BSchool.com Business Schools Directory

By Kelsey Allen

When the economy outlook is rough, consumer behavior most definitely changes. For businesses concerned about their bottom lines, dwindling sales can have far-reaching ramifications. However, businesspersons should not commit themselves to doom and gloom just because the economy is dragging. Here are some ways you can actually increase sales in a struggling economy.

1. Discounts – Straight discounts are fantastic when the economy is in a rough patch. For example, retailing institutions such as Wal-Mart typically see significant sales increases when the economy is in a down turn. This is because consumers are being significantly more judicious when it comes to purchases. The only way to take advantage of newfound consumer stinginess is to offer discounts on certain products. 

2. Luxury and Necessity Good Placement – The first thing consumers in financially tough times will do is cut out luxury goods. If your business markets these types of goods, then this is definitely not welcome news. However, one way to work on increasing the sales of luxury items is to place them close to necessity items in the store. Many luxury items are impulse buys, so while customer’s may still be hesitant, they will at least see the products and be more inclined to decide to buy them.

3. Add More Workers – One of the biggest things to slow down sales during a busy time is to have too few people working. In tough economic times, it’s tempting to try to cut back hours and save money, but the money you’ll be losing will be more. Remember, though, if some in your workforce is not pulling his or her weight, don’t add someone new just to make up for it.

4. Special Promotional Offers – If people are being more judicious in their expenditures, then they want better deals. Special offers, such as “buy one, get one free,” can do wonders to draw consumer interest. Offering discounts for a certain purchases based on quantity or total cash spent is great for motivating consumers to make more purchases.

5. Giveaways – Everyone likes free stuff. While TINSTAAFL still applies, having a giveaway can do wonders to increase store numbers. If a business had a special giveaway regularly, then overall customer numbers would likely increase. Make sure that whatever you decide to give away will entice new customers to start make purchases.

6. Celebrity Endorsements – If your business has the ability to pay for Celebrity Endorsements, why not consider it? Local celebrities are still celebrities, so endorsements can be just as effective. Nothing can help increase brand awareness quite like the local college’s football coach, or everyone’s favorite public access TV star.

7. Local Commercials – If you can get local stars, then local commercials would be the natural progression of things. In all seriousness, local commercials can be a fantastic investment even for a large company, because of an excellent targeted consumer base. In a dragging economy, consumers become more demanding and want to know what you offer especially for them. Local commercials are a great way to get such a message out. Just make sure you don’t make an awful local commercial.

8. Make it a “Must Have” – If you find less of your product is flying off the shelves in a bear market, and then you need to make your product a “must have.” Companies like Apple Computer are still able to have solid sales in rough economic climates because their products have the “cool” factor. They become “must haves” because Apple is able to bridge the gap between needs and wants.

9. Longer Hours of Operation – When sales are in decline, one great way to rectify this is to lengthen the hours of operation. If you are open for longer hours, then you should see an increase in sales. It’s amazing how many businesses fail to take advantage of sales opportunities simply because of an adherence to hours.

10. Go Online – If you’re attempting to make sales, and you don’t have an online facet to your businesses, you’re missing out on great opportunities. Increase sales by making a web site. Giving consumers the ability to shop online can do wonders to increase sales. Make sure your web site is easy to use and customer-friendly. The more ways potential customers can access your products, the more opportunities there are to make a sale.

11. Go Green – Concern for the environment is at an all time high in this day and age. Businesses with social consciousness who are concerned about the future of the planet will definitely enjoy positive PR. So, if you are noticing that sales are taking a nosedive, it can be a fantastic idea to revitalize your business by going green. Believe it or not, investing in energy efficient lights, recycling, and fuel-efficient technologies can do wonders for your bottom line.

12. Go Global – If you need any proof that today’s business world is truly global, look no further than the stock markets. When one country’s market is in decline, other countries’ markets will soon follow. The best way to combat this is to make sure your invested in every market you can be. You can increase sales simply by widening your consumer base. That way, when tough economic times abound, you’ll have more customers in more places around the world, which leads to a greater chance to not have any sales declines.

13. Advertise Online – Having a web site is great, but actually advertising online coupled with having a web site is even better. Google AdWords is an excellent way to promote your web site and increase your sales with a positive ROI. Having an online presence can help, but it is much more helpful to be an industry leader when it comes to online enterprises.

