Plunkett Research Online - Mason School of Business

Plunkett Research Online User’s Guide McLeod Business Library, Mason School of Business

March 2013

Plunkett Research Online User’s Guide

Welcome to Plunkett Research Online. This user guide will show you everything you need to know to access and utilize the wealth of information available from Plunkett Research Online.

This is an Internet-based database that may be accessed by using one of the network computers in the Business Library in Miller Hall.

Mason School of Business graduate students, undergraduate students with a Business major, faculty and staff may also access this program through the Mason School of Business network.

Introduction This database offers business intelligence, industry trends, statistics and market research. Search results may be presented in several report formats. Plunkett Research Online has more than 30 industries organized in industry research centers. Each research center includes a search function, links to statistics, a market research and trends page, and more.


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Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 2

The Opening Screen/Home Page ........................................................................................ 3

Home Page Tools ................................................................................................................ 4

Search All Industries ..................................................................................................... 4

Search Across All Data/All Industries .................................................................... 4 Advanced Search .................................................................................................... 6 Companies & Executives ........................................................................................ 7 Search Results Page .......................................................................................... 7 Export Search Results ....................................................................................... 8 Company Profile Page .................................................................................... 10 Industry Associations ............................................................................................ 13 Glossary ................................................................................................................ 14

Job Seeker Resources & Tools ................................................................................... 15

Search For Employers ................................................................................................. 20

Archives and Video Archives (not included in current subscription) ......................... 20

Industry Research Centers ................................................................................................ 21

Market Research and Trends ...................................................................................... 22 Companies & Executives ............................................................................................ 23 Industry Associations .................................................................................................. 24 Glossary ...................................................................................................................... 24 Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 25 Build-A-Report ........................................................................................................... 25 Video ........................................................................................................................... 26

Asian Companies, Canadian Industries, International Companies, Middle Market Companies, and Private Companies Research Centers ......................................................................... 27 Tutorials ............................................................................................................................ 28

Professor’s Center ............................................................................................................. 28

Use These Terrific Tools .................................................................................................. 29

Build-A-Report ........................................................................................................... 29 MyResearchAccount ................................................................................................... 29 Industry Videos ........................................................................................................... 31

Suggested Uses ................................................................................................................. 31

Header Tabs ...................................................................................................................... 32


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The Opening Screen/Home Page The Opening Screen for Plunkett Research Online has links to the key areas of the database. This screen is also the Home page that is opened whenever Home/Industry List is selected on the program’s header.

The Home page consists of a header with seven tabs (see page 32), a row of five tools just below the header (see page 4), the Industry Research Centers section with more than 30 links to the various industry research centers that are available in the program (see page 21), and a column of links that include tutorials, tools, and other information (see pages 28-31).


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Home Page Tools The Home page row of tools has five selections. These are: Search All Industries, Job Seeker Resources & Tools, Search For Employers, Archives (not part of the Business Library’s

subscription), and Video Archives (not part of the Business Library’s subscription). These selections are described in this section of the user guide.

Search All Industries The Search All Industries selection allows you to search across multiple industries. Clicking on this selection will open the Search All page. This page includes a search function box (Search Across All Data/All Industries), links to other search functions (Companies & Executives, Industry Associations, and a Glossary), and a section with introductory notes about the page.

There is also a line of links just below the page header. These links (Companies & Executives, Industry Associations, and Glossary) open the same pages as the links with similar names in the main body of the page.

Search Across All Data/All Industries The Search Across All Data/All Industries box allows you to conduct a quick search through all the information included in the database. This search box also has four links below it that will open an Advanced Search page (see page 6), a page of Search Tips, Save Your Searches (which will open the login page to MyResearchAccount if you are not already logged in—see page 29 for information about this feature), and Historic Data (which is not part of the Business Library’s subscription).

To conduct a search enter a search term or terms into the search box. Click on the Search button to begin the search.


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The results of your search are displayed on a Search page. This page has a box where you may name the search. After naming the search you may then save the search by clicking on the Save This Search button. If you are not already logged into your personal account you are taken to the MyResearchAccount login page.

