New York SBDC Research Network

Maybe it's because it's nearing Friday night, or maybe because restaurants are easily the top source of requests for our library. Or maybe it's because I'm hungry. Regardless, to continue from Josee's recent post, here's a story on this website which describes the results of a recent survey from Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research. It's called "A Consumer’s View of Restaurant Reservations Policies," and it's an ideal read for clients with sit-down restaurants who want to get a better handle on what patrons expect from a reservations policy. (While reading it, I couldn't help but think of this "Seinfeld" episode. I know I'm not alone in doing so." There's a link link to the full report, but it requires (free) registration to get at it. If you're waiting for a table over the weekend, bring your laptop, log in, and give it a read.

If you were at the directors’ meeting today, you know that in general the research requests you send us have gotten more complicated, and require more time to answer. There’s nothing wrong with that- we librarians love the “thrill of the chase” even for the most obscure types of information. That said, there are certain things you can do to help us do our jobs more efficiently and effectively, getting your clients better information faster. Here’s a few ideas: Looking for information to prove a point, or fill in a section of a business plan? Let us know how you plan to use what we give you. Sometimes your client is focused on a particular statistic that just might not be available, but if we know generally what that information will be used for, we can find something similar that could prove the same point. Have you done some of your own research? Did your client come in with information or articles related to their business idea? Give us the details of what you already know, so

Special Report April 16, 2007, 2:14PM EST text size: TT The Restaurant-Failure Myth Research shows that some popular perceptions about the rate of failure in the restaurant industry are just not true by Kerry Miller The author investigates the much-quoted 90% failure rates of restaurants to see if there is any truth to it. This is interesting since for a long, long time we have had in our packet on restaurants an article that says as much. So, have a look at this one for a more encouraging view and to perhaps kill off an urban legend.

Marking Agency’s Accomplishments On December 20, 2007, the U.S. Small Business Administration released a 10-page report marking the agency’s accomplishments during that calendar year. The Year in Review document is posted on the SBA Web site here . According to the press release, the agency’s accomplishments during the year enabled it to more effectively foster small business ownership and help people quickly get back on their feet after natural disasters. Looking back on the year, it is clear the SBA has made substantial progress. Internal operations are more effective and efficient, with every SBA department taking on new challenges, goals and initiatives launched by Administrator Steve Preston, who took the reins at the agency in July 2006. Looking forward, the SBA has much to do in 2008 to achieve Administrator Preston’s reforms, but 2007 was a turning point indicating positive results to come.

Just a reminder to please update your information on the Internal Website. This is our directory. It is very frustrating to look up someone and to find no useful information or out-of-date information. Also, we, at Central have a (sometimes) advantage of having other sources for this information, but your colleagues in other centers do not. Tools are only as useful as the information that populates them and it would be a kindness to keep your information current.

This summer the folks at Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies asked prominent learning professionals and visitors to their website, “What are your 10 favorite tools for your personal learning/working, or for creating learning for others?" Their answers are reported in eLearn magazine, here . Many of these tools will likely be familiar to you. The list includes Firefox, del.icio.us, Skype, Google search, and other much used and discussed Web 2.0 tools. As the author points out, what’s more interesting, perhaps, is that when asked about elearning, people don’t immediately start talking about online classes. Instead, there’s much more focus on the tools used in daily life for self-managed learning, information sharing and collaboration. Oh, and thanks to Darrin for pointing out this article. Learning from your colleagues is always popular around here...

It was once assumed that college graduates would go to work for a Fortune 500 firm and that is often true; what is also true is that more students see entrepreneurship as a viable option for their careers. This study examines the relationship between education and the choice to become an entrepreneur, building on previous research and using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to analyze the characteristics of the self-employed compared with individuals employed by others. The study finds that educational attainment is an important determinant of self-employment: individuals with more schooling are more likely to start their own business, particularly in certain industries. A full copy of this report is available here (PDF) , and the research summary can be found here (PDF) .