Sub-topics (short cut to commonly used business Sub-topics)

Sub-topics are words or phrases that are used in conjunction with headings to improve the specificity of the indexing. Sub-topics do not stand on their own as a separate field, but rather are assigned as a modifier to an index term. They are used with the Subject, Company Name, Named Person, and Trade Name headings. For each indexed article, only one sub-topic is assigned for each heading.

The various sub-topics used with each heading are displayed for browsing in the Browse Thesaurus search mode, when there are at least 32 records indexed with the heading. In Fielded Search and Command Search modes, sub-topics are searchable in the same field as the headings they modify and can be searched in combination with headings by using Boolean operator "w" (with). For example, to locate acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry, you would enter pharmaceutical industry w1 acquisitions in the subject field on the fielded search form or su pharmaceutical industry w1 acquisitions* using command search.

In the following example, Acquisitions, mergers, divestments is the sub-topic.

An article about the sale of FBS Mortgage Corp. to Bank of America would be indexed as follows:

Subject: Banking Industry -- Acquisitions, mergers, divestments
Company: Bank of America -- Acquisitions, mergers, divestments
Company: FBS Mortgage Corp. -- Acquisitions, mergers, divestments.

An article about new banking rules from the regulatory body, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, would be indexed as follows:

Subject: Banking Industry -- Laws, regulations, etc.
Subject: United States. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency -- Economic policy

Sub-topics are used in the Trade & Industry Database, Magazine Database, Health & Wellness Database, and in the Computer Database in the Company Name, Named Person, and Trade Name fields. Computer Database does not have sub-topics in the Subject field.

The chart below provides a list of the most commonly used business sub-topics with a link to a scope note describing how the sub-topic is applied.

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Commonly Used Business Sub-topics

Accounting and auditing

Used for the principles and techniques a person or an organization uses to establish, maintain, record, analyze, or summarize transactions. Auditing is the verification of accounts or of the adherence to procedures and is performed by either internal or external auditors.

Acquisitions, mergers, divestments

Used for significant transfers of assets between companies or between persons and companies. Used for takeover or purchase, combination, consolidation, or merger of one or more identifiable corporate bodies. Used for the purchase or transfer of majority interest (greater than 50%) via stocks or cash of a corporate body. This includes purchase of substantial properties, buildings, product lines, and capital goods such as machinery. Used when the actions are pending, actual, or decided against.

Advertising

Used for the process of promoting products, services, institutions, or ideas to an identifiable group via mass media or direct mail. The purpose of advertising is attracting purchasers or building corporate image or prestige.

Agricultural policy

Used for discussions of a corporate body's, government's, or person's position regarding the growing of crops and the raising of animals and for discussions of the issues surrounding crops or animals. These issues include, but are not limited to, conservation, agricultural finance, public health and safety, and national food supply.

Business and industry

Used for all aspects of business or industry including communication, distribution, transportation, or domestic trade. For articles that focus on international trade, the sub-topic International trade is used instead of Business and industry.

Case studies

Used for examples of a situation presented in some depth.

EXAMPLES:
Bank management -- Case studies
Quality control -- Case studies

Cases

Used for discussions of a lawsuit or legal action taken in court or administrative agency.

Computer programs

Used for discussions of software designed to be run on computers. Used under industry type subject terms only if the article discusses the use of computer software in the industry as a whole.

Can be used as a sub-topic with names of computer programs when one program runs under another piece of software.

Examples:
Discussions of add-on software for spreadsheets, word processing programs, database management systems, etc.
WordPerfect 5.1 (Word processing software) -- Computer Programs
 
--Computer programs

Discussions of software that runs under Windows or other graphical User interfaces

Windows 3.0 (Graphical User interface) --Computer programs

Discussions of software that runs under a particular operating system

MS-DOS --Computer programs

Conferences, meetings, seminars, etc.

Used for announcements or reports of meetings or seminars of an organization or of subgroups, including stockholders' meetings.

Contracts

Used for all binding agreements between two or more persons, businesses, or agencies. Used for agreements which are pending, actual or discontinued. See also Labor contracts.

Contributions, gifts, etc.

Used for money, goods, or services donated freely.

Distribution

Used for discussions of the process of distributing the finished product through the post-production or marketing channels to the consumer. For general discussions of distribution as part of the whole process of planning and organizing, use the sub-topic Logistics. When the article's focus is on distribution as part of the whole process of marketing, use the sub-topic Marketing.

Economic policy

Used for discussions of a company's, government's, or person's position regarding business, industry, labor, trade, or other economic activity. See also Tax policy.

Employment

Used for general discussions of occupational outlook and employment statistics.

