COMPInfo: a prototype hypertext guide to company information sources
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045289 |
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| Pages | 183-189 |
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| Author | Siân Walters,Shirley Cousins |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
COMPInfo: a prototype
hypertext guide to
company information
sources
Siân Walters and Shirley Cousins
Department of Information and Library Studies,
University
of
Wales
Aberystwyth,
Llanbadarn
Fawr,
Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23
3AS,
UK
Abstract: Company
information is
of considerable
importance
to the
business
community, but finding the
right information
is
not
easy.
There
are many possible
information sources
in
a variety of formats which are often
difficult to identify and
control.
Accurate and current guides
to
information
sources are important and a prototype
hypertext
guide
to sources
of company
information
has
been developed to examine the feasibility of utilising
this
technology to overcome some of the limitations of
paper-based guides.
COMPInfo
has been developed using
GUIDE software.
The
structure of the system and the way
in
which this attempts to fulfil
the
requirements of
a
good
company information guide are
discussed.
The
advantages
and problems of the prototype are
considered,
along with
areas in which further development of
the
structure
would
be
beneficial.
In spite of its
limitations,
COMPInfo indicates
that hypertext technology could provide a
viable solution
to
the problems of producing an effective guide to the complex
field of company information.
1.
Introduction
Company information can be defined
as
information on firms
of any
type,
from identification and description to more com-
plex 'value-added' information. It consists of both current and
historical information and
is
often regarded as the central ele-
ment in the world of business information — the business
community revolves around company activity (Edmunds
1990).
The importance of company information to the busi-
ness world cannot be overestimated and is reflected in the
number and variety of information sources devoted
to
it.
This
importance
is
reinforced by Kaye (1991) who states that com-
pany information is 'by far the largest part of total business
information activity, representing, for
example,
about half of
all enquiries in business libraries.'
Sources of company information can be divided into
dif-
ferent categories, depending on their content and how this
information will be utilised. The structure of company infor-
mation sources consists of two basic categories that are
fur-
ther subdivided. These categories are primary
sources,
or raw
data, and secondary sources. In general, the secondary
sources are based on the raw data found in the primary
sources,
and are repackaged
into
more accessible and easier
to
use formats.
Since the mid-1980s there has been a revolution in the
provision of company information in the United Kingdom.
These changes in provision have taken place on two levels —
technical and commercial. Technical changes have made an
impact through the gradual penetration of electronic data and
information sources. For example, the 1980s have seen the
development of new online hosts and increased numbers of
company information databases, such as Dun & Bradstreet's
Key British
Enterprises.
In addition, major new print products
and improved versions of older print products have appeared
over
the
last few
years.
Commercially, businesses have begun
to have a greater appreciation of the value of information and
there has been an increasing emphasis on timeliness which
has resulted in a quickening of the pace of the information
industry (Anon 1988).
2.
Problem definition
Access to and use of company information
is
beset with prob-
lems,
relating both to the sources themselves and also to the
methods of locating information. Hargreaves (1989) identi-
fies a number of problems associated with company informa-
tion, the principle
one
being the large number of disparate and
dispersed sources, in a variety of formats, which are difficult
to
identify and
control.
No single source of company informa-
tion is comprehensive so several sources may need to be con-
sulted. Selecting and identifying which source to use can be
difficult and users are often unfamiliar with the information
content of each source. Keeping track of changing sources
can aggravate these problems further. Conventional bibliog-
raphic tools are insufficient and inadequate for identifying
and controlling company information, especially as many of
the sources do not qualify for inclusion.
The number and variety of sources are not the only prob-
lems.
The presentation and arrangement of data
varies
widely
between sources and the terminology and layout used can
be complex, technical and highly specialised. This makes
The Electronic Library, Vol. 12, No. 3, June 1994 183
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