The Click Here link below the Name Your Search box will also take you to the login page for MyResearchAccount if you are not already logged in. This link will take you to your saved searches. See page 29 for information about the MyResearchAccount feature.

The search box (with your original search term entered) is displayed above and below the main body of the page. You may enter another term and click on the Search button to start another search.

The items found in your search are listed ten to a page. You may navigate from page to page by clicking on the page numbers at the bottom of the page or the Next and Previous links at the top and bottom of the list.

Each entry in the list contains the name of the company, excerpts from the text that include the search term(s), and the path for the file. The file size is also included. Most files are company records.

Clicking on the name of the file will open the Company Profile page for that company. See page 10 for information about the Company Profile page.


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Advanced Search Clicking on the Advanced Search link below the Search Across All Data/All Industries box will open the Advanced Search page. This page allows you to make a search using a wider variety of options.

There are boxes for entering search terms to be used in a variety of ways. The Find Results section has four boxes. Using the first box will display search results that contain all the words that were entered into the box.

Use of the second box will display search results that contain the exact phrase entered into the box.

The third box will display search results that contain any one of the words entered into the box.

Using the last box will display search results that do not contain any of the words entered into the box.

The next section of the page has more search options. The Language line has a box with a drop-down menu that allows you to select the language in which the search results are written. There are more than 25 languages to choose from.

The File Format line has a box with a menu that allows you to select a file format to display (the Only selection) or a file format to eliminate from your search results (the Don’t selection). The second box has a menu with seven selections. You may select Any Format (the default selection) that will display all results. The other selections allow you to select a specific format to display or exclude. These formats include PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The Occurrences line allows you to select where in the results your search term appears. The three selections include anywhere, in the title, or in the URL.

The Domain line has a box with a menu that allows you to select a domain to search (the Only selection) or a domain to eliminate from your search results (the Don’t selection). There is a box where you enter the URL of the domain you wish to search or exclude. Examples given on the Advanced Search page are google.com and .org.

The Sort line has a box with a drop-down menu with two selections: Sort by Relevance and Sort by Date.

The Links line allows you to find pages that link to a page you select by entering its URL into the box.

When you have finished entering your search terms and making any other selections, click on the Search button to begin your search. The results will be displayed on a Search page. See page 5 for information about the Search page.


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Companies & Executives Clicking on the Companies & Executives link on the Search All page will open another Search All page. This page allows you to search for companies or browse through a listing of all companies included in the database.

Clicking on My Saved Searches will open the MyResearchAccount logon page (if you are not already logged in). Please go to page 29 for information about the MyResearchAccount feature.

Search You may search for companies using a variety of criteria. The criteria search boxes are grouped into categories. These are: Find Companies that Match Following Criteria (the main section at the top), Headquarters Location, Sales, Employee Count, Types of companies, and Other.

Each of these sections have their own selection of criteria. You may use any number of criteria from one or all of the sections.

When you have made your selections and entered terms into the search boxes click on a Search button to begin the search.

Search Results Page The results of your search are displayed on a Search Results page.

The Search Results page tells you how many companies were found that meet your criteria, gives you the option to save your search, make a new search, export your search, and lists the companies.

Make a New Search

The Make a New Search link will display the Search All page. Enter a new search term and click on the Search button to open a new Search Results page.

Add to MyResearchAccount

Clicking on the Add to MyResearchAccount link will open the MyResearchAccount logon page (if you are not already logged in). Please go to page 29 for information about the MyResearchAccount feature.


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Export Search Results

The Export Search Results link will open the Select Data to Export page. This page offers you the choice of exporting all fields or selecting only the ones you want. The Select All selection is the default selection.

Clicking on the individual check boxes so that the check marks are removed will remove those fields from the export.

You also may select the contacts you want to include in the export. Click on the radio button next to the selection you want.

After you have selected the fields and contacts you want, you may then select the format (Excel or text).

When you have made your selections click on the Submit button to begin the process.

The first screen you will see is the Exported Data > Agreement page. Click on I Agree (if you agree to the terms of the download) and select the method of exporting (Download or Email). Click on the Submit button on this page to continue.