For specific personnel changes:

Use Officials and employees under corporate bodies
Selection, appointment, resignation, etc. under named persons.

Energy policy

Used for discussions of a company's, government's, or person's position regarding production, use, and conservation of energy.

Environmental policy

Used for discussions of a corporate body's, government's, or person's position regarding the environmental impact or environmental pollution caused by the products, processes, and practices used by the interested party.

Finance

Used for all monetary affairs of a business, including earnings, except for securities, investments, or statistics. Used also for government-funded programs and services to indicate money appropriated or expended.

Forecasts

Used for predictions of what is likely to take place. For forecasts on specific topics already represented by a sub-topic, use that specific sub-topic.

Example:
For articles on forecasts of general business trends in the semiconductor industry, use:
Semiconductor industry -- Forecasts
but for articles forecasting market share in the semiconductor industry, use
Semiconductor industry --Market share

Foreign operations

Used for discussions of business activities carried out in a country different from the country where a company is headquartered.

Insurance

Used for the exposure of persons or businesses to risk and for the process of or agreement to insure against those risks. Where special insurance types exist on the Master Authority File or where

International trade

Used for all discussions of trade between countries or between cities, states, or regions of one country and another country. Use International trade as a sub-topic when exports or imports are discussed or export-import statistics are given. For interstate commerce, use the subject term Interstate commerce with an appropriate sub-topic.

Investigations

Used for research by law enforcement, administrative agencies, or other official bodies to determine whether unlawful activities have taken place. This sub-topic is used for Congressional investigative hearings or committee investigations.

Investments

Used for purchase of property or securities including capital investments, but not for transactions described as acquisitions. See also Acquisitions, mergers, divestments and Purchasing.

Investor relations

Used for discussions of the policies and activities that a corporation uses to communicate with or provide services for its investors.

Joint ventures

Used for businesses formed by partner companies to carry out a specific project. The joint venture becomes an organization separate from the partners with its own name, officers, and employees. When the term joint venture is used in an article, it usually refers to a legal joint venture. If, however, the article does not give you enough information to verify the existence of a legal joint venture, use Contracts as the sub-topic instead of Joint ventures.

Labor contracts

Used for discussions of contracts between companies and workers.

Labor unions

Used for discussions of organized labor activity.

Laws, regulations, etc.

Used for statutes passed or in process by a legislative body such as Congress and for decisions made by an administrative agency or organization. Under specific legislatures or Congress, use one of the policy sub-topics (e.g. economic policy, environmental policy etc.).

Licenses

Used for permission to engage in some activity regulated by law or for the authority to make, use, or sell patented or copyrighted items.

Logistics

Used for discussions of planning or integrating two or more activities whose purpose is to move materials to or through the manufacturing plant and to move manufactured goods to the consumer. Logistics may include, but is not limited to, distribution, inventory control, materials management, traffic, or transportation. Examples of narrower sub-topics are Distribution, Purchasing, Supply and demand, and Transportation. Logistics may be used for any related activities for which there is no special sub-topic term.

Management

Used for general discussions of planning, controlling, and organizing an enterprise. Used also for changes in the methods used for planning, organizing, or controlling an enterprise. See also Planning.

Manufacture

Used for discussions of the manufacture of a product. Use a more specific sub-topic where applicable (i.e. Production management, Product defects, recall, etc., etc.)

Market share

Used for discussions of product sales in proportion to total sales in a market segment and for discussions of competition within an industry.

Marketing

Used for the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services in the market place. The marketing process includes

  • the selection and development of product,
  • the determination of price, and
  • the selection and design of distribution channels--the place a product will be sold and the promotion of a product to the market place, including advertising.

Use Marketing as a sub-topic when more than one of the components mentioned above or when the entire marketing process is discussed in an article. Use narrower sub-topics, such as Advertising, when the focus of the article is narrower. See also Advertising, Forecasts, Public relations, and the various Product sub-topics (such as Product development, Product introduction etc.).

Officials and employees

Used for discussions about employees of an organization, company, or industry. Used to indicate an official's association with a company or organization. Use this sub-topic under company names and industry subject terms for articles about appointments, resignations, etc. and use the sub-topic Selection, appointment, resignation, etc. for a specific person's name.

Patents

Used for discussions of patents applied for, granted, or in dispute.

Personnel management

Used for articles discussing the management of an organization's employees, including layoffs, promotions, training, and supervising. Use the sub-topic Salaries, benefits, etc. for all issues regarding benefits. Use Officials and employees as the sub-topic when the article focuses on hiring, firing, retirement, or promotion of specific employees.

