LibGuides: ENGL 151R: Report Writing (+ Business Plans): Websites

Business Web sites

Annual Reports.Com
Over 2,200 annual reports online. Includes most of the "Fortune 500" companies.
Better Business Bureau
This is the website where consumers can officially file a complaint against a business, as well as research what complaints were brought against specific companies.
Bplans
Tips on starting and marketing a business, sample business and marketing plans, starting costs and cash flow calculators.
Businessweek
Full-text articles form recent issues of Business Week. "Market Info" section allows you to look up data on individual stocks.
CNN Money
Everything you need to know about finances, stocks, and business news.
Currency Converter (sponsored by Oanda)
Exchange rates for over 160 currencies.
EDGAR Filings & Forms
An interface to the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) filings. It includes annual and quarterly reports from 1994 on. Data may be displayed in Excel charts.
How to Write a Business Plan
A 30-minute, interactive tutorial from the U.S. Small Business Administration, covering the steps to writing a business plan.
SIC Lookup
U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA site which allows you to look up SIC codes.
ThomasNet
An online directory of U.S. manufacturers and source suppliers.
U.S. Small Business Administration
Provides practical information on starting, financing and managing a small business.
Yahoo! Finance
This excellent resource for business students contains a wealth of financial information as well as facts for business and industry analysis projects. The home page contains a daily market summary, market indexes, currency rates, financial news, and links to educational tools.

Evaluating Websites

Remember, not everything found on the Internet is reliable. Anyone can put anything up on the Web. When you find information that you might consider using on a college paper or project, be sure to answer these questions to determine if the information is trustworthy:

1) AUTHORITY

Who published this website?
What are the author's credentials?
Does the author indicate his/her position or educational background?
Is the author a researcher in the field, a popular writer who has interest in the subject, or a total unknown who is stating his/her opinion on an issue about which he/she may not be knowledgeable?
Is there information about contacting the author? (E-mail address, phone number, etc.)
Is the author a respected corporation or government agency?
Does the author indicate the method of research used or provide any supportive evidence?
Check the "top level domain" in the URL (website address). Examples:
- .com=commercial
- .mil=military
- .edu=educational
- .net=network
- .gov=government
- .org=organization (non-profit)

2) ACCURACY

Has the site been edited, verified or peer-reviewed by others?
Is it well-written and free of errors?
Are correct grammar and spelling used?
Are the author's sources cited?
Are statistics or data current?

3) OBJECTIVITY

Does the author's affiliation or the sponsors of the website influence the opinions or views presented?
Is the information fact or opinion?
Is there a cultural or religious bias?
Are there advertisements?
Is the author trying to manipulate your thinking with this information?

4) CURRENCY

Is the information up-to-date?
When was the site produced?
How often is the site updated? Are the updates stated?
Do the links work?

5) COVERAGE

Are all aspects of the subject covered?
What level of detail is provided?
Is the information limited to certain time periods?
What types of materials are covered?
To what audience is the material aimed? (Scholars, general readers, children, etc.)