Business information sources in Gauteng

• Main Author: Croll, Jennifer Anne
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Business sources; Management information sources; Libraries; Academic libraries; Information
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net10539/13764

Thesis (M.M. (Research))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. === This research investigated the way in which an academic library could add value to the research undertaken by the business community in Johannesburg. The research was qualitative and data was collected via interviews, both telephonic and face-to-face. Two research questions were examined: 1. Where does corporate South Africa access information? 2. Why does corporate South Africa access information? The results were collated and themes drawn to reach conclusions. It was initially thought that researchers in the business community used Google and social media extensively in order to trace information for innovation, the development of new products, and marketing. A significant theme that emerged during the research was that people actually prefer personal contact, either face-to-face or via conferences and telephonically. This contradicts the library literature which maintains that libraries need to maintain a profile in the social media since this is where people are looking for information. It was also discovered that while researchers are using Google extensively, they are not using libraries to any significant extent. It is recommended that libraries consider linking into communities of practice in order to ensure that they are part of the research process and, at the same time, part of the community of practice, and so are able to anticipate the research needs of their community. The research highlights the need for libraries to actively market their resources to their communities to increase their visibility in order to validate the value they can add to the bottom line of an organisation.