Author: Stephen

Database of the Month: Bloomberg Tax

Stephen

Bloomberg Tax provides users with online access to statutes, regulations, tax codes, court cases, and expert analysis, articles, and commentary on tax planning. Practice tools such as tax prep guides, checklists, tax forms, and sample documents are included. Topic areas include Federal, State, and International.

Bloomberg Tax enables users to access the BNA Tax Management Portfolios. Tax Management Portfolios are an encyclopedic resource that provides detailed breakdowns of tax issues. Tax Management Portfolios index and provide full-text access to primary source materials that cover tax cases, regulations, and relevant statutes, and including links to the IRC. Bentley’s Bloomberg Tax subscription include BNA’s U.S. Income; Estates, Gifts & Trusts; and U.S. International portfolios.

The Federal section of Bloomberg Tax also includes a number of useful practices tools, from Federal tax forms and calculators to sample client letters, compliance statements, and transactional diagrams.

Those looking for primary and secondary resources related to state tax topics can use the State content area of Bloomberg Tax, to find expert analysis, including the BNA State Tax and Sales & Use Tax portfolios. As in the Federal content area of Bloomberg Tax, the State area provides practice tools that include state tax forms, client letters, and state tax diagrams. Primary source material in the State area includes statutes, regulations, and constitutions. For those who want to keep abreast of state tax topics can browse the News & Commentary section.

The International area of Bloomberg Tax provides expert analysis via the BNA International portfolios, which include Foreign Income, Country, and Transfer Pricing portfolios. Practice tools include Withholding Tax Chart and VAT jurisdictions. Primary source materials include tax treaties and transfer pricing portfolios.

Guides, Tutorials, and Help

For help using Bloomberg Tax please consult the database’s Help Center, download the Bloomberg Tax Quick Reference Card, or view Bloomberg Tax’s video tutorials. Reference librarians can provide research assistance in person at the Reference Desk and via email, phone (781.891.2300) and chat.

Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to a useful website or library database, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of this resource for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.

Database of the Month: Gartner Group Resources

Stephen

Gartner Group Resources provides expert analysis and opinion on IT-related topics at the intersection of business and technology. Users can search Gartner’s proprietary research by market area, topic, or industry. Gartner also offers blogs and podcasts.

Gartner methodologies consist of research practices and procedures that distill large volumes of data into clear, precise recommendations so their clients can formulate plans or make difficult business decisions.

Gartner provides insights on major function areas including, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing & Communications, and Product R&D, in every market sector. Gartner provides a number of proprietary research products and services including the Gartner Magic Quadrant, Hype Cycles, Peer Insights, and Special Reports. IT related business topics can be found in the Research Library section of the Gartner database.

Gartner Magic Quadrants provide users with a graphical interface that examine four types of technology providers: Leaders, Visionaries, Niche Players and Challengers. Magic Quadrant industry areas include Communications, Manufacturing Technology, Services Technology, and Transportation. Topic areas covered include Business Applications, Software Infrastructure, IT Services, Business Objectives and Application Development.

Gartner Magic Quadrant
source: https://www.gartner.com/en/research/methodologies/magic-quadrants-research

Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications. Hype Cycle methodology provides a view of technology and applications as they evolve over time.   Hype Cycle topic areas include Technology, Society & Public Policy, Business Applications, Software Infrastructure, Business Objectives and IT Management. 

Gartner Hype Cycle
source: https://www.gartner.com/en/research/methodologies/gartner-hype-cycle

Access to Gartner is via Bentley University username and network password.

Database of the Month provides a brief introduction to useful library databases, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of these resources for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.

Database of the Month: PRS Group – CountryData Online

Stephen

Political Risk Services (PRS) provides a methodology for political risk forecasting. The Bentley University Library now subscribes to the PRS CountryData Online service. CountryData provides access to PRS Group’s historical risk data back to 1984, as well as forecasts, economic, political, geographic, and social data from Political Risk Services. PRS country data is updated monthly on the CDO database.