For downloads you will receive an Internet Explorer window offering you the option to Open or Save the file. Clicking on Open will display the file in Excel (if that is the format you selected). Clicking on Save will open another window where you are prompted to name the file and select a destination.

For email, enter your email address and click on the Submit button. The file will be sent to your email address.


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Search Results Page List The search results are listed on the Search Results page in a long list. The list of companies include the company name, location information and other data as specified in your search criteria.

The column headings are links that allow you to sort the data according to the material in that column.

Each company name is a link that will open the Company Profile for that company. See page 10 for information about the Company Profile page.

Browse You may browse through all the companies in the database by clicking on the View All Companies link on the Search All page. This will open a Search Results page similar to the one that is opened when you run a search except this page will include a list of all companies.

See page 7 for information about the Search Results page.


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Company Profile Page The Company Profile page is opened when you select a company name from a list anywhere in the database.

The Company Profile page consists of a one-page information sheet. This is a streamlined source of information. More extensive information is available by using the Export Search Results feature from the Search Results pages. See page 8 for information about the Export Search Results feature.

The Company Profile page has information grouped into a variety of topics, including: Types of Business, Brands/Divisions/Affiliates, Contacts (a list of company personnel and their titles), Growth Plans/Special Features, Financials, Salaries/Benefits, and more.

The top of the listing includes buttons that will open a PDF Version of the page or open a Printer-Friendly Version. Clicking on the PDF Version or Printer-Friendly Version buttons will open a one-page document that is suitable for printing. The PDF version can also be saved to your computer in the Adobe format.

The Show/Hide Citation link will open a new section on the page with a number of sample citations of how to refer to the displayed company information in a report.

The Company Profile page also has links to Financial Details, Compare to Industry Averages, Build Custom Table, and Compare Companies.


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Financial Details Clicking on the Financial Details link will open the Financial Data page. This page gives you detailed information about the financial status of the company you are researching.

There are four tabs on this page: Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Ratios.

The Income Statement tab is displayed when the page is first opened. Clicking on the other tabs will display more data pertinent to the topic selected.

There are two icons near the top of each tab. These allow you to export the data on these tabs into Excel or a PDF document. When you export the data the information on all four tabs are exported into one document.

Compare to Industry Averages The Compare to Industry Averages link will open the Industry Averages page. This page is similar to the Financial Data page but has data comparing the company being researched to an industry average.

This page has the same four tabs as the Financial Data page. It also has export icons that perform in the same manner as on the Financial Data page.

Build Custom Table The Build Custom Table link will open the Build a Table page. This page is used to create a table of information according to the variables you select.

The box on the left has an expandable list of fields that may be selected. You may select a broad topic or as many items below it as you need. Highlight an item (or broad topic) and click on the arrow button between the boxes. This will place your selection into the right box.


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When you have finished selecting items click on the Create Table button. This will display your table in the area below the boxes.

The table have five years of data.

There are two export icons that allow you to export the table into Excel or a PDF document.

These icons work in a similar manner as the export icons on the Financial Data page.

Compare Companies Clicking on the Compare Companies link on the Company Profile page will open the Compare Companies page.

This page allows you to select companies to compare to the company being researched.

This page has the same four tabs as the Financial Data page: Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Ratios.

When first opened only your original company is shown.

To add a company click on the Add Companies button. This will open a search page similar to the Search All page. See page 7 for information about this page.

Companies located in this search will be listed in a table. Click on the check box by the company you want to add and click on the Continue button. This will add the company to the Compare Companies page.


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Industry Associations Clicking on the Industry Associations link on the Search All page will open the Associations/Organizations page.

This page allows you to search for associations or organizations using the boxes for organization name, headquarters city, headquarters state, or country. There is also a Category Search box with a drop-down menu with a very long list of subjects you can use to limit the search.

You may run a saved search by clicking on the Run a Saved Search link. This will open the MyResearchAccount logon page, if you have not already logged in. Please go to page 29 for information about MyResearchAccount.

Once you have entered your search terms click on the Search button to begin the search. The results will be displayed on a Search Results page.

This Search Results page lists all the organizations located through your search. Each name on the list is a link that will open a profile page. The information included on the profile page is very limited compared to the information in a Company Profile page.