Planning

Used for articles on the intent to engage in business activities, including building or remodeling facilities, purchasing equipment, or beginning operations. For planning an activity already represented by another sub-topic, use that sub-topic.

Examples:
Use Investments --Planning to index an article on planning capital investments.
Use Business planning --Finance to index an article focusing on the financial aspects of business planning.

When the event has already taken place, use an appropriate sub-topic such as Management or Purchasing.

Prices and rates

Used for discussion of the amount asked or paid for goods and services, securities, or commodities, including government-controlled rates and fares.

Product defects, recall, etc.

Used for products found to be defective and/or recalled by the manufacturer.

Product development

Used for creation of or ideas for new and improved products. Used for discussions of a product which is not yet on the market and for discussions of the process of developing products.

Product discontinuation

Used for discussions of the permanent end to the production of a product.

Product introduction

Used for discussions of bringing a new product to market and for discussions of products newly available. For discussions of the process of developing new products, use the sub-topic Product development.

Production management

Used for all discussions about starting, stopping, or altering a manufacturing process as well as for more general discussions about production methods.

Products

Used for general discussion of the products of a company, including computer software. Use a more specific Product sub-topic (such as Product development or Product introduction) if applicable.

Public relations

Used for any communication or activity created or performed to enhance good will for a person or organization. The focus of public relations is organization-related, while that of advertising is usually product-related.

Purchasing

Used for both the general process of purchasing and for making purchasing decisions about specific kinds of products. Used Logistics for the planning and process of moving materials into and through the manufacturing process. For reports of the purchase of specific items, use the sub-topic Contracts for the purchase of large equipment such as computers, telephone systems, airplanes, etc. or the sub-topic Investments for capital investments (i.e. buildings and facilities).

Quality control

Used for discussions of techniques for or actions taken by organizations to ensure a certain level of quality or reliability in a product or certain standards of performance in a service.

Reports

Used for announcements of facts, findings, or recommendations.

Salaries, benefits, etc.

Used for all compensation to employees or appointees including wages and salaries, pensions, health and educational benefits, and all other fringe benefits that are offered to employees or officials by a company or organization.

Science and technology policy

Used for discussions of a company's, government's, or person's position regarding scientific research and technological development in general or as applied to any field of endeavor.

Securities

Used for discussions of securities or dividends related to those securities. Securities are anything given, deposited, or pledged to fulfill an obligation and include stocks, bonds, debentures, warrants, notes, dividends, etc.

Selection, appointment, resignation, etc.

Used for discussions of the appointment, promotion, resignation, retirement, or dismissal of an individual. For general treatments of occupational outlook and for employment statistics, use the sub-topic Employment. Under corporate bodies, Used the sub-topic Officials and employees.

Services

Used for discussions of intangible items offered by a business or industry. Used for articles detailing specific services offered, including customer service, or discussing the introduction of new services.

The sub-topic Services includes but is not limited to telecommunication services, transportation services, and social services.

Social policy

Used for discussions of a corporate body's, government's, or person's position in relation to societal organization and issues of the family, civil rights, personal freedoms, and opportunities within society.

For example, use Social policy as the sub-topic under a company name if the article is about the company's position regarding maternal leave. Use Social policy as the sub-topic under a company name if the article is about the use of boycott or economic sanctions against the company for its position on a particular issue.

Standards

Used for discussions of requirements or conditions which must be met in the production of goods or services. Standards may apply to output goals in terms of quality, quantity, cost, or time, or may be detailed product specifications. Occupational standards establish criteria for certifying members of a profession or occupation.

Statistics

Used for articles giving information in a primarily numerical form about a company, industry, or topic. Used where the focus is the frequency of the occurrence of the given event or action and for which other sub-topics are too specific or inappropriate.

Strikes

Used for discussions of strikes or other work stoppage actions taken by unions or organized groups of workers. Used only when the strike becomes a reality. Use the sub-topic Labor contracts while discussion of a contract continues.

Supply and demand

Used for discussions of products and resources when the focus is on the quantity available and willingness of consumers to buy or use them. Used also to indicate occupational shortages or surplus.

Tax policy

Used for discussions of a corporate body's, government's, or person's position regarding the appropriateness and level of taxation as a funding source to support various societal or government activities.

Taxation

Used for discussions of compulsory payment to a government. Under places, Use the sub-topic Tax policy.

Transportation

Used for discussion of issues involving the movement of people or products between locations. For a broader term, see the sub-topic Logistics.

Usage

Used for discussions of the way a product, process, service, or technique is being used.

Valuation

Used only for an assessment of the monetary worth of buildings, equipment, property, structures, or type of business. Used also for the process of determining what the property is worth.

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