Newsletter No. 96
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Free Pint
"Helping 41,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 20th September 2001 No.96
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Amanda Selvaratnam
FREE PINT BAR & STUDENT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
JOBS
Head of Investment Information | Information Officer
Research Associate | Business Analyst Assistant
Senior Researcher
FREE PINT REGULARS
TIPS ARTICLE
"Wales: Business, Economic and Government Sources"
By Sue Mace
BOOKSHELF
"Using the Internet as a Reference Tool"
Written by Michael Sauers
Reviewed by Emma J. Thompson
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Women In Business"
By Ailsa Bates
FACT, EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/200901.htm>
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Tracking Government Publications at the British Library, 30 October
2001. Being able to find and use official information is a vital skill
for anyone working in social policy, business or commerce who needs to
be aware of policy developments, legislative changes and their likely
impact. This one-day course has been especially developed to introduce
information professionals and end users to the complex and rapidly
changing world of UK official information. Further details tel: 020
7412 7978 or visit http://www.bl.uk/services/stb/courses.html
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>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<<
Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members
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Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
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EDITORIAL
We have been horrified by the terrible events of the last few days in
New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.
We all seem to know someone who has been affected in some way and
since a third of Free Pint's membership is in North America, we just
pray that everyone is safe. I can't believe that a group of us were
dining on the top floor of the World Trade Center only a few months
back.
I have been staggered at just how interconnected the world has become
and the reaction globally. It has been very heartening to see so much
generosity in so many ways, ranging from significant donations on the
Amazon homepage to offers of accommodation on the discussion lists.
I do not pretend to understand the politics behind the situation, but
needless to say that our thoughts and sympathies are with all those
who are suffering.
Although our membership is very international, we receive good
feedback when we run articles highlighting regional resources which
can be quite difficult to find. Today we look at business Web sites
for Wales, and have a feature about women in business from a
contributor at an online community for Scottish businesswomen.
Do also page through this issue as we've interspersed the articles
with an interesting book review, reader's favourite sites, and the
numerous topics at the Bar.
Free Pint Jobs has just welcomed RecruitMedia, who specialise in
placing candidates in business information related vacancies. View
their jobs along with 250 others at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs/>.
We have also made a full version of the Regular-only "Pub Crawl"
available online at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b12609>.
If you find Free Pint useful then please forward this issue to your
colleagues. Do also make a note to visit the Web site where there are
significant free resources, including the newsletter archive of over
190 free in-depth research articles <http://www.freepint.com/>.
Best regards
William
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 455435
Free Pint is a registered trademark of Free Pint Limited (c) 1997-2001
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Amanda Selvaratnam
* In my opinion the best search engine around at the moment is
<http://www.google.com/> and I use it everyday to get a basic
introduction to any new project area.
* For free customised email news alerts I use
<http://www.individual.com/>. Over 50 different news topics are
available for selection.
* For more Biotech related news stories emailed free to my desk top
I use Genepool provided by biospace.com at
<http://www.biospace.com/genepool/index.cfm/>.
* Just moved or thinking about moving try
<http://www.upmystreet.co.uk/> for local services and property
prices and information on nearby schools, etc.
* Finally for fun I have found <http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/>
a site that links you to old pupils at your primary and secondary
school great for renewing those old friendships.
Amanda Selvaratnam is a business analyst working in the University of
York's biology department <http://www.york.ac.uk/> and independently
under the name infosource search services
<http://www.infosearch.uk.net/>.
Tell us about your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm> and email <simon@freepint.com>.
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The end of a day. A good day. A fantastic day.
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FREE PINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/200901.htm#bar>
Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
-------------------------------------------
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XXXXX in the address http://www.freepint.com/go/bXXXXX ]
In the past week, we have received a number of messages of condolence
intended for the people affected by the recent violent events that
have occurred in the US (12734, 12813). While we all sincerely share
these sentiments, we would like to draw people's attention to the US
Embassy's online condolence book: <http://www.usembassy.org.uk/>
You'll find other relevant resources, news and useful information on
the following sites. Some resources may be a bit slow due to current
high demand, so do be patient:
<http://resourceshelf.blogspot.com/>
<http://www.researchbuzz.com/911.html>
Business researchers have been looking into sources of grants (12643,
12601), international accounting standards (12832), sites where
employees can air their comments (12829), brands (12800, 12803),
mobile phone distributors (12655), local authority tenders (12561),
companies with a turnover of over five million (12692) and an
education in statistics (12658, 12722).
