Library:

Researching Topics In Business (General)

Reference Books
Databases
Web sites
Professional Organizations


Reference Books

Reference books are found in the Peirce College Library, and in some cases, in our e-book databases, netLibrary and Books 24x7. A reference book is a work, such as a dictionary or encyclopedia, containing useful facts or information. Because these books are consulted for brief information and not read all the way through, they do not leave the library. They are located in the reference section, that is, in the first couple rows of books in the Library. Here's some that might be helpful (though certainly not all!):

  • R 658 BUS Business: The ultimate resource
  • R 658 CRA Ultimate Book of Business Gurus: 110 thinkers who really made a difference
  • Books 24x7 Blackwell's Encyclopedic Dictionary of Business Ethics
  • Books 24x7 Encyclopedia of Leadership
  • Books 24x7 Oxford Handbook of Strategy
  • netLibrary Harvard Business Review on Managing People

You can search the e-book databases directly via the "databases" page to find more virtual titles, or search the Library's catalog to find physical books in our Library.


[Top]


Databases

(I need help accessing the databases)
The Library subscribes to--that is, pays for--a number of databases that contain articles, books and other information for you to use for your company and industry research. The most useful databases for this subject are:

  • Academic Universe (Lexis-Nexis): The Business section provides business news, industry news, company financials, company overviews, and more.
  • Business Source Premier (EbscoHost): Provides articles from respected scholarly and trade business publications, as well as some SWOT analyses. Remember that you must use Boolean operators when searching any EbscoHost database. If you need a quick tutorial in Boolean click "help" in EbscoHost.
  • Hoover's: Provides company and industry overviews, financials, competitor lists, product lists, and more.
  • S&P NetAdvantage: NetAdvantage brings together popular S&P publications, such as Stock Reports, Industry Surveys, Register, and Company Profiles.

[Top]


Web sites

(I need help choosing quality websites)
Because anyone can publish anything they want on the Web, you need to be cautious about which sites you choose to use. Here are sites we recommend for researching business:

  • Brint.com
    (www.brint.com)
    A Web portal whose mission is to fill "the gap between business and technology." It covers a wide range of topics--from intellectual property to process re-engineering to e-commerce. The site is busy and poorly designed, but if you are persistent, you will find great information.
  • Free Management Library
    (http://www.managementhelp.org/index.html)
    Linking to "basic and practical information about personal, professional and organizational development" for leaders and managers with limited resources.
  • Knowledge@Wharton
    (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/)
    Online newsletter from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania that provides "analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and Wharton faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports . . . "
  • Librarian's Index to the Internet: BUSINESS
    (http://lii.org/search/file/busfinjobs):
    Web sites on a wide variety of business topics, selected and cataloged by Librarians with subject expertise. A great source!

[Top]


Professional Organizations

Professional and trade associations are rich resources, often providing news relevant issues and legislation, data, trends, and more.


[Top]