A current awareness resource for students & faculty members in Business & Economics

Beyond Harry Potter & LOTR: Academic book series

Published December 9, 2022 by Mark Bodnar

Simple line drawing of a person reading a book that has a happy face on the cover

You know how enjoyable it can be to read (and re-read!) a popular fiction series? Each time you finish a title, you look forward to the characters, and perhaps even the story, continuing in further volumes. There's a mix of suspense and comfort in plowing through an entire series such as Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, Discworld, or the Aubrey–Maturin books that I'm currently reading.

Nonfiction series may not offer much in the way of suspense between volumes, but finding a good academic series that touches on your specific research area can certainly be rewarding. Each new title is both familiar and new, with different aspects and perspectives of the topic explored in every volume.

I thought I'd highlight just a few of the academic book series I've been keeping an eye on lately...

<Read on for some great reads!>

On the economics of sanctions...

Published March 8, 2022 by Mark Bodnar

Sanctions are constantly in the news these days, so the following title definitely caught my attention when I was scanning our new ebooks:

Screen capture of ebook cover: The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions As a Tool of Modern War

(Read on for more about this ebook... and for more books about economic sanctions!)

Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace: Ebooks, cases & articles to support your journey

Published February 24, 2022 by Mark Bodnar

simple line drawing of people standing on various sized boxes to reach the same height, meant to connote equity I've been reading Bias interrupted: creating inclusion for real and for good this week. This recent ebook from HBR provides a "cutting-edge, relentless, objective approach to inclusion" that goes beyond simply defining and discussing workplace diversity and equity by proposing effective steps organisations of all sorts can take to create lasting change.

As a person who is easily distracted, around about chapter 7 (title: "Can we make progress on DEI without getting all rigid and bureaucratic?") I started thinking about what other resources we might have that offer practical advice on the important topic of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in the workplace. As always, our collection did not disappoint!

<Read on to learn about our amazing resources on this important topic!>

Practical & useful: Ebooks and more to support entrepreneurs

Published February 17, 2022 by Mark Bodnar

Simple line drawing of a Swiss Army knife. One of the many things I love about working with Business & Economics is how the skills and strategies being taught are so practical & useful. In many cases, students are working on projects and policies that are directly and immediately relevant to issues and needs in the world beyond our campuses.

Nowhere is that more true than...

<Read on to learn about new ebooks and case studies to support innovators!>

Sustainable at all stages: changing the fashion industry

Published February 28, 2021 by Mark Bodnar

A couple years ago I collaborated with our Interactive Arts & Technology Librarian on a series of posts about one of the "wicked problems" of our modern world: sustainability in the textile & fashion industries.

Green line drawing of clothing hanging on a laundry line That series was published to support an interdisciplinary cohort of students in our Business of Design program, all of whom were working on projects to change the way fashion and its materials are designed, produced, purchased, and discarded... change of the sort that our world so desperately needs.

The word "change" is key here. The Business of Design program has changed to Make Change Studio, but the students involved are still trying to change the world, and they've returned to the topic of fixing fast fashion.

<Read on for an update and expansion of the original posts on fixing fast fashion!>

On critical thinking: learning & teaching a core skill

Published February 9, 2021 by Mark Bodnar

Line drawing of a person solving a jigsaw puzzle A number of instructors and students have asked me about resources on critical thinking, so I thought I'd throw together a short list of titles on the topic.

I'll focus on ebooks because they are easier for you all to use in our pandemic world. We do, of course, also have some great print titles on this topic!

<Read on for a thoughtful list of ebooks on thinking!>

A feast of resources for those researching alternative protein markets! (redux)

Published January 1, 2021 by Mark Bodnar

One of our marketing classes (BUS 345 E100) is going to be doing some primary research on alternative protein products & consumers again this semester.

In support of that class, I've listed some key resources, but students in other classes may also want to use this post as a case study to learn about some of the powerful market research tools available to SFU researchers. Bon appetite!

<Read on for a menu of delicious databases! >

Basic income & beyond: Researching economic policy topics

Published October 22, 2020 by Mark Bodnar

If I were to ask you to do some research for an essay, you'd probably assume I was referring to digging up some academic journal articles, right? The connection between scholarly articles and essays is undeniably strong, and with good reason: the peer review process involved in publishing such articles ensures their high quality.

Nevertheless, there is a vast world of information beyond journals. For many assignments it may be acceptable to cite government reports, think tank analysis, ebook chapters, and even news articles...

<Click here to learn about non-journal info sources using Universal Basic Income as a search example...>

Indigenous business books & ebooks

Published September 8, 2019 by Mark Bodnar

A couple of our graduate business classes this term are exploring Indigenous business and economic development -- a theme that we expect will appear in more classes at all levels in the coming years.

We wrote a post recently about Business and BC's Indigenous Com munities to explore some of the many resources available to help students who are working on such assignments.

Today we thought we'd add some additional resources, but this time with a focus on sources that go deeper into the topic and provide more comprehensive information than is typically available on web pages and in articles: ebooks and books! For instance...

Cover of book: Indigenous Aspirations and Rights Cover of book: Working Effectively With Indigenous Peoples Cover of book: Indigenous People and Economic Development

<Read on for many more books & ebooks on this important topic.>

Business of Design: On finding design inspiration

Published August 18, 2019 by Matt Kingcroft

Book cover: Fixing Fashion: Rethinking the way we make, market, and buy our clothes When it comes to finding inspiration, designers (including product designers) and artists still turn to books and magazines. Whether it's a feature in a glossy magazine or an in-depth interview with a contemporary artist, such resources are easy to browse, sample, flip through, and explore in depth, and they can jumpstart your creativity.

Read on for shortcuts to inspiring books & ebooks such as...

BUEC Buzz blog