The Fact Book is published and made available in the University Libraries. All of these components are part of strategic management. The HRIM 490 assignment requires students to collect individual bits of data, piece them together, and analyze the results in order to discern important patterns or trends. The assignment depends heavily on research because information will help the students identify potential threats and opportunities. Managers gather information in the real world in order to anticipate economic, social, political, legal, and technological changes.
Information is also critical in keeping tabs on the competition.
A good manager watches new product developments, shifts in market share, the performance of individual companies, and overall industry trends. Students use these pages as they prepare their course project that requires them to prepare a hazard assessment for a specific location. The faculty member and librarian have worked together to choose geographic areas for which the library would hold adequate material for students to complete the assignment. The librarian has also delivered bibliographic instruction sessions to the students and assisted them in finding material in the library and on the Internet. Once developed, the pages can be customized each semester to incorporate new course content.