Introduction
This guide is targeted at students who are conducting research for courses in entrepreneurship
or family business or who are interested in learning more about small business and new venture creation.
It includes print sources and Databases available in our Library as well as useful websites.
Finding Books
Search the James A. Gibson Library Catalogue by
Subject or by KeyWord to locate books. Relevant Library
of Congress Subject Headings include:
- Entrepreneurship
- Family Owned Business Enterprises
- Family Corporations
- Home Based Businesses
- New Business Enterprises
- Small Business
- Venture Capital
Bibliographies and Research Guides
- Business statistics on the web: find them at little or no cost
Call No: REF HF 1016 B47 2003
This is a guide to free and low cost sources of business statistics, including industry sources, market research, economic and financial statistics, and demographics.
- The Canadian B2B Research Sourcebook: Your Essential Guide.
Call No: REF HF 5548.32 W42 2001
This guide covers print and online sources of Canadian and International business information.
- International entrepreneurship and small business bibliography, 2nd ed..
Call No: REF HD 2341 W454 1997
A comprehensive bibliography of books and articles on international entrepreneurship, organized by
topic. There are also listings by country or region.
- Researching a small business 2000.
Call No: FL9 HD 62.7 R48 2000
A very thorough guide to conducting business research, targeted specifically at entrepreneurs,
that covers researching business ideas, marketing, industry and operations analysis. The appendix
includes a massive list of print and online sources.
- A review and annotated bibliography of family business studies.
Call No: REF HD 62.25 S52 1996
Includes detailed annotations of empirical and theoretical research on family business.
Guides to Starting a Business in Canada
- Building a dream: a Canadian guide to starting your own business.
Call No: FL9 HD 62.5 G66 2000
This book maps out eleven stages to starting a business from assessing your
potential and exploring new business ideas to conducting feasibility studies,
organizing your business, arranging financing and preparing a business plan.
- Business Start-up Assistant
(Canada Business Service Centres)
An interactive guide to all aspects of starting a business in Canada including business plans,
market research, financing, hiring employees, importing and exporting, and doing business on the Internet.
- The Complete Canadian Small Business Guide, 3rd Edition.
Call No: FL9 HD 62.7 G73 2000
A comprehensive resource book which covers all aspects of starting a small
business including business planning, tax and legal considerations, finances,
marketing, personnel, intellectual property and much more.
- Resource guide for business immigrants to Ontario.
Call No: REF HD 2341 R48 1998
A useful listing of resources including sources of business information, government
programs and services, sources of financing, human resources, licensing, intellectual
property etc. The 2000
edition is available online on the CGA Ontario site. (PDF Format)
- Starting
a Business (Royal Bank)
This guide includes information on starting, financing and managing a small
business. There is a business planning guide with three sample business plans.
Business Opportunities
- Entrepreneur's ultimate start-up directory.
Call No: REF HD 62.5 S742 2001
A directory of over 1300 business ideas, organized into categories such
as advertising, entertainment, home improvement etc. Each entry notes approximate
start-up costs and there is an appendix of resources including government
offices, magazines, books and web sites.
- The Franchise Annual: complete handbook and directory.
Call No: REF HF 5429 F67
Covers over 5000 American and Canadian franchise opportunities. Each entry
includes contact information, and details on franchise fees, royalties etc.
The handbook section includes guidelines on investigating the franchisor,
product or service and franchisees.
- Investigating entrepreneurial opportunities : a practical guide for
due diligence.
Call No: FL9 HD 1393.4 U6 G73 2000
This guide is targeted at potential business buyers and describes the due
diligence process which includes researching markets, products, facilities
and finances to determine whether or not to acquire a business.
- Technology
Commercialization Toolbox
A guide for inventors or business owners who want to turn their ideas into
marketable products. Topics convered including sourcing, marketing, licensing
and protecting. (PDF Format)
- Think big : nine ways to make millions from your ideas.
Call No: FL9 HF 5415.153 D45 2001
This source is most relevant for inventors interested in bringing their
product to market. It includes information on trade shows, TV and mail order
catalogs, Internet sales, joint ventures, private label marketing, licensing
and forming your own company.