We still get the odd Latin translation query (12708) and the odd poser
about song lyrics and their provenance (12733, 12795). So as an
acknowledgment of the eclecticism and erudition of Free Pinters, I
recently reviewed a wonderful language resource (12835) and a glossary
gateway (12711), which should make some people very happy.
Another bunch of Free Pinters have been researching Internet telephony
(12556), the use of coin operated Internet kiosks for private use
(12607), the data merge and purge industry (12611), European working
hours legislation (12615), photographs of metallurgical faults
(12630), the Russian drinks industry (12753), refrigeration in
pharmacies (12824) and business contact sites (12654).
There have been numerous useful resources recommended in the Bar
recently. They have included subjects such as power point
presentations (12571), insurance (12579), room renting contracts
(12634), trade unions (12709), rules for toys and games (12725), bank
sort codes (12555) and dialects (12726). We've also received a few
suggestions about good Knowledge Management speakers (12729, 12730).
Technical queries have been raised about computer aided design systems
(12557), JavaServer Pages and Oracle developers (12578), optimizing
phone lines (12613, 12664), converting PDF files for editing (12614)
and working from home using Sage (12703).
We have also heard murmurings about computer security (12677), suspect
emails (12716), Optima (12731), extracting PDF files that are
compressed in LZW format (12762), IT training (12724), examples of
good practice in UK local authority Web sites (12768) and auto
responders (12771).
Miscellaneously, people have been trying to price proofreading jobs
(12818), verify university qualifications (12769), set up a resource
for lost pets (12744), find some careers advice (12728) and locate
materials for team building exercises (12743). A posting about
alternatives to Napster resulted in one possible helpful reply
(12840), but do remember, the use of freeware can have unwanted
consequences. One of the applications mentioned, KaZaA, sometimes
carries a virus.
In the near future, it is to be hoped that steps will be taken to
ensure that violent acts become less frequent. Our thoughts are with
those who have been victims of violence in the past.
Free Pint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>
-------------------------------------------------------
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XXXX in the address <http://www.freepint.com/go/sXXXX>]
It's nearly term time again but it's still quiet in the Student Bar.
There was a query about cheap cataloguing software (1796) and a couple
about training and support for those looking to make a career change
(1797, 1815).
Simon Collery, Content Developer <simon@freepint.com>
If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters
then do post a message at the Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar> or
the Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.
To have the latest Bar postings sent to you every other day, log in to
your account online or send a blank email to <digest@freepint.com>.
For the Student Bar Digest contact <studentdigest@freepint.com>.
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Free Pint's UK company research gateway contains details of
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Searching and basic information is free. Detailed information
is available pay-per-view, without setup or monthly fees.
Why not try a search today: <http://www.freepint.com/icc/>
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FREE PINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
In association with Sue Hill Recruitment,
Glen Recruitment, TFPL, City Professionals, Recruit Media
Free Pint Jobs has details of over 240 information-related vacancies.
The search form now only lists those countries and regions where
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Head of Investment Information <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1334>
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Information Officer <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1081>
Investment Bank require experienced Business Information researcher
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FREE PINT REGULARS
<http://www.freepint.com/regular>
[Note: This section is primarily aimed at Regulars, paid members of
the Free Pint community. Regulars receive the weekly "Pub Crawl"
current awareness newsletter, discounts and publicity. Full details of
membership benefits and costs are at <http://www.freepint.com/regular>]
I know a number of Free Pinters are evaluating the benefits of Regular
membership and there is a lot of interest in the Pub Crawl. However,
it might not be entirely clear what is in there.
The Pub Crawl is a weekly email newsletter which highlights unmissable
articles in a wide range of information and Internet-related
publications which you can access free and in full text. It gives
you the latest on searching, Internet tools, Web strategy, conference
reviews, hot topics in the information world, and so on.
Here is an extract from Simon's Editorial of 7th September:
"The week before last I looked at an article by Danny Sullivan on
Toptext, one of those pieces of software that interferes with your
browsing for its own purposes. Here's a site that tells you if you
have this software. Toptext is often bundled with other pieces of
software, especially freebies. ScumWare.com will tell you how to get
rid of the culprit, should you wish to do so.
