Resetting the compass for the business information landscape

The compilation of a new textbook on business information sources (Navigating business information sources: a practical guide for information managers, Library Association, 1998) provided the authors with an opportunity to consider and review developments in business information, including the current and possible future issues of importance to those involved in its provision. Considers the context in which business organizations are operating at the close of the twentieth century, including technical advances and deregulation combined with increased trade freedom in much of the world. Companies can now take advantage of the sophisticated global information technology infrastructures, such as the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) for the movement of resources such as capital and information. Notes the transition from print to electronic media as the dominant format for information storage and retrieval and the convergence of previously separate media, such as text graphics and sound into multimedia resources such as: Reuters Equity Focus and Bloomberg Financial Markets. End-users now have a wide range of information tools and business information managers must prove the worth of their services in providing information that can lead to better decision-making and exploitation of new business opportunities.