CDO takes advantage of the Coplin-O’Leary Country Risk Rating System for PRS forecast to provide independent political risk forecasting. Coplin-O’Leary allows users to look at risk variables such as Direct Investment Risk, Equity Restrictions, Financial Transfer Risk, Tariff Barriers, Turmoil Ratings, and 19 others.

CDO allows users to create screening reports based on standard economic indicators, such as wages, inflation, GDP, debt, capital investment and inflation, back to 1984. Data can be viewed as CSV/Excel files.

Finally, CDO provides access to PRS Group’s ICRG Risk tables. ICRG Risk is tables of data as published monthly in the International Country Risk Guide from 1984 until the present, including all sets of data extracted from monthly issues of ICRG since 1984, including Political, Economic, Financial and Composite Risk Ratings.

Connect to This Database

PRS CountryData Online is available from the Databases A to Z listing. Please note that there is a two-user limit for this database. Contact the Reference Desk if you have questions or need assistance using this resource.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to useful library databases, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of these resources for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.

Database of the Month: Bloomberg BNA Tax and Accounting Center

Stephen

Bloomberg BNA Tax and Accounting Center (formerly BNA Tax Library) provides users with online access to expert Bloomberg BNA analysis, tax codes, court cases, and articles and commentary on accounting and tax planning. The “Practice Tools” section includes previous year’s tax forms, the Federal Tax Calendar, working papers and tables and charts. Bentley’s subscription to the Tax and Accounting Center includes selected Federal, state and international materials. Primary source materials include the Internal Revenue Code, state and Federal tax cases, and Treasure Preamble Decisions.

The link for the Bloomberg BNA Tax and Accounting Center is located on the Bentley Library’s Databases A-Z page. BBTAC has a unique login for users. From on campus once a user clicks on the link to the resource they will be taken to a Bloomberg BNA login screen. When the page loads click on the “Go to My Product” button. Users do not need to enter a username or password or sign in to BBTAC.

Remote users will authenticate using their Bentley email address and username and then they will be brought to the Bloomberg BNA login page where they too will click on the “Go to My Product” button.

Once in logged in to BBTAC users can explore the the Federal tax tab which includes BNA’s Expert Analysis, with access to the U.S. Income Portfolios, Estates, Gifts and Trusts Portfolios, and U.S. International Portfolios. The News and Commentary section provides the latest from BBTAC’s editors, with an emphasis on the U.S. Congress and executive branch tax news. The Federal content area also provides a search box for searching Federal tax cases and rulings.

The State tab also provides users with access to BNA’s State Tax Portfolios and Sales & Use Tax Portfolios. Primary source materials in the State section include state statutes, regulations and rulings. State tax forms are also available in this content area.

The Estate Planning section of BBTAC provides access to Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Portfolios. Those users interested in researching Transfer Pricing will find the BNA Transfer Pricing Portfolios for 27 countries and the OECD.

 

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to a useful website or Library database, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of this resource for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.

Off-campus Access to Google Scholar

Stephen

Off-campus users of Google Scholar can now configure Scholar to offer links to content from academic journals  made available by the Bentley University Library and make the experience as seamless as accessing Scholar from on campus.

Go to Google Scholar at https://scholar.google.com/ or enter your search in the search box under the Google Scholar tab on the Bentley University Library website.  After Scholar loads click on the “Settings”  link at the top of the Google Scholar search page.

google_scholar

From the Settings page choose “Library links”and enter Bentley University Library in the search box and then click the search button.  Please make sure your browser is set to accept cookies.  If your browser does not accept cookies you will need to update the Google Scholar library links for Bentley every time you use Scholar.

goog_scholar_2

Search Google Scholar and when you see “Full-text@Bentley”in the results list you will be able to access that resource using your Bentley University username and network password.

fulltextatbentley

Database of the Month: Mediamark University Internet Reporter

Stephen

Mediamark University Internet Reporter is a profiling system used to define targets in order to gain insights and better understand markets and/or the media used to reach those markets.  First time Mediamark users must register and create an account before they can us the database.  Users should contact the Bentley University Library at 781.891.2300 or refdesk@bentley.edu to receive a registration code to be entered when creating a Mediamark account.  Mediamark is available to current Bentley University students, faculty and staff.