<http://www.scumware.com/>"
The Editorial is followed by a list of article reviews and summaries,
and the following is an example, also from the 7th September:
"PCWorld.com
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,59983,00.asp>
If you use regional search tools, don't use Altavista's for the next
month or so. They haven't updated any of their regional indexes
since April and are 'consolidating' them at present. It'll be
another two to four weeks before you can use them again. It took
them a long time to make this information public. I'd advise against
using regional search tools in most cases anyway, not just
Altavista's. They don't work very well."
If you would like to see a whole edition of the Pub Crawl then take a
look at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b12609>.
To receive the Pub Crawl every week, sign up as a Regular for only
60 pounds per year (about US$85, AUS$169 or 97 Euros).
William Hann, Managing Editor <william@freepint.com>
[If you are not currently a Free Pint Regular and are interested in
finding out more and singing up then please visit the Regulars
homepage at <http://www.freepint.com/regular>]
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>>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T GOT A RESEARCH TEAM? <<<
Neither do most business people actually.
That's why the Free Pint Bar is an invaluable
destination for your tricky research questions.
You'll be amazed at the amount of help you'll receive:
<http://www.freepint.com/bar/>
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/200901.htm#tips>
"Wales: Business, Economic and Government Sources"
By Sue Mace
Wales is a part of the United Kingdom, but it is a country with a rich
history, language and culture of its own. This rich cultural heritage
merits a separate article, so here we are concentrating only on a
selection of official and business sources. Since 1999 Wales has had a
devolved National Assembly with a range of powers, and in many other
areas of life there are organisations distinct from their UK
counterparts.
However, when researching Wales it is inevitable that you will also
use resources that are UK-based as well. If you are looking for street
plans, phone numbers, postcodes, yellow pages and the like, then the
well-established UK databases are still the place to start.
Portals
-------
As ever, it would seem that Google and Yahoo are good general starting
points. It would be nice to recommend lots of local search engines but
unfortunately they seem to come and go too quickly, often with not
enough content to make their use worthwhile. One that might be worth a
try is <http://www.cilmeri.com/>.
Using the database provided by the Open Directory, Google has an
extensive set of almost 5000 links at
<http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Wales/>
Did you know you can now Google in Welsh?!
<http://www.google.com/intl/cy/>.
Yahoo has a similar number of links at
<http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/United_Kingdom/Wales/>.
Next year, look out for the new Wales on the Web portal funded by the
British Library and about to start development at the National Library
of Wales. This aims to be a first point of entry for all levels of
enquiry on Welsh topics. The National Library of Wales can be found at
<http://www.llgc.org.uk/> and Welsh Library and Information Services
are best accessed from <http://www.dils.aber.ac.uk/holi/>. This site
includes a comprehensive directory of libraries and information
services in Wales and an excellent current awareness bulletin mailed
out by the Welsh Library Association each week.
An extensive gateway for health organisations in Wales can be found at
<http://www.wales.nhs.uk/>.
Wales - The Country
-------------------
To find out more about Wales try <http://britannia.com/celtic/wales/>.
For the visitor, the best port of call is the Wales Tourist Board site
<http://www.tourism.wales.gov.uk/>.
Data Wales is not the comprehensive statistical site you might expect,
but worth a look for its eclectic mix of articles, maps and data at
<http://www.data-wales.co.uk/>.
An excellent range of statistics for Wales is published on the
National Assembly site and many can be downloaded
<http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/index.htm>.
Wales - The Language
--------------------
Such a key part of living and working in Wales, that I have included
some links. Many of the websites listed in this article will have
versions in both Welsh and English. You will find some useful
resources on the Welsh Language Board website
<http://www.bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.uk/> and an online dictionary at
<http://www.cs.brown.edu/fun/welsh/LexiconForms.html>.
News
----
For Welsh news, the BBC Wales site is a good starting point
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/default.stm> with the Welsh
language version <http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/>.
News Wales is maintaining good coverage at
<http://www.newswales.co.uk/> and also offers a weekly briefing e-mail
service. You might also try <http://www.htvwales.com/> and
<http://www.s4c.co.uk/> the Welsh language channel.
Two of the main daily newspapers in Wales are part of icNetwork and
both have extensive websites: the Western Mail at
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/> and the Daily Post at
<http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/>. Both are worth delving into
for their business coverage as well as news and events. For South West
Wales newspapers try <http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/> and for
North Wales newspapers <http://www.nwnews.co.uk/>.