14. Word of Mouth – Some of the most loyal customers come directly from word of mouth. The best way to generate word of mouth buzz is by having high quality service coupled with effective ad campaigns. Word of mouth is the trustworthiest type of advertising. Essentially, this means that your biggest sales increases will come if people decide to tell their friends and family about your business.

15. Relocate – Some areas are simply more economically sound than others. If you find that your sales are dwindling significantly, then it’s a good idea to consider relocation. Moving into a bigger market, or a less competitive market can do wonders for the bottom line of any business. Moving is not an admission of defeat, but rather, an affirmation of a willingness to have success, even if success comes at the cost of leaving one’s comfort zone.

Increasing sales is more difficult to do in a sluggish economy, but it is not impossible. These few ideas have the potential to do wonders for any sales numbers. However, it’s always important to realize when your product has reached it’s limitations. Remember, it’s never a bad idea to start thinking about different ways to generate revenue since sales can be quite variable.
 

If you’re in business, you almost surely have some sort of competition to keep tabs on. And in this day and age, you can bet that there’s some information to be found about your competition online. By making use of these resources, you can keep an eye on what your competition is up to.

Finders

Use these tools to identify your competition.

1. Competition Finder Tool: Search Engine Genie’s tool will help you locate websites that compete with yours and allows you to compare them.
2. Google Alerts: Set up a Google Alert for your targeted keywords and find out whenever anyone publishes a new site or information relating to your query.
3. Related Link Suggestion Tool: SEO Book’s tool will help you find competitors by keyword.

Domain & Hosting Information

With these tools, you can get the dirt on your business competition’s domain and hosting service.

4. Whois: You can find a lot of information about your competitor using Whois, which supplies contact and location information where available.
5. Who is Hosting This?: Get the lowdown on your competitor’s hosting company by making use of this tool.
6. Domain History: Using this tool, you can find out who has owned a specific domain, who they bought it from, and how long they’ve owned it.
7. IP Domains: This tool will show you other domains that are hosted along with your competitor’s, and may help you discover projects and websites that they are working on.
8. Mark Alert: Make use of this tool, and you’ll be able to find out whenever a domain name using your trademark is registered.

Company Information

Get the dirt on your competition’s important filings, legal issues, and more.

9. EDGAR: The Security and Exchange Commission’s database will help you find company filings on your competitors.
10. Better Business Bureau: Find out what customers are saying about your competition by checking with the Better Business Bureau.
11. Yahoo! Finance: You can get plenty of information about publicly traded companies using finance sites like Yahoo!’s.
12. Hoover’s: Another excellent source of information on publicly traded companies is Hoover’s. The site sometimes offers information for privately held firms as well.
13. Company Profile Report: Dun & Bradstreet’s information tool can help you locate sales, contacts, and more.
14. Trademark Electronic Search System: Look for any trademarks your competitor has filed by using this tool.
15. KnowX: You can find out if your competitor is involved in any legal battles by searching records with KnowX.
16. Patent Electronic Business Center: Get a look at your competitor’s published patent applications with this tool.

On Their Website

You can find out a lot about your competition by just checking out their website, sometimes with the help of tools.

17. Source code: Read the source code behind your competitor’s website, and you can learn about their meta tag keywords and more.
18. SpyderMate: Use SpyderMate to crawl your competitor’s site and find the strengths and weaknesses of what they offer.
19. Robots.txt: Take a look at your competitor’s robots.txt file (generally located at www.yourcompetitor.com/robots.txt) to find out what they’re hiding from search engines.
20. Their blog: You can subscribe to and read your competitor’s blog to see what they’re up to.

Search Engine Tools

Use these search engine tools to find dirt on your competition.

21. Google Trends: You can check out a website’s traffic estimates, related websites, visitor countries, and more using Google Trends.
22. MarketLeap: Find out your competitor’s search engine saturation and history by using this tool.
23. IndexRank: This tool will help you find out how well you’re getting indexed on Google compared to your competitors.
24. URLTrends: Find out which keywords your competitor’s site ranks for using this tool.
25. Incoming links: Search for your competitors’ incoming links by visiting link:yourcompetition.com.
26. SearchRascal: Find the top rankings for a set of keywords on Google and other search engines, and find out how they have changed over time.
27. Search Status: Get highlighted nofollow links, PageRank, Alexa rank and more in your search results with this tool.
28. SEODigger: Using this tool, you can find out which keywords a site ranks for.
29. SEO for Firefox: This tool will inject competitive information into Google and Yahoo! search results, including PageRank, ages, links, traffic, ranking, and more.
30. Google Search Insights: You can check out keyword trends and more using this tool from Google.

