Business & Management Library Guide

This guide brings together high‑quality open access (OA) and open educational resources (OER) to support Business, Management, and Technology Management programmes at Vector Technology Institute.

How to Use This Guide

  • Start here: Use the “Core Research Tools” section to find peer‑reviewed articles and open textbooks for most assignments.
  • Use data sections: For projects involving markets, policy, or the economy, go to the “Data and Statistics” section for Jamaica and regional sources.
  • Go deeper: When you need detailed case studies or methods, use the “Theses, Dissertations and Technical Reports” section.
  • Add context and visuals: Use the “Practice Insights, Cases and Media” and “Media and Presentation Resources” sections for real‑world examples and strong visuals.

1. Start Here: Core Research Tools

Begin with these tools for most business, management, and technology management assignments, projects, and final papers.

Find scholarly articles (business & management)

  • Google Scholar – Broad scholarly search across articles, theses, books, and reports; good first stop for most topics.
  • BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) – Academic search engine indexing repositories and publishers worldwide; useful for open full‑text business and economics research.
  • CORE – Aggregates open access research papers from repositories and journals; good for management, finance, and policy articles.
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – Curated index of peer‑reviewed OA journals, including business, economics, and management titles.
  • SAGE Open – Peer‑reviewed OA journal in the social sciences, including business and management research.
  • PLOS ONE – Broad OA journal with management, economics, and social science research that can support multidisciplinary topics.
  • SpringerOpen (journals) – Portfolio of OA journals across STEM and social sciences; filter for business, economics, and management.

Find books and textbooks

  • OpenStax – Peer‑reviewed open textbooks including introductory business and economics; good for foundation courses.
  • Open Textbook Library – Large collection of reviewed open textbooks; search for marketing, management, accounting, and entrepreneurship titles.
  • BCcampus Open Textbooks – Open textbooks with strong business and communications coverage, often faculty‑reviewed.
  • Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) – Directory of peer‑reviewed academic books; useful for advanced topics in leadership, finance, and public policy.
  • OAPEN – Publisher‑vetted open books in social sciences, business, and economics; good for theory and in‑depth reading.
  • World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) – OA books and reports on development, digital economy, and governance; excellent for policy and context.
  • Inter‑American Development Bank (IDB) Publications – OA reports on Caribbean and Latin American economic development, trade, and infrastructure.
  • National Academies Press – Free PDF access to reports on innovation, workforce development, and technology policy.

2. Theses, Dissertations and Technical Reports

Use these for literature reviews, advanced projects, and capstone research where you need detailed case studies or methods.

Tip: Theses are often more detailed than journal articles—use them for methodology ideas and regional case studies, but always check recency and relevance.

3. Data and Statistics (Jamaica & Region)

Use these for assignments that require real data, market analysis, or policy context, especially with a Jamaica/Caribbean focus.

4. OER Courses and Learning Materials

Use these to reinforce topics, practice skills, or supplement class content in business, management, and related areas.

  • MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) – Open course materials for management, finance, economics, and related fields; includes syllabi, notes, and some video.
  • MERLOT – Peer‑reviewed teaching and learning materials, including business cases, simulations, and quantitative skills resources.
  • OER Commons – Courses, modules, and textbooks; search for business, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship content.
  • Saylor Academy – Self‑paced, free online courses in business, economics, and related subjects; some mapped to open textbooks.
  • OpenLearn (The Open University) – Free short courses in leadership, management, finance, and digital skills.

Suggested use: Instructors can recommend specific courses or modules as pre‑class preparation, enrichment, or bridging for students who need extra support.

5. Practice Insights, Cases and Media

Use these for real‑world examples, cases, and presentations. Treat them as practice insights rather than scholarly research.

  • HBS Working Knowledge – Business practice insights and cases from Harvard Business School.
  • Knowledge@Wharton – Analyses and interviews on management, finance, and strategy.
  • TED – Talks on leadership, innovation, and technology; good for reflection and discussion prompts.
  • YouTube – Use curated academic channels or instructor‑approved playlists for business topics.

Note: These sources are useful for examples and assignments but are not peer‑reviewed research; do not rely on them alone for literature reviews.

6. Media, Images and Presentation Resources

Use these for slide decks, infographics, and marketing‑style assignments.

  • Openverse – Search engine for Creative Commons‑licensed images and audio; check licenses and attribution requirements.
  • Wikimedia Commons – Large repository of free‑use images and media; useful for illustrating industries, companies, and concepts.
  • Pexels / Pixabay – Free stock photos and videos; helpful for marketing and presentation visuals.
  • Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) – Primary sources, images, and documents relevant to Caribbean business, society, and history.

Licensing note: Always check the stated license and follow attribution requirements where applicable.

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