You will find a gateway to newspapers in Wales at
<http://www.abyznewslinks.com/ukingwa.htm> and more links to local
papers at <http://www.zen.co.uk/wrx/wales.htm>. Many of the newspaper
sites include lists of events, or you can register for the What's On
Wales e-mail newsletter <http://www.thisweek.co.uk/>.
Government
----------
The National Assembly for Wales is now an excellent starting point for
all government information, with a comprehensive website
<http://www.wales.gov.uk/>. It has many useful features including a
subject section which links together press releases, assembly
committee business and policy documents for particular areas such as
Finance or Transport.
Wales remains part of the UK and the Secretary of State for Wales and
Members of Parliament from Welsh constituencies continue to have seats
in Westminster. Laws passed by Parliament in Westminster still apply
to Wales. There is a limited amount of information on the Wales Office
site <http://www.ossw.wales.gov.uk/> and you will find reports and
press notices from the Welsh Affairs Select Committee
<http://www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/welhome.htm>.
HMSO have the full text of all Statutory Instruments made by the
National Assembly <http://www.wales-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/>. Links
are also provided to the full text of all UK Acts of Parliament and
Statutory Instruments which apply exclusively or primarily to Wales.
The Wales Yearbook 2001 is a good reference book of factual
information for contemporary public life in Wales. Details are
available from the website <http://www.walesyearbook.co.uk/> but there
is very little factual information online.
The Institute of Welsh Affairs <http://www.iwa.org.uk/> is an
independent think tank on Welsh public policy issues, with a number of
publications available from its website.
Delia Venables has a page of specifically Welsh Legal Resources
<http://www.venables.co.uk/wales.htm>.
The Welsh Local Government Association has a set of links to all the
local authorities in Wales as well as general local government bodies,
other Welsh organisations, national bodies, political parties and
general Welsh links - an excellent collection at
<http://www.wlga.gov.uk/>. Many of the local authority sites are now a
good starting point for information about their own area, and often
have lists of businesses and business premises.
Business And Economy
--------------------
Recent decades have seen fundamental changes in the basis of the Welsh
economy. Coal mining and traditional heavy industries like iron and
steel, which were the backbone of the economy from the 19th century,
have declined. In contrast, the service sector, notably tourism and
financial services, has expanded hugely, and there has been an influx
of new, generally light, industries, such as electronics, which have
diversified the manufacturing base.
You will find a fairly up-to-date Financial Times survey at
<http://surveys.ft.com/wales2001/> and useful information in the Plan
for Wales <http://www.planforwales.wales.gov.uk/> and the developing
National Economic Development Strategy
<http://www.wales.gov.uk/themesbudgetandstrategic/content/neds/index.html>.
Key economic statistics are also published on the National
Assembly site - a good starting point is
<http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwalesheadline/
content/economy/2001/headline-economy.htm>.
The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) is the leading business support
agency in Wales and its website <http://www.wda.co.uk/> provides links
to various initiatives. This includes its database of commercial
properties and sites in Wales <http://www.propertywales.com/>. Another
useful page if you are researching Wales is the site map of the WDA's
Invest in Wales website
<http://www.invest-in-wales.com/i_i_w/siteindx/xmap.htm>.
As one of the poorer regions of the European Union, Wales is receiving
financial help from EU Structural Funds which provide grant aid for
projects that encourage and facilitate economic regeneration. The
website of the Welsh European Funding Office is a mine of information
<http://www.wefo.wales.gov.uk/> Finance Wales is another useful site
which brings together many of the programmes of financial support at
<http://www.financewales.co.uk/>.
The business support structure in Wales is to be shaken up after a
recent review commissioned by the National Assembly's Economic
Development Committee. The current structure was criticised for
duplicating services, having unhelpful competition and creating
confusion among Welsh businesses. In response to the review, from 1
April 2002, the WDA will be responsible for the management of all
public sector business support services, including Business Connect,
the Welsh equivalent of Business Links.
This will almost certainly lead to a rationalisation of information
provision via the Web and there is currently a lot of work going on to
clarify exactly what information needs to be provided by both the WDA
and Business Connect. The current Business Connect site can be found
at <http://www.businessconnect.org.uk/>.
The National Assembly also has a website for business with a good
range of news and policy issues at
<http://www.businessonline.wales.gov.uk/scripts/index.asp>.