Strength, Traffic & Ranking

Keep your business going strong and evaluate your competition’s website strength with these web tools.

31. SEOMoz Page Strength Tool: Find out how strong a page is based on links, age, and other factors with this tool.
32. Xinu: Check out backlinks, ranking, del.icio.us bookmarks and more with this tool.
33. SEO Analysis Tool: See how a spider sees a website to find your competitor’s weaknesses and strengths.
34. Website Grader: Find out how your competitor’s website scores for marketing effectiveness.
35. Alexa: You can determine your competitor’s traffic and ranking with this site. While you’re there, you can check out related sites to find even more competitors.
36. Statbrain: This tool will use a number of different sources to estimate a site’s visitor level.
37. Statsaholic: Get the lowdown on ranking, pageviews, and more using Statsaholic.
38. Quantcast: Find out what your competitor’s demographic trends and details are using Quantcast.
39. Compete: You can compare sites head to head and see how you stack up to your competition with Compete.

Keywords

Find out which keywords your competitors are targeting and finding success from by using these resources.

40. SEMPhonic: SEMPhonic will track your keyword rankings and give you the dirt on what your competitors are doing with those keywords.
41. KeyCompete: Find out which keywords your competitors are buying by using this tool.
42. SpyFu: SpyFu shows you which terms your competitors are buying and ranking for.
43. KeywordSpy: Find cached ad copy, affiliate data, and more useful keyword information about your competitors with KeywordSpy.
44. Trellian Competitive Intelligence: With Trellian’s tool, you can get a look at keywords your competitors are getting traffic for.

Changes

Keep up with the latest changes from your competitors with these tools.

45. RSS: Use any RSS tool to subscribe to your competitor’s feed and be alerted to any changes on their website or blog.
46. Archive.org: Look through the history of a website and see how the domain has changed over its lifetime.
47. CodeMonitor: This tool will take a snapshot of code on your competitor’s page and notify you when a change has been made.

Links

Use these web tools to stay on top of your competition’s link strategy.

48. Link Popularity Comparison Tool: Find out how popular your links are in comparison to your competitor’s.
49. Backlink Checker: Use Backlink Checker to find out who is sharing links with your competitors.
50. Link Harvester: Take a look at your competitor’s backlinks using this tool.

Open CourseWare and open education resources are founded on the principles of open source living, so it’s only natural that there are lots of open source courses to be found. In this guide, you’ll find courses on linux, open source philosophy, legal issues, and more.

Introduction

Get a broad look at open source through these courses.

1. Open Source Communities: Karim R. Lakhani discusses exactly what open source is, its principles, and other key information to understanding open source.
2. Free as in Freedom, Richard Stallman’s Crusade for Free Software: Find out how the free and open source software movement got started.
3. Open Source Software: The Challenge Ahead: Here you’ll learn about the challenges that Linux and other open source software will face in the future.
4. Intro to Open Education: In this course, you can learn all about open education and its related issues and resources.

Open Source Philosophy

Learn more about the thoughts and beliefs behind the open source movement with these courses.

5. The Future of Ideas: Laurence Lessig shares his thoughts about the future of innovation in a time of competitive control.
6. Media Education and the Marketplace: Learn about the value of open source software through this course.
7. Managing Innovation: Emerging Trends: Check out this course to see how open information and open source is becoming more popular, allowing users to innovate for themselves.
8. Open Source Development and Distribution of Digital Information: Economic, Legal, and Social Perspectives: Learn how open source has an impact on digital information distribution.
9. Enclosures of the Mind: Governing the Intellectual Commons: Professor Michael Mainelli exlores the future of global advancement in relation to open source.
10. Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software: Here you’ll learn about important topics in the free and open source software revolution.
11. Advanced Topics in Learning Object Design and Reuse: Materials in this course feature Olivia the Open, who is an "open source software zealot and open content evangelist."
12. Culture, Value, and Communication: Learn about intellectual property and more in this course.
13. Democratizing Innovation: You can learn about user-centered innovation from this resource.
14. A Fair(y) Use Tale: Follow this course to learn more about fair use.
15. The Rise of Open Source Licensing: Follow this study to learn how open source has changed the software industry.
16. First Principles and Design Requirements: Collaborative Filtering & Open Source Code for Electronic Self: Here you’ll learn how to use open source code to encourage self governance.
17. Software Libre: This course offers an in-depth discussion on free software.