The organization page includes a Show/Hide Citation link that will open a new section on the page with a number of sample citations of how to refer to the displayed information in a report.

There is also a Map button that will display a map of the organization’s geographical location.


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The Associations/Organizations > Search Results page also has an Export Search button. Clicking on this button will open the Associations/Organizations > Export Results page.

The main section of the page offers you the choice of exporting all fields or selecting only the ones you want. The Export All Fields selection is the default selection.

Clicking on Select Fields to Export will cause the field selections to become active. You may then click on the various check boxes to select fields.

After you have selected the fields you want, you may then select the format (Excel or text) and the method (download or e-mail).

When you have made your selections click on the Submit button to begin the process.

The Associations/Organizations > Search Results page also has a Save This Search button. You may save the search by clicking on this button. This will open the MyResearchAccount logon page, if you have not already logged in. Please go to page 29 for information about MyResearchAccount.

Glossary

Clicking on the Glossary link on the Search All page will open the Glossary page. This page allows you to search for a definition or browse through a list of definitions. The browse section has a display of the alphabet with each letter linked to a page of words beginning with that letter.

You may search for a definition by entering a term into the data field and clicking on the Search button.


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Job Seeker Resources & Tools Clicking on the Job Seeker Resources & Tools selection in the Home page row of tools will open the Resources page. This page has links to a number of pages offering information that is of interest to people seeking employment.

The page has two columns of links in the main part of the page. The links are: Job Market Trends, 7 Keys to Research, Associations and Organizations, Links to Job Search Sites, Search for Employers, Job Market Statistics, How to Apply for a Job Online, Temporary Employment Agencies, and Occupational Outlook Handbook. These are described on the following pages.

In addition to the main links in the center section of the page you have several other options. You may perform a search using a term in the search box near the top of the main section. After entering your search term (i.e., unemployment) click on the Search button and a results page will be displayed with a list of each instance of your term being found in the Resource and Tools for Job Seekers section. Clicking on an item will open that article.

The results page allows you to name and save your search. Clicking on the Save This Search button will open the log in page for MyResearchAccount. See page 29 for information about MyResearchAccount.

The Resources page also has a link near the bottom of the page (Create, Post or Manage Your Resume at CareerBuilder) that will take you to the CareerBuilder.com web site where you may post an online resume with that organization.


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Job Market Trends The Job Market Trends selection on the Resources page will open the Market Research & Trends page. This page opens with an article displayed. The Select Topic box has a drop-down menu with a selection of

articles available. The article displayed is the first one on the menu. Clicking on a different title will open that article.

The Previous and Next buttons above the articles allow you to page through the articles.

Clicking on the PDF icon will open the currently displayed article in PDF format with Acrobat Reader controls. You may then print or save the article. If you wish to save the article you may name it and direct the file to your removable media.

The Show/Hide Citation will open a new section above the article that shows how to cite the current article in more than five different formats. The Citation Guidelines link will open a new window with the various citation styles (i.e., APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.) explained.

You also may search the articles on this page using a keyword search. Enter your term into the search box and click on the Search button.

The results will be displayed in a list. Clicking on an article title will open the article.


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7 Keys to Research The 7 Keys to Research selection on the Resources page will open the 7 Keys to Employer Research page. This page opens with an article displayed in one long scrolling page. The links in the top section of the display are table of contents links. Clicking on a link will cause the page to scroll to that section of the article.

Associations and Organizations The Associations and Organizations selection on the Resources page will open the Associations/Organizations page. This page has a search function that allows you to search for organizations by name; headquarters city, state, or country; or category.

After entering your search terms into the boxes or making a selection from a drop-down menu (state, country and category) you may start your search by clicking on the Search button.

The results of your search will be listed on a Search Results page. Each entry on the list is a link to the page for that organization. The individual pages list basic contact information for the organization as well as links to a map and citation list so the item may be cited according to a variety of publication styles.

The Search Results page also has an Export Search button. This will open the Export Results page. This page is similar to other Export pages in this database. Please go to page 14 for information about the Export pages.

The View All Associations button on the Associations/Organizations page will open a Search Results page with a list of all associations and organizations in the database.