Other business support organisations with useful websites include CBI
Wales
<http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/Regions.nsf/802737aed3e3420580256706005390ae/
7ea084291ad48bf5802567310064a6d0?OpenDocument>,
Cultural Enterprise at <http://www.cultural-enterprise.com/> and
Chambers of Commerce such as Cardiff
<http://www.cardiffchamber.co.uk/> and West Wales
<http://www.westwaleschamber.co.uk/>.
Knowing that there is a lot of good business information out there in
Wales, perhaps this is the time to put in a plug for the new Business
Information Gateway we are developing at the University of Wales
Swansea <http://www.bigwales.com>.
There are a number of good business directories covering Wales, the
foremost of which is Wales Web <http://www.walesweb.co.uk/> - part of
the County Web series. This not only allows you to do a business
search, but will enable you to list the top 1000 companies in Wales.
Fairly extensive business directories have been produced by two of the
main newspaper publishing groups
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/1600business/> and
<http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/page.asp?t=businessdirectory/
index&area=thedirectory&s=businessdirectory&opensect-=>.
The Western Mail site also lists the top 300 companies in Wales at
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0600top300/> and
maintains a listing of new companies at
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0400biw/>.
After that, you are looking at much smaller directories, some
regional, some themed. Numbered among the survivors are the Wales
Index <http://www.walesindex.co.uk/> the South Wales Business
Directory <http://www.southwales-businessdirectory.co.uk/> and
Contract Shop .
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Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/reftool.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856044327/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1555704174/freepint00>
* "Using the Internet as a Reference Tool" ISBN 1856044327 (UK),
1555704174 (US) published by Neal Schuman Publishing (US) and
Library Association Publishing (UK) and written by Michael Sauers.
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet searching books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/searching.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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>>> HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR INFORMATION COURSE <<<
What better way to get help with your information-related course
than from people who've already "been there, done that"?
The Free Pint Student Bar is THE PLACE for you to get advice.
Contact experienced Free Pinters around the world who are more
than happy to share their experience with you. But you have to ask:
<http://www.freepint.com/student/>
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/200901.htm#feature>
"Women In Business"
By Ailsa Bates
In the enlightened information age, focusing on women in business and
the resources available to them could be placing an unnecessary
emphasis on the gap between the genders. The correct term for female
specific resources is "gender positive", and research has shown that
there are significant differences in the way women and men approach
their careers, self-employment and running a business. Female
entrepreneurs require a different kind of service and a different kind
of support, which simply isn't accessible through traditional
channels.
The new proliferation of female-targeted business support services has
been fuelled by the rising number of self-employed females. In the UK,
self-employed women increased by 86 percent between 1991 and 1997
compared to an increase in the number of self-employed males of 38
percent over the same period. Although impressive, this growth rate
has not generated enough female owned businesses to outrank male owned
businesses, with female self-employment still in an overall minority
of around 35 percent.
Women entrepreneurs represent one of the fastest growing segments in
the UK economy. This is despite difficulties accessing capital,
according to IBM sponsored research (published Feb 2001 by Strathclyde
University in collaboration with the National Foundation for Women
Business Owners). This research shows that many female owned
businesses are maturing with more than 58 percent of those surveyed
running businesses trading for more than 10 years and their businesses
are growing, with only 20 percent now running businesses with zero
employees in comparison to 28 percent in 1998.
A number of reports completed by management consultants in the US over
the last year have produced a surprising parity of results about
female managers. They found that overall, women scored higher across
the board in analysis of management skills. While men did score higher
in certain areas, women consistently gained higher overall scores
suggesting that women make capable managers, equal, if not superior,
to their male counterparts.
All this adds up to the fact that female entrepreneurs are a valuable
and underused economic resource. With only 35 percent of UK businesses
currently female owned, there is a large untapped pool of
entrepreneurial potential out there. New small businesses are one of
the most effective ways to generate employment growth. And it is this
concept that has fuelled government agencies to provide women specific
programmes aimed at increasing the number of female owned new start up
businesses.
In the summer of 1999 Scottish Enterprise undertook a study of women's
enterprise in Scotland to improve understanding of the issues faced by
women in business. The results of this survey, which consisted of in
depth interviews with female entrepreneurs running small to large
businesses, tie in with the findings of other studies and also
provided some interesting pointers towards the factors holding women
back from acting on their enterprising ideas:
* Natural cautiousness
Women tend to exercise greater restraint in the amount of finance
they need to get a venture off the ground and will often start
comparable businesses on a lower budget than male counterparts.
