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Business: Topics/Keywords

Business

Keywords to Try When Searching (Topic Ideas)

Place quotation marks around phrases of more than 1 word when searching. (EX: "market research"). This list includes topic/keyword ideas for beginning business research.

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  • advertising
  • bankruptcy
  • branding
  • business ethics
  • cloud computing
  • competition
  • competitive intelligence
  • consumer risk
  • consumerism
  • corporate culture
  • data mining
  • employment equity
  • forecasting
  • foreign exchange
  • funding for nonprofit organizations
  • harrassment
  • human resources
  • identity theft
  • international sales
  • internships
  • knowledge management
  • labor disputes
  • mandatory drug testing
  • marketing ethics
  • marketing on the World Wide Web
  • mentoring
  • national debt
  • outsourcing
  • paperless society
  • project management
  • public unions
  • recession
  • retirement planning
  • RFID identity theft
  • risk management
  • scams
  • sexual harassment
  • short-term financing
  • social security
  • the Starbucks Effect
  • strategic planning
  • taxation
  • team leadership
  • telecommuting
  • telemarketing
  • tourism
  • underage workers
  • unemployment
  • unions
  • whistle blowing
  • work ethic
  • workplace wellness
  • work/life ratio
  • workplace violence


NOTE: the search shown above is for example-sake only and may not reflect business topics.

 

Subject Headings to Try When Searching

When using an EBSCO database to search subject terms, change the "Select a Field" option to indicate "SU Subject Terms." Place quotation marks around your subject terms as indicated above.

Business:

  • business enterprises
  • business models
  • business planning

Management:

  • business process management
  • industrial management
  • innovation management
  • personnel management
  • risk management in business






 

 

Marketing:

  • branding (marketing)
  • brand image
  • business communication
  • marketing management
  • marketing research
  • marketing research and public opinion polling
  • marketing strategy
  • social media in business

Leadership:

  • business ethics
  • servant leadership
  • strategic planning


     


 

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NOTE: the search shown above is for example-sake only and may not reflect accounting and finance topics.

Finding and Narrowing a Topic

Find ideas in the syllabus, your text, class discussion, or Google News.

   Narrow down a broad topic by asking yourself
   the 5 W's: who? what? where? when? why?

   As you search the databases, looking at
   subject headings and abstracts can help you
                focus your topic.

Boolean Operators

Using Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT) with your keywords will help you narrow or expand your results.

The highlighted middle section represents the use of AND. Searching for poverty AND addiction will give you results with both words present. Therefore, your results are fewer.

Using OR between similar keywords will give you results that include both words. Therefore, your results are greater. A search for teenagers OR adolescents will retrieve either or both terms.

The NOT operator gives you results from only one of your words. Therefore, your results are fewer. Searching for addiction NOT alcohol will eliminate alcohol from the results.

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