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Links to Job Search Sites The Links to Job Search Sites selection on the Resources page will open the Job Search Sites page. This page has a list of organizations that provide assistance to job seekers.

Clicking on a name on the list will open the page for that organization. This page will give the organization’s basic contact information, a link to its web site, a link to a map function and a link to a citation list so the item may be cited according to a variety of publication styles.

Search For Employers The Search For Employers selection on the Resources page will open the Search For Employers page. This is the same page that is opened when the Search For Employers selection of the Home page row of tools is selected. Please go to page 20 for information about the Search For Employers page.

Job Market Statistics The Job Market Statistics selection on the Resources page will open the Statistics page. This page offers a variety of statistical charts concerning employment statistics. You may select a different chart by clicking on the down arrow in the Select Topic box. This will display a list with more than ten topics. Clicking on a topic will display that chart. You may navigate through the charts by clicking on the Previous and Next buttons.

Each chart may be displayed in a PDF format or opened (or saved) in Excel by clicking on the PDF or Excel icons.

The Show/Hide Citation link will open a new section on the page with a number of sample citations of how to refer to the displayed information in a report. The Citation Guidelines link will open a new window with information about the various styles of citing information.


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You may use this page to search for market research and trends by entering a term into the search box near the top of the page. After entering your terms click on the Search button. This will open a search results page with a list of charts. Clinking on a chart’s name will open the chart.

How to Apply for a Job Online The How to Apply for a Job Online selection on the Resources page will open the How to Apply for a Job Online page. This page has one long article offering information about online job searches. The links near the top of the article are a table of contents that will scroll the page to that section of the article.

Temporary Employment Agencies The Temporary Employment Agencies selection on the Resources page will open an Associations/Organizations > Search Results page. This page displays the results list of a search for temporary employment agencies. Each entry on the list is a link to the page for that organization.

The individual pages list basic contact information and a link to that organization’s web site. There are also links to a map and citation list so the item may be cited according to a variety of publication styles.

The Search Results page also has an Export Search button. This will open the Export Results page. This page is similar to other Export pages in this database. Please go to page 14 for information about the Export pages.

Occupational Outlook Handbook The Occupational Outlook Handbook selection on the Resources page will open the Occupational Outlook Handbook page on the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site. This page will be in a new window. This site has information about job opportunities, training, earnings, occupations and other areas in the various industries.


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Search For Employers The Search For Employers selection of the Home page row of tools opens the Search For Employers page. This page allows you to search for and export profiles of leading employers in major and mid-size companies.

This function does not search the complete database, only those companies that fit into the categories of major and mid-size employers.

The bottom of the page has a search function for Indeed.com to search companies not included in Plunkett Research Online. You may search by type of job or by location.

Search Employers Clicking on the Selected Major Employers or Selected Mid-Size Employers link will open the Search All page. This page allows you to create a search for companies. You also have the option to browse through all the companies. (This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the Search All page. See page 7 for information about that page.)

You may search either Major or Mid-size companies depending on the link you selected. Although the two Search All pages opened by each of the links are the same the results vary from each other.

Once you have entered your search terms and made any selections you want, start the search by clicking on the Search button. Your results will be displayed on a Search Results page.

This is the same Search Results page that is opened when other searches are made. Please go to page 7 for information about the Search Results page.

Browse Companies Clicking on the View All Major Companies or View All Mid-Sized Companies buttons will open a search results page.

This is the same Search Results page that is opened when other searches are made. Please go to page 7 for information about the Search Results page.

Archives and Video Archives The Archives and Video Archives selections in the Home page row of tools are not part of the Business Library’s subscription.


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Industry Research Centers The Industry Research Centers section of the database Home page has more than 30 selections. Each selection will open a page for the selected industry or industries (many selections include two or more industries). The research center for each industry (or group of industries) are similar and operate in a similar manner.

Only one selection will be described in detail. The description will be applicable to most of the industry research centers.

There are five exceptions. The Asian Companies, Canadian Industries, International Companies, Middle Market Companies, and Private Companies selections will open pages that have slightly different content. These will be described following the Advertising, Branding & Marketing Selection section.