Competitive Intelligence
Not just for the Fortune 500! Competitive intelligence is vital to
the success of small and medium enterprises from the business planning
stage forward. To find out why, check out these resources:
Here are several books that go into greater detail:
- An introduction to online competitive intelligence research : search strategies, research case study, research problems, and data source evaluations and reviews
Call No: FL9 HD 38.7 I56 2004
- Early warning : using competitive intelligence to anticipate market shifts, control risk, and create powerful strategies
Call No: FL9 HD 61 G533 2004
- Proven strategies in competitive intelligence: lessons from the trenches
Call No: FL9 HD 38.7 P765 2001
Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks and Copyright
Go to the Canadian
Intellectual Property Office(CIPO) on the Strategis website
to learn more about patents, trade-marks, copyright and industrial designs.
There are numerous guides, links to relevant legislation and links to the Canadian
Patent Database an Trademark Database and the Canadian Copyright Database. You
will also find links to other countries' patent databases from the CIPO website.
- A guide to copyrights. [also
available online (PDF format)]
Call No: DOC CA1 IT34 2000 G75
- A guide to industrial designs [also available online (PDF format)]
Call No: DOC CA1 IT34 G73 2002
- A guide to patents. [also available online (PDF format)]
Call No: DOC CA1 IT34 2000 G76
- A guide to trademarks.[also available online (PDF format)]
Call No: DOC CA1 IT34 2000 G78. [also available online]
- I thought of that!
A practical guide to patents, trademarks and copyright.
Call No: FL9 KE 2779 D55 1999
Incorporation and Other Legal Concerns
Feasibility Studies/Business Plans
Feasibility Studies:
Business Plans:
- Bplans.com
This company sells business planning software, but has sample business and
marketing plans on its web site.
- Business Plan Basics (United States Small Business Administration)
Provides advice on writing a business plan.
- Business planning: a comprehensive framework and process
Call No: FL9 HD 30.28 T776 2002
- The business planning guide : creating a plan for success in your own business
Call No: FL9 HD 30.28 B362 1995
- Business plans handbook: a compilation of actual business plans developed by small businesses throughout
North America.
Call No: REF HD 62.7 B865 v.1-10
Each volume includes 25 business plans. Consult the cumulative index
in Volume 10 to view a list of all the plans arranged by business
plan type.
- MOOT CORP Competition Sample Business Plans
Site includes 30 sample business plans prepared by MBA students and presented at recent MOOT CORP competitions.
Sources of Financing
- Canadian Business Financing Handbook
Call No: REF HG 4027.3 F57 v.1-3
A "how to" guide that covers many financing strategies including bank loan,
"going public", government loans and grants, partnerships etc.
- Sources
of Financing (Strategis)
A searchable directory of Canadian private and public sector financing providers.
- Your guide to preparing a plan to raise money for your own business.
Call No: FL9 HG 4027.6 W55 2000
- Your guide to raising venture capital for your own business in Canada.
Call No: FL9 HG 5152 W65 2000
Statistics
- FP Markets Canadian Demographics
Call No: REF HC 111 F5
A compilation of statistical data from Statistics Canada., Revenue Canada, Bureau of Broadcast Measurement and other sources published
by the Financial Post.
- GDSourcing:
A Directory of Statistics Canada and Free Canadian Statistics
A directory of governmental and non-governmental statistics on the Internet
for social science, economics and environmental research.
- Market Research Handbook
Call No: DOC CA1 DS63 224
Contains data from a variety of Statistics Canada publications on Canada's polulation, labour market, consumer expenditures, household characteristics, macroeconomic statistics, business and industry statistics.
- Statistics
Canada's Business Data
A gateway to business statistics and other publications.
Scholarly Journals
Conference Proceedings
- Proceedings of the Annual Conference / Administrative Sciences Association of Canada.
Call No: FL9 HF 5011 C25
Look for the proceedings of the Entrepreneurship Division (published annually).
- Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship at Babson
College
Call No: FL9 HB 615 C645
Brock has a current subscription and has some older volumes back to 1995.
Check the FER web site for tables of contents and some full text papers.
- Small Business Advancement National Center - Research Archive
Full text of conference proceedings from a variety of scholarly associations
(with archives back to 1985) that are relevant to entrepreneurship and small
business research
Databases and Periodical Indexes
There is no single database or index that focuses exclusively on entrepreneurship
and small business. The entrepreneurship literature is concentrated largely
in business databases, but may also be found in multidisciplinary journal collections.
Here are the databases that I find most useful:
See Also:
Prepared by: Linda Lowry,
Business Librarian
James A. Gibson Library, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Email: llowry@brocku.ca Tel: 905-688-5550
ext.4650
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