BUS 485 - Managing and Growing the Entrepreneurial Venture (Prof. Aiello)

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

Librarian: Zip Kellogg, Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine-- tel. 780-4272
e-mail: zkellogg@usm.maine.edu I'll be glad to meet with you at any time to help you locate materials for this course.

In this class you'll have need for much information, so the library's materials can be very helpful to you as you collect that information. This short guide will make it easy to get materials on these topics and others that will help you:

• growth of small and medium sized businesses
• analyze benefits and costs associated with various actions
• identify opportunities and locate financial resources
• understand management strategies

The following are among the many reference books that can be found in the library:

Encyclopedia of Associations
Portland Ref HS 17 G335
A comprehensive listing of associations of all kinds.

Encyclopedia of Global Industries
POR Reference HD 2324 E53

Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
Portland Ref HF 5681 R25 T68

Dun & Bradstreet Business Rankings: Public and Private Businesses Ranked within Industry Category and State
Portland Ref HG 4057 A237

Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
Portland Ref HG 4057 A557

Small Business Sourcebook
Portland Ref HD 2346 U5 S66
For any type of business gives start up information, reference works, trade periodicals used in that industry, professional associations, sources of supply, trade shows and conventions, and more.

There are several databases which will help you find up-to-date articles and business information on practically any topic, whether about a company, business opportunity, strategic planning, growth strategies, economic features within an industry, etc. Once you link to the database you type in your topic and, "voila!" you have current article/information at your fingertips. For more information on actually finding the articles try Finding Articles. Nearly all of these systems/databases can be accessed from wherever you have access to the Internet by providing your last name and bar code (it begins with 25022...) when prompted.

The following databases have been selected specifically because they are likely to be useful for students in the Managing and Growing the Entrepreneurial Venture course:

Business Source Premiere-- a business person's dreamland! Here you have access to hundreds of business journals and literally thousands of articles. If you're a business major or taking any business course and not using this-- you're missing the boat.

Business and Company Resource Center-- Comprehensive source of information for conducting company, industry and market research. Provides access to the contents of over 4,000 business and economics periodicals (over 3,000 with full-text coverage). Also includes the contents of key reference works such as Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies, Business Rankings Annual, International Directory of Company Histories, Market Share Reporter and Encyclopedia of Associations.

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. This is an excellent source for both company and industry information and is up to the minute. Superb for the business major.

Value Line Research Center - The Value Line Research Center includes on-line access to Value Line's leading publications covering stocks, mutual funds, options and convertible securities as well as special situation stocks.

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.

While books (as opposed to articles) may be less useful for many of the purposes of this class, don't discount them entirely. The following are hot links to URSUS, the Library's book catalog.

If any item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad). The library staff will help you with any of these.

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).

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.

U.S. Census Bureau-- the Census make a massive amount of information available on the web. Connect to it and spend a while learning the site. It contains a gold mine of statistical information for the business person.

Starting a Business in Maine-- much basic information for the person needing answers to questions about operating a business in Maine

The U.S. Small Business Administration provides a wealth of information to the entrepreneur on starting, financing, and managing your business.

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

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

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: 3.24.2005
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