Before You Begin
Internet experience varies greatly today. Some people are heavy users, others barely have their toe in the water, and still others either fear it or just have not tried it. Even if you are an experienced Internet user, you may not be familiar with online sources of business information. And even if you have found business information on the Web, it's often difficult to know whether the information is reliable and accurate. Below are some sources for high-quality business information on the Internet. These will be helpful to you as you complete these Internet Exercises, but they also are a great source of data for business research on any topic. Visit these sites and explore the types of information available there.

Hoovers' Online gives company and industry information, including stock price history, business description, list of competitors, and much more. Some of the information requires paying a fee, but most of it is free.

Yahoo! has an index of articles, organization home pages, and directories that can be very helpful.

Another online source is Businesswire, where articles about business are reported by the major news firms.

Some of the publishers of reputable print sources also provide information online. For example, Fortune magazine makes all of its "paper" content available online for free and provides a search function so you can easily find articles of interest. BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Fast Company all do the same. Fast Company's site has the helpful ability to show articles by topics, such as Leadership, Marketing, or Strategy. One exception is the Wall Street Journal, whose online content is restricted to subscribers only.

Governments provide lots of useful information online that is related to various aspects of management. If you are interested in corporate financial statements, which contain accounting data as well as notes from the corporate managers, you should see the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Web page. They provide a tool, called EDGAR, for searching for and accessing corporate financial filings. Every statement from every publicly-traded U.S. company is available there.

Corporate Web sites can provide useful information, but you should use caution. Corporations rarely report negative information on their site.

Finally, if all else fails, you can use a global search engine, such as Google. However, be cautious about the information you find. Anyone can post a Web site. Check out the source of the information and judge its reliability cautiously. Learning More: Starting and Running Your Own Business
When surveyed, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they either own their own business or have dreamed of being their own boss. If you are hungry for more information about starting your own business, get down to details with the Web site www.tannedfeet.com. Scroll through the checklist, reading relevant material. The U.S. Small Business Administration provides a gold mine of free information for small business owners and future entrepreneurs. Another interesting source is Inc. magazine's online site. Articles are arranged by topic and are searchable.

1. Does starting your own business entail more than you expected? Explain.
2. Are you more or less inclined to start your own business after this Web exercise? Explain.
3. What legal form will your new business take (sole proprietorship, partnership, C corporation, etc.)? Why? If you are already in business, do you have the right legal form? Explain.

Check It Out
Call up the home page of the Briefings Publishing Group and click on the navigation tab "Advice for Managers." Scan the short articles from the most recent issue of Managers' Edge and check out archive topics such as "Leadership," "Employee Motivation," and "Teamwork."

1. What was the most useful piece of management information you acquired?
2. How does what you read relate to topics in Chapter 1 of this text? Be specific.