Advertising, Branding & Marketing Selection The Advertising, Branding & Marketing selection will open the Advertising and Branding page. The research center pages have a row of links across the top of the page just below the header. These links open the same pages as the links in the main part of the page.

There is also a Related Industries section that includes links to other research centers that are related to the one currently open. Clicking on one of these links will open the related research center.

You may perform a search within the current research center by entering a search term into the search box near the top of the page and clicking on the Search


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button. This will open a search results page.

This page has a box where you may name the search. After naming the search you may then save the search by clicking on the Save This Search button. If you are not already logged into your personal account you are taken to the MyResearchAccount login page.

The Click Here link below the Name Your Search box will also take you to the login page for MyResearchAccount if you are not already logged in. This link will take you to your saved searches. See page 29 for more information about the MyResearchAccount feature.

The search box (with your original search term entered) is displayed above the main body of the page. You may enter another term and click on the Search button to start another search.

The items found in your search are listed ten to a page. You may navigate from page to page by clicking on the page numbers at the bottom of the page or the Next and Previous links at the top and bottom of the list.

Each entry in the list contains the name of the article, excerpts from the text that include the search term(s), and the path for the file. The file size is also included.

Clicking on the name of the file will open the article within the research center.

The main part of the Research Center page has links to the information pages for the research center. These links are Market Research and Trends, Companies & Executives, Industry Associations, Glossary, Statistics, Build-A-Report and Video. These areas are described below:

Market Research and Trends The Market Research and Trends selection on the main research center page will open the Market Research & Trends page. This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the Market Research & Trends page that is opened when the Job Market Trends selection is clicked on from the Resources page under the Home page row of tools.


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The main difference in the various Market Research & Trends pages is the number of topics displayed in the drop-down menu in the Select Topic data field. The Market Research & Trends page for the Advertising and Branding Industry Research Center has about 20 selections, each of which will open a new article in the display area below the data field. The Market Research & Trends page for other research centers will display a different set of topics, with the number available varying from center to center.

Please go to page 16 for information about the general Market Research & Trends page.

Companies & Executives The Companies & Executives selection on the main research center page will open the Advertising and Branding page. This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the Companies & Executives page that is opened when the Companies & Executives selection is clicked on from the Search All page under the Search All Industries selection in the Home page row of tools.

The main difference is that this page will search only companies included in the industries covered by the research center.

Please go to page 7 for information about the general Companies & Executives page. Please go to page 10 for information about the Company Profile page for specific companies.


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Industry Associations The Industry Associations selection on the main research center page will open the Association/Organizations page. This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the Associations/Organizations page that is opened when Industry Associations is selected on the Search All page under the Search All Industries selection in the Home page row of tools.

Please go to page 13 for information about the Associations/Organizations page and page 7 for information about the general Companies & Executives page.

Glossary The Glossary selection will open the Glossary page. This page has an interactive alphabet that will show all the terms beginning with the selected letter. “A” is pictured to the right. The Show All Terms and Phrases link will display all the items.

These terms and phrases are particular to the industry being researched. The glossary for other research centers will display terms for those industries.

The main Glossary page also has a search function. Entering a term (all or part of a word) into the search box and clicking on the Search button will open a Search Results page with all the terms found in your search displayed. Each term is a link that will open a page with the definition of the term.

These pages also have the Show/Hide Citation link. The Show/Hide Citation link will open a new section on the page with a number of sample citations of how to refer to the displayed information in a report.


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Statistics The Statistics selection on the main research center page will open the Statistics page. This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the Statistics page that is opened when the Job Market Statistics selection is clicked on from the Resources page under the Job Seeker Resources & Tools selection in the Home page row of tools.

The main difference in the various Statistics pages is the number of topics displayed in the drop-down menu in the Select Topic data field. The Statistics page for the Advertising and Branding Industry Research Center has more than ten selections, each of which will open a new article in the display area below the data field. The Statistics page for other research centers will display a different set of topics, with the number available varying from center to center.

Please go to page 18 for information about the operation of the Statistics page.