* Access to finance
Women generally have fewer financial resources. They tend to own
less, inherit less and overall, still earn less. Banks can view
women owned business plans with more scepticism and start up grants
can therefore be much more important to female entrepreneurs.
According to 'Women in Business: Perspectives on Women
Entrepreneurs' - Allen & Truman (1993), getting finance proves
particularly difficult for women. This is predominantly due to the
stereotyped views of lenders who emphasise women's childbearing and
rearing responsibilities in construing them as a high risk.
* Financial management
Women are wary of accumulating debt to fund new ventures and
business growth. A survey by NatWest bank found that women
entrepreneurs are also less driven than men by the desire to make a
lot of money. Instead they are more motivated by the sense of
personal satisfaction in providing a service.
* Personal skills shortage
Problems in acquiring skilled labour and a lack of marketing, sales
and management knowledge were among the most popular examples cited
as issues that blocked business development and growth among
businesswomen.
* Discrimination
Some women perceive they are discriminated against in the business
development process although this issue needs to be placed in the
wider context of cultural and societal barriers to entrepreneurship.
Scottish Enterprise have been acting on the findings of their research
for the last year and the <http://www.scottishbusinesswomen.com>
website is just one of the major initiatives developed to respond to
the needs of Scotland's female entrepreneurs.
Avon, the cosmetics giant, conducted a Worldwide Women In Business
survey in the year 2000 and their results show women owned businesses
on the increase across the globe. The survey also asked questions
about factors that women felt most influenced their ability to start a
business. Overall women agreed that the support of a spouse or
domestic partner, more self-confidence and a large network of personal
contacts were the top three factors influencing their ability to start
their own business.
These findings highlight with most clarity the reasons why resources
aimed directly at female entrepreneurs are now flooding the Internet.
Self-confidence and networking are ideal problem areas for websites to
tackle. Advice pages, case studies, motivational articles, encouraging
tips and 'how to's, discussion forums, message boards, links to
services, support agencies and mentoring programmes are just some of
the ways that female targeted business sites are trying to remove the
barriers facing businesswomen.
With research released in August 2000 by MediaMetrix and Jupiter
Communications showing that women use the web more often than their
male counterparts, there's every reason to suspect that the Internet
is a prime source of information for women thinking about, or already
running, their own businesses. In the 12 months preceding the US
study, the number of web users increased by 22.4 percent, while the
proportion of female surfers grew by 34.9 percent. Internet use by
teenage girls grew particularly quickly, with Internet access rates
for girls between the ages of 12 and 17 jumping 125 percent.
Sites like <http://www.femail.co.uk>, <http://www.worldwoman.net>,
<http://www.handbag.com> and <http://www.women.com> all offer
resources to tap into web-savvy women. Many female-oriented sites will
offer a 'careers' or 'women in business' section as a matter of course.
Sites like <http://www.digital-women.com>, <http://www.womanowned.com>,
<http://www.catalystwomen.org/home.html> and
<http://www.worldwoman.net> are some of the international sites aimed
directly at businesswomen. Sites like <http://www.girlgeeks.com> aimed
at female IT professionals and <http://www.dotcomdivas.net>, for
Internet entrepreneurs, target specific industries and encourage women
in their careers as well as women running their own businesses.
There are many locally based women's business networks, organisations
and government run programmes for women in business. Usually it is
best to visit a portal of business resources local to your area, which
will often direct you to resources specifically tailored to meet the
needs of businesswomen. In Scotland visit: <http://www.sbgateway.com>
or try: <http://www.scottishbusinesswomen.com>. For the rest of the UK
try the Small Business service at: <http://www.sbs.gov.uk> or
<http://www.businesslink.org>.
The US is well served with many women
in business organisations like: <http://www.bwni.com>,
<http://www.nfwbo.com> and <http://www.nwbc.gov> which links to other
resources.
Some of my personal favourites are: <http://www.busygirl.co.uk>, a
business technology network of over 4,000 corporate and
entrepreneurial women, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers which aims
to help women advance their businesses and careers.
<http://www.the-bag-lady.co.uk>, a directory of women owned
businesses, including a trade mall and a useful funding section with
information on over 2,500 UK and EU Grants with a comprehensive list
of Venture Capital Sources worldwide. You have to pay for this service
but you're provided with detailed and definitive descriptions of how
to apply, requirements for eligibility etc. There's also a discussion
forum. As a relatively new site, not all services are currently
available but a nice design and interface makes it a pleasure to use.
