research can involve various investigative analysis techniques including economic and country forecasts, political policies and connections, corporate affiliations, personal and business associates, and legal or corporate misdemeanours.

Researching and reviewing material in the public domain such as press, Internet newsgroups, blogs, corporate records, litigation records, bankruptcy records, liens and judgments where available can highlight areas for further investigation.

Although it is difficult to predict every potential threat or risk associated with a country, industry or company, implementing an effective due diligence research process at the early stages of the investment process is vital to help reduce uncertainty and therefore losses. As Bate says: 'It's vital that you try to find out who you are dealing with, even though it is not always easy. Who is behind the company? How did they acquire their wealth? Who do they do business with? Otherwise you might find that other businesses don't want to do business with you!'

Jill Fenton has over 10 years of professional business research experience. Her career includes Research Management and Analyst positions at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Boston Consulting Group and Oliver Wyman. She also holds an Honours Degree in Information Management. Jill is a committee member of the City Information Group and a member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals. She provides many research services including general capacity support, bespoke project research and training for information professionals. She can be reached at <jill@fentonresearch.co.uk> or via her website <http://www.fentonresearch.co.uk/> or blog <http://jillfenton.typepad.com/fenton_research_weblog/>.

Related FreePint links:

• "Internet Librarian International: Impressions from a First-Time Attendee" By Jill Fenton <http://www.freepint.com/issues/091106.htm?PHPSESSID=306#tips>
  
  
• "European Unions: what you need to know about international mergers and acquisitions" By Jill Fenton <http://www.freepint.com/issues/130406.htm#feature>
  
  
• "Librarians and The War On Terror" By Jonathan Crowhurst <http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm#feature>
  
  
• "Scenario Planning" By Arthur Weiss <http://www.freepint.com/issues/170403.htm#feature>
  
  
• "Intrusion on privacy by electronic surveillance and personal data gathering" By Ian Watson <http://www.freepint.com/issues/010404.htm#tips>
  
  

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It is free to search and advertise information-related gatherings in FreePint Events <http://www.freepint.com/events/>.

Premium listings

These events are hosted by our partner organisations and/or advertisers:

• "Social Tools for Business Use: Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0 - New Developments & Evolution" 11 - 12 July
  
  Two day conference with case studies and review presentations from industry, media and NGOs illustrating the business application of Wikis, Blogs, Social Tagging, Instant Messaging, Video, Mash-Ups, and other tools to improve creativity, productivity, collaboration and visibility, as well as to engage clients and partners in more fruitful collaboration. For the new generation of techno-savvy professionals, the opportunities and applications are unbounded. FreePint readers receive a 20% discount on the attendance fee.
  Organised by Unicom
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e886>
  
  
• "Search Engine Optimisation Marketing" 3 July
  
  The seminar looks at planning and managing your SEO strategy, refining your approach to search term analysis and selection, understanding your online brand and how to improve measurement, reporting and analysis methods.
  Organised by E-consultancy
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e810>
  
  
• "Search Engine Optimisation Marketing" 5 July
  
  The seminar looks at planning and managing your SEO strategy, refining your approach to search term analysis and selection, understanding your online brand and how to improve measurement, reporting and analysis methods.
  Organised by E-consultancy
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e809>
  
  
•  "Paid Search Marketing" 12 September
  
  Our one day course will help you evaluate and refine your PPC strategy and maximise performance through reviewing your search term sets, employing effective bidding strategies and improving measurement and analysis methods to increase ROI.
  Organised by E-consultancy
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e808>
  
  
• "Search Engine Optimisation Marketing" 9 October
  
  The seminar looks at planning and managing your SEO strategy, refining your approach to search term analysis and selection, understanding your online brand and how to improve measurement, reporting and analysis methods.
  Organised by E-consultancy
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e806>
  
  
• "Search Engine Optimisation Marketing" 11 October
  
  The seminar looks at planning and managing your SEO strategy, refining your approach to search term analysis and selection, understanding your online brand and how to improve measurement, reporting and analysis methods.
  Organised by E-consultancy
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/e805>
  
  

Free listings

Australia and Territories:

• "eLearning: Driving Instructional Design with Emerging" Technologies 20 - 27 June <http://www.freepint.com/go/e875>
  
  
• "Developing and Improving Classification Schemes" 27 - 29 June <http://www.freepint.com/go/e873>
  
  
• "eLearning Masterclass" 2 - 3 July < http://www.freepint.com/go/e874>

United Kingdom:

• "STN User Days" 20 - 21 June <http://www.freepint.com/go/e878>
  
  
• "Information: Interactions and Impact (i3)" 25 - 28 June < http://www.freepint.com/go/e793>
  
  
• "Maximising Your Quantitative Research Skills and Results" 28 June <http://www.freepint.com/go/e835>
  
  
• "Umbrella 2007" 28 - 30 June <http://www.freepint.com/go/e858>
  
  
• "Flag and Bell Pub Crawl for Techies" 3 July < http://www.freepint.com/go/e888>
  
  
• "Coping With Copyright: Essential Copyright for Information Professionals" 4 July <http://www.freepint.com/go/e852>
  
  
• "Summer Soiree" 5 July <http://www.freepint.com/go/e879>
  
  
• "RSS, Blogs and Wikis: tools for dissemination, collaboration and information gathering" 11 July <http://www.freepint.com/go/e860>

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<http://www.freepint.com/events/>

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A look back at what FreePint covered at this time in previous years:

• FreePint No.207 8th June 2006. "Distance learning as a collaborative enterprise: Tips on teamwork to make the class work" and "Q&A with Christopher Barger, IBM's Blogger-in-Chief" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/080606.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.184 16th June 2005. "Two Views of the SLA Conference, Toronto, June 2005" and "Setting Up as an Independent Consultant" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/160605.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No. 161 17th June 2004. "The Impact of the US Sarbanes- Oxley Act on Records Management World Wide" and "Managing your internet and intranet services: the information professional's guide to strategy" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/170604.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.138 5th June 2003. "Professional Qualifications in Information and Knowledge Management" and "Writing for the Web - How to Write Web-Friendly Content for your Site" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/050603.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.114, 13th June 2002. "Web Site Usability Resources" and "War & Peace, Famine & Disaster - Finding Work in International Development" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/130602.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.89, 7th June 2001. "Conference Information and the Internet" and "Dyslexia Resources" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/070601.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.64, 8th June 2000. "Understanding Insurance" and "The Invisible Web" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/080600.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.40, 10th June 1999. "Weather Sources on the Web" and "Searching for Mammon - Search engine business models" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/100699.htm>
  
  
• FreePint No.16, 11th June 1998. "Web Site Marketing - How do they do that?" and "How to run a survey on the Net" <http://www.freepint.com/issues/110698.htm>

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