BUS 450 - Business Policy and Strategy (Prof. John Voyer)

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

Reference Librarian Zip Kellogg/e-mail zkellogg@usm.maine.edu /tel. 780-4272 would be glad to help you find information at any time.

As you have seen, Business Policy and Strategy is an information intensive course. It is very much like the real world of business strategy in that sense--if you have quality information, you'll have a competitive advantage. This guide is intended to help you locate up-to-date sources of information and to assure a methodical and more comprehensive approach to collecting that information. It will help you locate summaries and overviews, detailed analyses, current articles, and reliable, credible Internet sites. And, while speaking of the Net..if you're looking only on Google you are missing a lot of good info/data. Looking in the places listed below as well as the Net will assure better results.

The following topics are linked directly to URSUS, the University's online catalog of books, government reports, and related materials. While it may be tempting to go directly to articles, there are often excellent books, reports, case studies, etc. found here. Tip: it is possible to limit or organize those items you found by date, putting newest ones at the top of the list...

Reference books can provide you with a variety of useful information such as definitions of terms, overview articles, statistics at a glance, or other useful background information that helps you plot your course prior to delving into your topic in depth. The following have been chosen as likely to be useful to students of Prof. John Voyer's Bus 450 class.

Business: the Ultimate Resource
POR and LEW Reference HD 38.15 B878

The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior
POR Reference HD 58.7 B57

Cases in Corporate Acquisitions, Buyouts, Mergers, & Takeovers
POR Reference HD 2746.5 C374

The Dictionary of International Business Terms
POR Reference HD 62.4 S54

Encyclopedia of Global Industries
POR Reference HD 2324 E53

World Economic and Social Survey 2004: Trends and Policies in the World Economy
POR Reference HC 159 A169

World Economic Outlook
POR Reference HC 10 W7979

Encyclopedia of Business and Finance
POR Reference HF 1001 E467

Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on the Economy
POR Reference HC 106.82 C37

The following indexes and databases have been selected because we believe they are likely to contain excellent information for students in Dr. Voyer's Business Policy and Strategy class. If you have any trouble using them contact the liaison to the School of Business, Zip Kellogg (see e-mail address and phone number above).

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

Business Source Premier
This is a good general purpose business index, covering such topics as finance, money and banking, mergers and acquisitions, new technologies, international trade, and more. For many students and faculty alike it is the first place to search for articles in business and trade journals. Many of the cited items are in full text (the entire article shows on your computer screen).

Business and Company Resource Center
The BCRC is actually a collection of databases organized specifically for the business community.  One can search for information about a specific company, about an entire industry, or for current articles about any business topic.  After the initial search, it's easy to follow links to varied business information, such as company histories, rankings within the industry, business and trade associations related to the search, etc.

Regional Business News
A collection of news stories from several news wire services and current business and trade journals.  Up to the minute articles and briefs from around and nation and the world.

ProQuest Newspapers
For up to date newspaper articles on specific companies, industries, business trends, etc. Cover s the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Christian Science Monitor, etc.  This is a full-text database.

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
This Database includes online access to many of the Standard and Poor's research products and publications, including Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Mutual Fund Reports, Bond Reports, Corporation Records, and The Outlook

STAT-USA contains business, economic, social and other data produced by more than 50 federal agengies all gathered together under the “STAT-USA” umbrella. Includes the National Trade Data Bank and much much more. This is a passworded system for use in the library. See a reference librarian to get logged in.

It is important to learn how to identify those Web sites which are authoritative, reputable and objective.  It is important to keep a critical eye to the following:  Is it an official site? From where is the information drawn? What are the author's credentials? Has the page been updated recently? There's a lot of misleading and inaccurate information out there! For more information: Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library).

SEC Filings & Forms (EDGAR)
All companies, foreign and domestic, are required to file registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms electronically through EDGAR. Anyone can access and download this information for free. Here you'll find links to a complete list of filings available through EDGAR and instructions for searching the EDGAR database.

Internet Business Resources
Links to a variety of business related internet guides.

Statistical Abstract of the United States - This electronic version of the Statistical Abstract provides access to approximately 1500 statistical tables drawn from published and unpublished data from federal agencies plus some state and private sources. Click Contents and Index to find specific tables. Use the Table of Contents to select tables from a list of broad topics (e.g. Population or Transportation). Use the Index A-Z to identify more specific topics (e.g. pets or jogging). Updated annually.

@brint.com
A list of websites covering a broad range of business topics

biz/ed - Strategy Links
A collection of web links to many aspects of strategy.

Academy of Management
Website of the Business Policy and Strategy Division of this Academy.

Yahoo Business links a broad range of links to business info on the Net.

The Writing Center at the U. of Wisconsin has an excellent guide to writing term papers, improving your writing style, citing publications, plagiarism, and more. In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods.

Writing Handbooks

Chicago Manual of Style
POR Reference Z 253 U69 2003
Contains sections on grammar, punctuation, documentation, and, in general, the writing process.

A Writer's Reference, 5th Edition
POR Reference PE1408 .H2778 2003
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Styles

Citation Styles Online! A useful guide to citing sources, creating footnotes, creating bibliographies, etc.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism: What it is and How to Recognize and Avoid it (Indiana University)

Last update: 4.6.2005
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