<http://www.herhomeoffice.com> is a good source of information and
motivating articles. <http://www.iwon.net> has a useful search engine
for women in business and an e-zine. <http://www.nfwbo.org>, the
National Foundation of Women Business Owners has more research on the
phenomenon of female entrepreneurship.
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Ailsa Bates is the Web Editor of
<http://www.scottishbusinesswomen.com>, the online community for
Scottish Businesswomen produced by Scottish Enterprise. The site
features a lively discussion forum, current business news, advice and
a monthly e-zine. All businesswomen are very welcome to visit.
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Related Free Pint links:
* Post a message to the author, Ailsa Bates, or suggest further
resources, at the Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/200901.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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>>> FREE PINT FACT <<<
Simon has now written over 300 site reviews and tipples at the
Free Pint Bar since he started in March of last year. They are
all available in the Tipple Archive, categorised by subject, at:
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/tipple.php3>
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
<http://www.freepint.com/events>
Following the recent events in America, there is a chance that a
number of forthcoming events will not take place. Rather than include
details here, we would ask you to contact the event organisers
directly for any events you were planning to attend.
Provisional details of forthcoming conferences and exhibitions in the
online-information and Internet industries can be found on the Free
Pint Events page <http://www.freepint.com/events>. If you're
organising an event then submit details via this page and please
keep us informed about any change to the events planned.
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FREE PINT GOLD
This time last year the hot topic at the Bar was "Knowledge
Management". Therefore it was timely to run the excellent article
by Steve D'Arcy on how to get education in KM. The feature in that
issue had some great links for business and financial management.
* Free Pint No.71, 21st September 2000 "Routes into Knowledge
Management" and "The Net Snags Cash Flow - Business Information and
Cash Flow on the Internet".
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/210900.htm>
In Free Pint two years ago there was a look at the important issues
surrounding data processing following the European Data Protection
Directive. If you are responsible for a Web site then that article
is still worth a read now. We also ran an interview with a well
known dotcom CEO, which makes interesting reading in hindsight.
* Free Pint No.46, 23rd September 1999 "The UK 1998 Data Protection
Act and your Web site" and "About NUA: A discussion with Gerry
McGovern, CEO NUA". <http://www.freepint.com/issues/230999.htm>
Three years ago, Free Pint's William Hann gave some tips on how to
use search engines to find more sites like those you're already
aware of. eCommerce was also in its infancy and Free Pint Regular
Martin White furnished us with some good introductory sites.
* Free Pint No.22, 17th September 1998 "Reverse Psychology - How to
find more sites like the ones you love" and "Electronic commerce".
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/170998.htm>
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FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
[Provisional]
* UK Charity Information Jobs * Legal Sources *
* Olympics * Climate Change and Emissions * WAP *
* Academic, Economic and Social Science * Virtual Reference *
* Plastics and Rubber * Taxonomies * Technology Transfer *
* The 3 I's of Information * Effective Problem Solving * B2B *
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If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write
for Free Pint then please contact me or sign up for the monthly Author
Update on the Web site at <http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com>
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GOODBYE
Thank you for reading today's newsletter. We hope you enjoyed it. Do
pass this copy on to your colleagues and friends, and don't forget to
visit the Free Pint Web site where there are many more resources, tips
and advice at <http://www.freepint.com/>.
See you in two weeks!
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
<william@freepint.com>
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2001
<http://www.freepint.com/>
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CONTACT INFORMATION
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 455435
Rex Cooke, Editor
Email: <rex@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1342 316027
Simon Collery, Content Developer
Email: <simon@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1865 434143
Address: Free Pint Limited, FREEPOST (SEA3901), Staines
Middlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom
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Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information
professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information
on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it
is published every two weeks by email.
To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing,
advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at
<http://www.freepint.com/> or email <admin@freepint.com>.
Your registered email address is listed at the bottom of this message.
Please note: Free Pint is a registered trademark of, and published by,
Free Pint Limited. The publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list
available to any other company or organisation.
The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the
sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care
has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the
publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its
entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or
distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers.
Write to Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com> for more details.
Product names used in Free Pint are for identification purposes only,
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any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.
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About this Newsletter
- Publication Date: 19th September 2001
- Plain text
- Link: https://www.jinfo.com/go/newsletter/96
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