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| Collin Moore | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10-30-2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business Periodicals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comparative Analysis | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finding online periodicals in the business field can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. There is an abundance of knowledge, but it falls into an enormous amount of categories. With a wide array of resources, it can be difficult for someone inexperienced in the field of business to find information right for them. Two examples could not illustrate this problem any better. While Business Week Online (BWO), and The SmallBusiness Journal (TSBJ) have remote similarities, their audience, topics, and overall styles of writing are very different. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Business Week Online is directed simply to anyone with interest in the world of business or finance. This website can be located at www.Businessweek.com. It offers extremely detailed and frequently updated information. Direct access to Business Week Magazine is also available, if you are a subscriber. Updated daily, Business Week Online breaks its main articles down in the, "Daily Briefing." This segment takes the top stories of the day from every area on the website, and gives the reader a brief overview of the content. Also, the website keeps up-to-the-minute stock and bond reports. The articles posted pertain to global business, investing, small business, business schools, technology, and business related careers. The writers seem to be going after a large group of readers, but the writing style is very impersonal and very technical. If you have little knowledge in this field, you may have trouble understanding the thick, technical jargon. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| One article at BWO, "Gillette's Five-O'Clock Shadow," focuses on the financial turnaround that the Gillette Company has experienced in the last year. This is attributed to the fact that it is a household brand, and their products tend not to lose market value even in a low economy. With products such as Mach 3 razors and Duracell batteries, Gillette believes they can keep their prices higher than the competition because they offer premium products. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Although the sales on razors has been the largest contributor to Gillette's recent success, heavy advertising and strong competition in the razor business has them down four percent from the last business quarter. With competition and higher than normal stock prices, David Kerans of the Argus Research believes that Gillette's stocks are, "priced more toward its potential than its current performance." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Small Business Journal offers in depth information specializing in the arena of small or self-run businesses. This periodical can be found on the Internet at www.TSBJ.com. Unlike some field specific journals, The Small Business Journal has a lighter, more personal feel. The writing styles vary in every article, but all possess the qualities of a community newsletter. Even the topics, such as, "Top Ten Ways to Handle Emails," attempt to express the material in an opinionated, editorial manner as opposed to more traditional styles. This site is easily approachable and uncluttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In the TSBJ article, "Top Ten Ways to Handle Emails," the reader is the beneficiary of organized methods to help sort through daily e-mails. While supplying this information, the author slips his everyday thoughts and experiences and how he handles his overwhelming amounts of e-mails. This article remarks on how to sort, create, and, send e-mails. This could come in handy to the small business owner or anyone else who has access to email. He recommends exploring your mail programs first. This allows you to find little tricks in the program that will make your processing much more efficient. After you have discovered how to use templates, you can cut down on time by mass producing return mail. The author also does not hesitate to delete anything that is expendable. Mainly, the author is describing a small organizational process aimed for the inexperienced business owner, which can save you time, and eventually money. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| While both The Small Business Journal and Business Week Online contain copious amounts of detail, Business Week Online is better suited for a college student looking for research material. It covers a broad band of topics, and supplies great technical depth. On the other hand, a person looking to start their own business or find good organizational ideas should try The Small Business Journal. With lighter prose, and a less deliberate tone to its writings, TSBJ would be most appealing to a layperson, or a student trying to get an idea about this career field. When reading the two, TSBJ seems more like a newsstand periodical, while Business Week Online is much more of field journal. When it comes to substance, Business Week Online's content and accessibility make it a far better resource. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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