Build-A-Report The Build-A-Report selection on each main research center page will open the Build-A-Report page. This page gives you a wide selection of items to include in a report. The items are grouped into the following topics: Industry Trends, Industry Statistics, Add Company Profiles to Your Report, Company Address and Financial Information, Company Description, Company Executives, Associations and Organizations, Industry Glossary, and Select Report Delivery Method.

Each item or topic have checkboxes so that you may select the specific items to include (or exclude) in the report.


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The Add Company Profiles to Your Report section allows you to add companies to your industry report. Clicking on the Select Companies button will open an Advertising and Branding page. This page is similar to and operates in a similar manner as the page that is opened when the Companies & Executives selection is clicked on from the main Research Center page.

You may use this feature to make a top ten companies list, or add up to 20 companies to the report.

Please go to page 7 for information about the general Companies & Executives page.

Once you have gone through the items and made your selections you have the option to either download the report in PDF format or e-mail the report (in PDF format) to an e-mail address. To download the report click on the View Report button. To e-mail the report click on the Email Report button.

Before the report is downloaded or e-mailed, you will have to agree with the terms of use statement. Clicking on the I Agree link will allow the download or e-mail to proceed.

The downloaded report will be displayed in an Acrobat Reader window.

Video Not every industry research center will have the Video selection. The Video selection will open a Videos page. This page will have an industry overview video. The video will play but there may be some difficulty with sound because some media software is not installed on the database server.


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Asian Companies, Canadian Industries, International Companies, Middle Market Companies, and Private Companies Research Centers The Asian Companies, Canadian Industries, International Companies, Middle Market Companies, and Private Companies selections will open research centers similar to the other research centers. However, there are some differences. These differences are described here.

Each of the research centers has a selection called How to Use This Center. Clicking on this link will open a one page description of how to use the research center.

The Statistics selection for the Canadian Industries Research Center opens the Statistics Canada page. This page is opened to the Tables by Subject selection in the menu table on the left side of the screen. There are about 30 tables that are selected by clicking on the table name.

Some of these Research Centers have limited selections compared to others, none have as many as the industry research centers.

The selections that are similar to those in the industry research centers (i.e., Companies & Executives, Industry Associations, etc.) operate in a similar manner as those. See descriptions for these starting on page 21.


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Tutorials The Tutorials section of the right column on the Home page has two selections: Slides and Video.

Slides The Slides selection opens the Support: Tutorial page. This page has selections for ten presentations. The different presentations are accessed by clicking on the numbers in the row of links near the top of the page. Each presentation is one long scrolling page with text and graphics covering a particular feature of the database. The Industry Associations presentation is pictured at right.

You may navigate from presentation to presenta-tion by clicking on the page number link or the Prev or Next links.

Video The Video selection will open the Tutorials page. This page has a link to a video tutorial (How to Use Plunkett Research Online). This tutorial is available in other languages (other than English) by selecting one of the links in the Additional Lan-guages section.

The bottom of the page has a link to a slide presen-tation (How to Use Plunkett Research Online (Slide Presentation)) in the Slide Presentation Tutorial section.

Clicking on this link will open the presentation.

Professor’s Center The Professor’s Center section of the right col-umn on the Home page has one selection: Con-tents. Clicking on this link will open the Professor’s Center page.

This page is a long scrolling display with nu-merous links.

There are a variety of boxes with information and links to specific areas designed to assist instructors in using the Plunkett database in their classrooms.


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Use These Terrific Tools The Use These Terrific Tools section of the right column on the Home page has three selections: Build-A-Report, MyResearchAc-count, and Industry Video.

Build-A-Report The Build-A-Report selection will open the Create Industry Reports page. This page gives you infor-mation on how to create an industry report.

You must first select an industry (go to the Industry Research Center) and then select the Build-A-Report feature on the Industry Research Center page. See page 25 for information about the Build-A-Report feature.

MyResearchAccount The MyResearchAccount selection will open the MyResearchAccount log in page for the personalized section of Plunkett Research Online. Using your personal-ized account you may save searches from one session to another.

If you have already set up an account, enter your ID into the Personal ID data field and your password into the Password data field. Click on the Submit button to enter your account. This will open the MyResearchAc-count Homepage. See page 30 for information about the MyResearchAccount Homepage.

