Tag Archives: business

eBook Friday: The World According to Star Wars

The World According to Star Wars, by Cass R. Sunstein

There’s Santa Claus, Shakespeare, Mickey Mouse, the Bible, and then there’s Star Wars. Nothing quite compares to sitting down with a young child and hearing the sound of John Williams’s score as those beloved golden letters fill the screen. In this fun, erudite, and often moving book, Cass R. Sunstein explores the lessons of Star Wars as they relate to childhood, fathers, the Dark Side, rebellion, and redemption. As it turns out, Star Wars also has a lot to teach us about constitutional law, economics, and political uprisings.

In rich detail, Sunstein tells the story of the films’ wildly unanticipated success and explores why some things succeed while others fail. Ultimately, Sunstein argues, Star Wars is about freedom of choice and our never-ending ability to make the right decision when the chips are down. Written with buoyant prose and considerable heart, The World According to Star Wars shines a bright new light on the most beloved story of our time.

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Every Friday, we highlight a title from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com
.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

Resource of the Month: ReferenceUSA

referenceusa_alt_576pxhReferenceUSA is a valuable source of business and residential information for business and consumer research. You can find more than 24 million businesses, 262 million consumers, new U.S. businesses and new U.S. homeowners in ReferenceUSA’s databases, providing quick and easy access to quality information that can be used to answer a wide variety of business questions.

Small business owners/entrepreneurs use ReferenceUSA to:

  • select a location and do a radius search to look up the number of similar businesses in the area
  • check the strength of the competition with years in business and credit rating
  • look for businesses to buy or connect with fellow business owners

Job seekers can locate and research companies they may want to work for. The databases include:

  • 200,000 human resource contact names
  • business descriptions
  • website links to job postings

People who are moving can use ReferenceUSA to:

  • find schools, childcare, houses of worship, doctors and other services
  • research neighborhoods
  • look for housing
  • check home value and median income to see how they will compare to neighbors

Students use ReferenceUSA to:

  • find articles for research on businesses
  • perform complicated searches for papers and class projects
  • use data summaries to profile a neighborhood, city or state by type of business, size of business or household median income

To access ReferenceUSA, point your browser to www.nclive.org and click on the Business and Management subject heading. Scroll down the list of resources to find and click on ReferenceUSA. If you are outside of the library, you will be prompted to enter your library card number.

Resource of the Month: Business Link North Carolina

BusinessLinkGraphicAre you thinking about starting a new business, but are unsure how to begin?  Are you working on developing your existing business?  Do you need some tips on writing a business plan?  Are you curious about what financial resources are available to you?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Business Link North Carolina may be a great resource to check out.

Business Link North Carolina is a website sponsored by the state of North Carolina specifically to help new and potential business owners navigate the twists and turns of doing business in NC.  It has answers to many common questions, such as “How do I get a business license?”, “How do I get a tax number?”, “Who can help me with a business plan?”, and the all-important “What kinds of funding are available for my business?”  In addition to a comprehensive web-based body of information, Business Link North Carolina also offers NC residents free business counseling by phone M-F from 8:00 to 5:00.

Business Link North Carolina also offers quick links to business forms, licenses and permits, state-sponsored loan programs, resources for rural businesses, and more.  For those who already have a business but are looking to expand or maintain it, there are resources to help with marketing and sales, workforce development, minority resources, and more.

Whether you are just getting started with your business idea or you are looking for help to make your existing business stronger, Business Link North Carolina has something to offer!