Library Guides: MGMT 428: Websites

+In the research process: CURRENT INFORMATION

1. Explore topic basics (casual searching)

2. Background (books and reference sources)

3. Current research (library databases and web)

4. Support your argument (source citation)

5. Drafts & revisions (research librarians & learning commons)

Evaluating Website Content

"Is this a valid resource for my research needs?" Investigate all websites for accuracy, authority, currency, coverage, and objectivity.

Website Evaluation Quicksheet

Select Websites

This award recognizes three websites annually that are highly relevant to business reference. Complete list available from the BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award site.

Bankrate (.com)
"Provides free rate information to consumers on more than 300 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees." BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2009 recipient.
BigCharts (.com)
Stock charts, screeners, interactive charting and research tools from MarketWatch. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2010 recipient.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (.gov)
"The principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy." From the U.S. Department of Labor. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2011 recipient.
BusinessUSA (.gov) (NEWLY ADDED)
BusinessUSA, a centralized, one-stop platform to make it easier for businesses to access services to help them grow and hire. Uses technology to quickly connect businesses to the services and information relevant to them, regardless of where the information is located or which agency's website, call center, or office they go to for help. Federal agencies continue to add resources to BusinessUSA to encompass the full range of business programs and services
Census Business Builder (.gov) [NEWLY ADDED]
The Census Business Builder has two editions, the regional edition and the small business edition. Both provide customizable reports on regions and for counties, cities, zip codes and neighborhoods (tracts) giving demographic and socioeconomic data, etc.
Doing Business (.org)
"The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 189 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level." From The World Bank. BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites 2013 recipient.
Entrepreneur (.com)
Articles, videos, tools and services related to business topics. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2014 recipient.
Entrepreneurship (.org)
Resources for entrepreneurs from The Kauffman Foundation. BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites 2014 recipient.
Federal Reserve Economic Data - FRED - St. Louis Fed (.org)
"Download, graph, and track 240,000 US and international time series from 76 sources." BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites 2012 recipient.
globalEDGE (.edu)
A source for global business knowledge. Created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2012 recipient.
Intellectual Property Basics (.edu)
Bryce Pilz, a Law Professor at the University of Michigan delivers this series of short videos designed to guide entrepreneurs through the important concepts of intellectual property during their startup. The series of 3-5 minute videos cover over 60 topics, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. Recipient of the BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2015.
Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (.gov)
"Produces new, cost effective, public-use information combining federal, state and Census Bureau data on employers and employees under the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership." Part of the Center for Economic Studies at the U.S. Census Bureau. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2011 recipient.
National Association of Home Builders (.org)
"NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the policies that make housing a national priority." BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2011 recipient.
Occupational Outlook Handbook (.gov)
A guide to career information about hundreds of occupations from the U.S. Department of of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2013 recipient.
Patent Lens (.net)
A free public resource for patent system navigation worldwide. Recipient of the BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2015.
SCORE (.org)
Non-profit organization dedicated to helping small businesses through education and mentorship. Support from the U.S. Small Business Administration. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2014 recipient.
Small Business Administration (.gov)
The U.S. SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2009 recipient.
World Bank Data (.org)
"Free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe." BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites 2013 recipient.
UNdata (.org)
Search and download a variety of statistical resources of the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. BRASS Best of the Best Business Website Award 2010 recipient.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (.gov)
An agency of the Department of Commerce. Learn about and search for patents and trademarks. Recipient of the BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites Award 2015.

arXiv.org e-print archive
Open access to e-prints in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance and Statistics. Funded by Cornell University Library, the Simons Foundation and by the member institutions.
SOAR@SU
A digital archive that provides public online access to the work of the faculty, staff, and students of Salisbury University. It is SU's contribution to MD-SOAR (Maryland Shared Open Access Repository).

Government resources are generally authoritative and reliable sources of information.

A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies (usa.gov)
A directory of federal agencies from the official U.S. government website.
American FactFinder (census.gov)
American FactFinder provides access to data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The data in American FactFinder come from several censuses and surveys.
BusinessUSA (usa.gov)
Sections include: Start a Business; Access Financing; Explore Exporting; Grow Your Business; Find Opportunities; Learn About New Health Care Changes; Browse Resources for Veterans; Learn About Taxes and Credits; Help with Hiring Employees
FDsys (gpo.gov)
Find government publications from the Government Printing Office's Federal Digital System.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov)
Sections include: Starting & Managing; Loans & Grants; Contracting; Learning Center; Local Assistance; and, SBA Direct.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (uspto.gov)
Patents; Trademarks; Intellectual Property Law and Policy

Select local resource sites.

Salisbury, MD Area Chamber of Commerce (.com)
Offers business support and information about the area.
Wicomico County Quick Facts (census.gov)
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau (a great place to look for demographic information).
Choose Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development (.gov)
Offers a wealth of information on Maryland and business.
Maryland State Data Center (.us)
Coordinated by the Maryland Department of Planning and official partner with the U.S. Census Bureau.
Maryland Small Business Development Center (.org)
Provide advice, consulting and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. Part of a national SBDC network that helps over 500,000 U.S. businesses annually.

Social media sites for businesses or brands.

Facebook for Business
How to use Facebook for business marketing
Google + Brands
Sections include: The Basics; Creating Conversations; Getting Noticed; and Case Studies
Instagram for Business
Share your brand's unique point of view with Instagram
LinkedIn Small Business
Small business resources to help you get more out of LinkedIn
Twitter for Business
Grow your business with Twitter
Social Media Management Dashboard - HootSuite
Manage social networks, schedule messages, engage your audiences, and measure ROI right from the dashboard.
Yelp for Business Owners
Yelp provides a free suite of tools to showcase your business and connect you to the Yelp community.

Search for Internet Sources

Websites Worth Mentioning

Alexa Top Sites by Category
Alexa is a web ranking tool that allows you to browse top sites Globally, By Country or By Category.
Business Owner's Toolkit from BizFilings
Sections include: Start up; Running a business; Marketing; Office & HR; Finance; and, Tax Center.
Pew Research Center
Nonpartisan, non-advocacy public opinion polling and demographic research. Topics include: U.S. Politics; Media & News; Social Trends; Religion; Internet & Tech; Hispanics; and Global. The Internet & Tech tab brings you the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, which has the latest research and infographics on social media, mobile, and other technology user information.