Government Business Resources

 

"The business of America is business", stated President Calvin Coolidge in the 1920's.  The federal government today is still heavily involved in issues surrounding business.  Therefore, the sole focus and business of this web guide is to organize and make easily accessible major federal government web sites and documents related to business; large and small, laws and regulations, global and local, management and empolyees, women and minorities.

 

The Library also has an excellent general Business Research Guide created by the Business Reference Librarian, Michael Davis.

 

| Catalogs and Indexes | | Government Agencies | | Internet Sites | | Government Documents |

 

Catalogs and Indexes

 

Library Catalog

Keyword and/or Subject searches locate books on business topics in the Library's general collection, the Science Library, and Government Documents Collection.  

 

Marcive Web DOCS  (Marcive, Inc.)

Online catalog of all federal government documents cataloged by the Government Printing Office (GPO) from 1976 to the present. Available to all users from the Library's public terminals. Only available off campus to members of the University community through their OIT account.

 

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (GPO Access) 

1994 to present.  Complete listing of all government documents issued through the Government Printing Office. Monthly with annual cumulations.

 

Government Agencies

 

The following list represents major agencies and departments that deal with issues of business and economics.  A major part of their mission is to assist and support entrepreneurs, business enterprises, and consumers.  They also issue regulations, develop policy, create reports and statistics, and oversee of businesses and corporations to ensure fair and equitable business practices.

 

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

 

Department of Commerce

 

Economic Development Administration

 

Federal Trade Commission

 

International Trade Administration

 

Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

 

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)

 

Patent and Trademark Office

 

Securities and Exchange Commission

 

Small Business Administration

Internet Sites 

American Factfinder  (Bureau of the Census)
Contains quintennial Economic Census data for 1997 and 2002 by industry sector: agriculture, construction, transportation, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and retail trade.  Also includes annual surveys of business and manufactures, and foreign trade. Economic censuses before 1992 are in paper.   A treasure trove of business and economic statistics.

Browse Topics: Business (Government Printing Office and Oklahoma State University)
Links to multiple government agencies with responsibilities to the world of business. A few examples are the Small Business Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Commerce, and the Federal Trade Commission.  Locate services to businesses, reports, statistics, guides, public informaton, and a wealth of other information related to business promotion, regulation, and analysis.

Business and Economics  (American Library Association, Government Documents Round Table)
Comprehensive, thorough web site of references to business and economic government information that includes indexes and directories, agencies, publications, statistics, and international resources.

Business.gov  (Small Business Administration)
Provides a definitive, one-stop source to compliance assistance resources from all Federal regulatory agencies, as well as government services and information to help the nation's businesses with their operations.  Provides links to business information and services from across Federal, state and local governments.

Economic Indicators.gov  (Economics and Statistics Administration)
Provides timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau.

EDGAR: SEC Filings and Forms  (Securities and Exchange Commission)
Registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms filed electronically by all companies, foreign and domestic. Anyone can access and download this information for free.

Export.gov  (International Trade Administration)
Major web site for all aspects of exporting.  Created to assist businesses wanting to export products from the United States to foreign countries.

FRASER  (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and GPO)
Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research provides scanned images of historical economic statistical documents focusing on banking and economic data.

FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
Federal Reserve Economic Data is a database of over 3000 U.S. current economic time series.

Labor and Employment   (W.E.B. Du bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Research web guide resource for major government web sites and paper documents related labor and employment.

Market Research Library  (International Trade Administration)
Access to market research reports, country commercial guides and best market reports for information and statistics on exporting.

National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) (Department of Commerce)
Provides in depth reports on foreign countries that include market reports, commercial guides, industry analyses, and political, economic, and social reports.  Available to all users from the Library's public terminals. Only available off campus to members of the University community through their OIT account.

STAT-USA  (Department of Commerce)
Access to authoritative foreign and domestic business, trade, and economic information gathered from across the federal government.  Includes National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) and State of the Nation. Available to all users from the Library's public terminals. Only available off campus to members of the University community through their OIT account.

State of the Nation (Department of Commerce)
Provides in depth reports on United States financial and economic data, economic indicators, housing and construction, employment, manufacturing, statistics, and policy.  Available to all users from the Library's public terminals. Only available off campus to members of the University community through their OIT account.

USA.gov for Businesses and Nonprofits  (USA.gov)
Public service website for new and established businesses and nonprofits.  Offers assistance and information on all aspects of establishing and running a large or small business, how to do business with the government, how to get loans and grants, understanding rules and regulations, plus much more.

Government Documents

County Business Patterns  (Bureau of the Census) 1993-present
(UM/Gov. Docs. C3.204/  : )  1964-1997
State and county business statistics arranged by SIC/NAICS industry codes that include number of establishments, number of  employees by size of establishment, quarterly and annual payroll.

CPI Detailed Report (Bureau of Labor Statistics) 2000-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois HB235 U6 U54b) 1959-present
Continues "Consumer Price Index".  Measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. Monthly and annual percentage changes to the CPI equate to cost of living increases.

Economic Indicators (Joint Economic Committee) 1995-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois HC101 A186)  1948-present 
Provides economic information and statistics on prices, wages, production, business activity, purchasing power, credit, money and Federal finance.

Economic Report of the President  (Council of Economic Advisors) 1947-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois HC 106.5 A272) 1947-present
Annual overview of the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. Extensive statistics on business, the economy, money, labor, and industry.

FedBizOpps  (General Services Administration)
Single government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000.  Commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community. Replaces Commerce Business Daily.

Foreign Exchange Rates  (Federal Reserve Board)
Find what the U.S. dollar is worth in foreign countries.  Available in annual, monthly and daily formats.

Federal Reserve Bulletin  (Federal Reserve Board) 1996-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois HG 2401 A5 Per)  v.1 (1915)-v.89 (2003)
Includes topical research articles, legal developments, Report on the Condition of the U.S. Banking Industry, policy issues, and other general information.

Gross Domestic Product  (Bureau of Economic Analysis) 2003-preseent
National income and product accounts provide an aggregated view of the final uses of the Nation's output and the income derived from its production; two of its most widely known measures are gross domestic product (GDP) and gross domestic income (GDI).

Gross Domestic Product by State  (Bureau of Economic Analysis) 1963-present
State counterpart to the Gross Domestic Product.  Before Oct. 2006 it was titled Gross State Product.

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States  (International Trade Administration)
Comprises a hierarchical structure for describing all goods in trade for duty, quota, and statistical purposes.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)  (Bureau of the Census)
(UM/Ref  HF 1041.5 N67 2003)
Replaces the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.  Developed jointly by United States, Canada, and Mexico.

O*NET   (Department of Labor)
Serves as the nation's primary source of occupational information, providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. Replaces the "Dictionary of Occupational Titles".

PPI Detailed Report  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)  1994-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois HB235 U6 A45) 1990-present
Continues "Producer Price Index".  Measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output drawn from industry and commodity data.

Statistics of U.S. Businesses  (Bureau of the Census)
Data files created from 'County Business Patterns' include statistics on companies and establishments, employment, and payroll from 1988-2004.

Survey of Current Business  (Bureau of Economic Analysis)  1994-present
(UM/W.E.B. Du Bois  HC101 A13122 Per)  1921-present)
Presents the latest national, international, regional, and industry estimates; provides information about major revisions; discusses on-going innovations; and generally keep users up to date on relevant BEA issues and initiatives. Each monthly issue includes numerous tables and charts of various economic estimates.