To set up your account, click on the Establish Your Free MyResearchAccount Now link at the bottom of the Welcome page.

This will open the Set Up Your Free Personal MyResearchAccount page. This page guides you through the process of setting up your per-sonal ID and password. You also have to enter an e-mail address and first and last name.

Once you have finished entering your account information click on the Register button to begin the process.

This will open the Set Up Your Personal Research Profile page. This page allows you to select the reason for your research (i.e., business, university, etc.), name your school or business, iden-tify your research interests, and the type of e-mail format you prefer. When you have completed


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this page click on the Submit button.

This will cause the program to send a message to the e-mail address you entered. The message will confirm your logon in-formation (name and password). There will also be a link that you must click on to verify your e-mail address. You must click on the link to finalize your new account. This will take you back to the MyResearchAccount log in page where you may then enter your Personal ID and Password. Click on the Submit button when finished.

Once you click on the Submit button on the MyResearchAc-count log in page you will be taken to the MyResearchAccount Homepage.

This page has a list of links where you may edit your profile, access your saved searches or contact Plun-kett Research. There are five saved searches links; Market Research & Trends, Company Profiles, Statis-tics, Associations & Organizations, and Other Searches.

Clicking on one of these links will open the page for that category of search. Clicking on the Market Research & Trends link will open the MyResearchAccount—Market Research & Trends page. Each of the links opens a similar table that performs similar functions.

Any saved searches will be dis-played in a table of seven columns. The columns are Update Comment, Name/Comment, Date, Industry, Search Criteria, Edit Search, and Delete Search. The Name/Comment, Date, Industry, and Search Criteria column headings are links that allow you to sort the table according to the items in that heading.

The Update Comment column has an Update button for each line. Clicking on the button al-lows you to change the name of the search. The Search Criteria column has Run buttons for each line. Clicking on the Run button will cause the search to be run, displaying a search results page.

The Edit Search column has an Edit button for each line in the table. Clicking on this button will open a search results page with the search term entered in the search data field. You may change the term and re-run the search.

The Delete Search column has a Delete button for each line. Clicking on this button will re-move the selected line from the table.


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Industry Videos The Industry Videos selection will open the Videos page. This page has links to a variety of videos.

The Tutorials section has links to videos on how to use the database. These are the same videos that are available in the Videos selection of the Tutorials section of the right column on the Home page. See page 28 for information about these videos.

The FAQs section has links to two videos on how libraries use the database.

The rest of the page has links to a variety of industry videos. These are the same videos that are played when Video on the industry Research Center page is selected.

Suggested Uses The Suggested Uses section of the right column on the Home page has four selections: Do Market Research, Look for a Job, Export a Prospect List, and Video Testimonials.

Do Market Research The Do Market Research selection will open the Market Research page. This page has a table with suggestions on how you can use the database to find information in a variety of categories.

Look for a Job The Look for a Job selection will open the Look for a Job page with brief information on how to use the database to look for a job.

Export a Prospect List The Export a Prospect List selection will open the Build a Prospect List page. This page tells you how to use the database to build a prospect list.

Video Testimonials The Video Testimonials selection will open the How People are Using Plunkett Research page with link to the two videos on how libraries are using the database.


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Header Tabs The Plunkett Research Online header has seven tabs. These are Home/Industry List, Contact & Support, MyResearchAccount, Administrator, Terms of Use, FAQs and Log Out.

Home/Industry List The Home/Industry List tab will return you to the database Home page from any location in the database.

Contact & Support Clicking on the Contact & Support tab will open a page where you may e-mail Plunkett Research.

MyResearchAccount The MyResearchAccount tab will open the MyResearchAccount log in page where you may log into your account. Please go to page 29 for information about MyResearchAccount.

Administrator Clicking on the Administrator tab will open a log in page for administrators.

Terms of Use The Terms of Use tab will open the Terms of Use page with a long list of terms.

FAQs The FAQs tab will open the FAQs page. This page has some of the information most often requested. The top of the page has a list of questions. Each question is a link that will cause the page to scroll to that question’s position. The answer follows the question.

Log Out The Log Out tab will end your Plunkett Research Online session.

Plunkett Research Online - Mason School of Business

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