Administrative Office Management

Introduction

Managing and administering a modern business office involves a variety of skills. Finding timely, relevant information for one's own use or for a supervisor can be one of the most challenging tasks. It is helpful to remember that information comes in a variety of different media.

This Web page is intended as a guide to:

• Finding books
  
• Finding magazine & journal articles
  
• Finding Web sites
  • Business Communications
    
  • Guides to Business Sites
    
  • Miscellaneous Resources
    
• Citing information in a paper

Even for assignments that don't involve extensive research, it's a good idea to start early. Most library work takes time.

Jot down where you get your information as you go–it will help you cite your sources later.

Above all, if you have difficulty, don't hesitate to ask for help!

Finding books & videos

The Library's online catalog lists books, videos, magazines, journals, and other items available at the SFCC or SCC. You can search by author, title, or subject. The keyword option is particularly useful if you aren't sure of a title or the exact Library of Congress subject heading.

Potentially useful headings include:

Management

Communication in organizations
Conflict Management
Employee discipline
Employee morale
Employee motivation
Employee rights
Labor laws and legislation
Organizational Change
Personnel Management

Problem solving
Creative ability in business

Important: These subject headings are not necessarily the ones you would use in an index such as ProQuest to find magazine or journal articles on the same subject.

If the book you want is only available at SCC's library, you can request it. Items requested from SCC can generally be delivered to the SFCC circulation desk overnight (except on Fridays, with delivery on Monday).

Reference sources

The reference section in any library is a smaller version of the whole collection. Reference items are usually distinguished by having an "R" or "REF" before the call number, and are not usually checked out. You can of course make photocopies. You can also browse similar call numbers in the circulating stacks to find similar sources which can be checked out.

The following are examples of business-oriented reference books:

Finding magazine & journal articles

Virtually all newspapers now offer online editions through the World Wide Web. In many cases, one can read all or part of several day's articles for free. Older articles are available for a fee. The SFCC Library subscribes to several printed newspapers, but paper copies are only kept for one to two weeks. Older articles can often be found through electronic services such as ProQuest (see below).

Journal of Business [Spokane]

Available online from 1991—present through ProQuest; recent print issues are available in the Library's reading room

Spokane Spokesman-Review

Available online from December, 1991—present through ProQuest; most recent two week's print issues are available in the Library's reading room

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com

The Web site requires registration, but one can register anonymously simply by making up the necessary information. The online version is best for current awareness and very recent articles; older articles can be purchased from the Times, or found online through ProQuest from 1995—present.

The Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com

The Library has a print subscription and keeps the most recent two week's issues in the reading room. The full text of Wall Street Journal articles is available through ProQuest from 1984–present. The online version of the paper is not free, but they do offer a free 14-day trial.

The Wall Street Journal Tour
http://tour.wsj.com/html/tour.html

The Journal prides itself on being predictable in its layout, even if that means being staid and gray. This interactive site, from the WSJ itself, allows you to examine the newspaper section by section or even column by column, so that once you're familiar with its format, you can find the information you're seeking quickly and easily. There is an older version called "How to Read the Wall Street Journal" at http://info.wsj.com/college/guidedtour/index.html but it does not appear to have been updated in some time.

Professional journals and magazines are also considered periodicals. The most recent two or three issues of the ones in the SFCC library are kept on the open shelves in the reading area at the northeast corner of the Library. Older issues are kept upstairs on the mezzanine level.

ProQuest
http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp

This is our best general purpose index for a broad range of articles from 1980-present; the full text of some articles is provided online. This index is available from any campus computer; students who have Internet access from home can use this index with a current student ID number.

Business and Company Research Center
http://www.spokanelibrary.org/research/electronicresources.asp#Business

This useful database is available online to cardholders of the Spokane Public Library. It includes company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodical articles. Search this database to find detailed company and industry news and information. Free public library cards are available to residents of Spokane City as well as Spokane County.

A basic search in ProQuest searches article titles, subject headings, and article descriptions for the key words you enter. You almost always get decent results as long as you don't enter too many key words. You can search more precisely, however, using standardized subject or name headings. For example, try entering any of the following, as shown:

• NAME(Gates Bill)    NAME(Bill Gates) also works
• SUB(monopolies)
• CO(Microsoft)
• GEO(United States)

• NAME(Gates Bill) and SUB(monopolies)

Finding Web Sites

The World Wide Web is increasingly useful for scholarly research, as long as you use it with caution.

Try to identify stable, reputable sources. Start with ones we have already selected for you (listed below). If you want to search the Web yourself, here is an excellent site which recommends various search tools for different purposes:

Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

General information on search strategies is available at

"Why Can't I Find Anything I Want on the Internet?"

http://GeorgeSuttle.com/teaching/websearching/

Finally, these sites have been selected for you to use as starting points:

Business Communications

Garbl's Grammar Guides Online
http://garbl.home.attbi.com/writing/grammar.htm

Claims to offer "everything you'll ever want to know about sentence structure and using the parts of speech correctly." This is one of a set of related, interlinked pages, all addressing topics of clear writing, punctuation, and communication in general.

Writing Handouts Listed by Topic
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html

The Online Writing Lab, or OWL, at Purdue University has dozens of handouts and guides available, both on matters of grammar, punctuation, and style, as well as on professional/business topics such as report writing, abtracting, resumes, cover letters, and so forth. A very useful resource.

Revision in Business Writing
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_revisebus.html

This sample guide from the Purdue University OWL is especially pertinent, and not just to business writing.

Guides to Business Sites

A Catalog of Business Web Sites (Yahoo)
http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/

Thousands of sites are included among Yahoo's well-organized and searchable categories.

Web 100 (Largest corporations on the Web)
http://www.metamoney.com/w100/

A good source for selected business information and statistics on large corporations; there is also a newswire for breaking stories.

Miscellaneous Resources

Developing Business Management Skills

Links to information on Accounting & Finance, Customer Service, Negotiating, Employee Relations, Business Ethics, International Etiquette, Time Management, Crisis and Change, Leadership, and more.

Employee Relations Advice for Business Managers

Links to articles and sites dealing with Career Development, Job Termination, Team Building, Corporate Culture, Motivation, Training Employees, Employee Retention, Performance Reviews, Exit Interviews, and more.

Citing information in a paper

Whatever sources you use must be cited and attributed. Electronic and Internet sources are particularly troublesome because they can change and disappear. MLA style, developed by the Modern Language Association, is one format which has been adapted and modernized to include online sources:

MLA-Style Guides to Internet Citation

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html

The Purdue Online Writing Center's guide to MLA format is highly recommended.

MLA-style Citations for ProQuest articles
http://library.spokanefalls.edu/proquestMLA.stm

Citing articles obtained though the ProQuest service requires a particularly long and detailed citation. This pages shows how to do it.

For authoritative information on MLA style, please consult MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., available at 808.027 GIBALDI 2003. There is also a copy at the Reference Desk.