Registration Steps:

  1. Go to the Mediamark home page and click [Register].
  2. Enter the Registration Code, your name and your Bentley University email address.  If your professor has not provided you with a registration code, please visit or email the Reference Desk at refdesk@bentley.edu to obtain the code.  A Bentley email address is required for proper authentication.
  3. After registering, you will receive a password validation email from clientservices@gfkmri.com. You must click the activation link in the email within 3 days to activate your account and set up your password.
  4. After clicking the activation link, you will be able to create your own password to access Mediamark University Internet Reporter. The password must be between 8-16 characters in length and have at least one alphabetic character and one numeric digit.
  5. After all these steps have been completed, proceed to Mediamark Reporter to begin using the database.

Mediamark registration

After registering for an account users will be able to access data on media use, product use, behavioral and other marketing measures from Mediamark’s yearly national probability sample of consumers.  The University Internet Reporter  provides access to GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer for academic use by students and faculty.  The Survey’s vast database of media usage, demographics, psychographics and consumer behavior makes it a powerful resource for penetrating insight into the actions and motivations of adult American consumers.

Once logged in users will select a Category for a list of over 25 product areas:

Mediamark categories
Click to view larger image

Users will then select a Question — a consumer activity.   Once the consumer activity has been selected users will be able to create a report based on Target criteria including report type, consumer activities (Details) and demographics (Target).

Mediamark target reports
Click to view larger image

The understand how the Mediamark University Reporter presents information in a report users should download the Mediamark University Internet Reporter Tutorial.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to a database available from the Library’s website, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using this form.

Database of the Month: Introducing WestlawNext

Stephen

westlawnext

WestlawNext is a new database that replaces Westlaw Campus.  This new offering from Westlaw allows users to search for state and Federal cases, statutes and regulations and is designed for students to be the starting point for legal research. WestlawNext allows users to search for citations to cases and statutes. Users can simply enter a citation in the West Search search box at the top of each page. West Search allows users to easily switch between Federal and state jurisdictions while searching for legal information.

When users run a search on WestlawNext, they don’t need to select a database. The search is automatically run across eight content categories:

  • Cases
  • Statutes and Court Rules
  • Regulations
  • Administrative Decisions and Guidance
  • Secondary Sources
  • Briefs
  • Proposed and Enacted Legislation
  • Proposed and Adopted Regulations

WestlawNext also provides users with the option of searching for legal terms. WestlawNext supports the Boolean search method that allows users to enter a query that consists of key terms from their issue and connectors specifying the relationship between those terms. The Advanced Search page enables users to search for terms within specific parts of a legal document and to limit by jurisdiction.  After search results are returned, users can use the WestlawNext filtering tool to find the exact document they need. WestlawNext allows users can email download, print, place in DropBox, or view with Kindle search results and documents.

For more information about WestlawNext please contact the Bentley Library Reference Desk at 781.891.2300 or refdesk@bentley.edu.

BrowZine: Browse, Read and Follow Scholarly Journals

Stephen

BrowX

The Bentley Library is pleased to announce a new research tool, BrowZine, for the Bentley community.  BrowZine is a free web or mobile application that allows users to browse, read, and follow academic journals from the Library’s online collections.  BrowZine allows tablet users to read articles in a format that is optimized for their device.  Users can also create a bookshelf with their favorite journals.  Tablet users can download the BrowZine app from the Apple or Android app stores or by going to Bentley’s BrowZine site at http://browzine.com/libraries/748/.  Once the app is downloaded users can select “Bentley” from the list of BrowZine libraries to access the Bentley Library’s online academic journal collections.

The web-based version of BrowZine can be used with a browser and does not require a mobile device. To access BrowZine via the web point your browser to http://browzine.com/libraries/748/.

A Bentley email address and network password are required to access BrowZine content from off-campus.  Please contact the Bentley Library Reference Desk at refdesk@bentley.edu or 781.891.2300 with any questions regarding BrowZine.