Business

Find out how open source can be applied to business in these courses.

18. The Software Business: Check out this course to learn about making an open source software business thrive.
19. Marketing of Free Software: In this course, you’ll learn how to properly market your open source software.
20. Innovation Happens Elsewhere-Open Source as Business Strategy: Follow this information to find out how to make open source a part of your business.

Politics, Law & Government

These courses share the political and legal side of open source.

21. Spectrum Abundance and the Choice Between Private and Public Control: Professor Stuart Benjamin covers the debate on treating the electromagnetic spectrum as a commons.
22. Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing: This resource discusses free software and open source licenses.
23. Getting in the Game: Effective Lobbying for Open Source: Here you’ll learn how to lobby for open source at the state and federal levels.
24. Ethics and the Law on the Electronic Frontier: This course discusses the law and ethics of intellectual property.
25. Introduction to Copyright Law: Get an understanding of copyright law from this course.
26. Alternative Compensation Systems for Digital Entertainment: Here you’ll learn about business models that work with the digital entertainment system.
27. Open Source Biology: The Role of Law: Find out how open source in biology is affected by the law.
28. Musicians in Copyright’s Federated Domain: Professor Michael Carroll discusses the concept of copyright in this lecture.
29. Reflections on Secret Intelligence: Sir David Omand explains how open sources are changing intelligence.
30. Copyright Liberties: Professor Jessica Litman challenges the conventional paradigm of copyright statutory interpretation.
31. Communications and Information Policy: Check out this course to get an introduction to the politics of public communiations and information.
32. Democratizing Innovation and Norms-based Intellectual Property Rights: In this lecture, Professor Eric von Hippel discusses democratized innovation.
33. We Don’t Provide That Service: the Economic Irrationality of Copyright Rules on the Internet: Professor James Boyle discusses Creative Commons, which he helped to found.
34. Creative Commons and Authors: Learn about the rights and freedoms of creators of artistic works in this lecture.

Linux

Learn all about Linux through these courses.

35. An Introduction to Linux: This course offers an introductory look at Linux.
36. 10 Year History of Linux: In this podcast, Peter Salus teaches the history of Linux.
37. Building a Linux system from source code: This guide will help you learn how to build a Linux system.
38. Migrating from RedHat to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10: In this course, you’ll learn about the differences between Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.
39. Sound Encounter of the Computer Kind: In this course, you’ll learn how to program a GNU/Linux computer to produce sounds.
40. Linux Kernel in a Nutshell: Here you’ll learn how to build, customize, and install the Linux kernel.
41. Linux Online’s Course for Advanced Users: Check out this course to get an advanced look at using Linux.
42. Make the Switch: Novell’s Guide to the Novell Linux Desktop: Follow along with this self study course to learn basic Linux skills.
43. Java Application Development on Linux: This course will teach you how to use Java applications on Linux.
44. Upgrading to Certified Linux Engineer 10: Learn about the difference between SUSE Linux Enterprise Server verion 9 and version 10 in this course.
45. Linux Network Administration: In this course, you’ll learn all about network administration on the Linux platform.
46. Linux Online’s Linux Course for Intermediate Level Users: This course will show you how to get the most out of Linux.
47. Getting Started with Linux: Novell’s Guide to CompTIA’s Linux: Follow this course to learn the basic skills you’ll need to use SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.
48. Mobile Web Design and Development: Learn how to design for the open source mobile web with this course.
49. An Introduction to Linux Basics: Get started with Linux by following this course.
50. Migrating to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9: This course will help administrators learn how to use the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.
51. Package Management: Follow this course for an overview of packages and applicaton packaging in Linux.
52. How to Set Up a Mail Server on Gnu Linux System: Follow this step by step guide to installing a mail server on your Linux system.
53. Gentoo Linux Handbook: Check out this course to learn the many useful applications of Gentoo Linux.
54. Get Read for Open Source: SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (Book 1): Intermediate students can learn SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop by following this course.
55. Understanding the Linux Virtual Memory Manager: Get a good look at the Linux Virtual Memory Manager with this resource.
56. Ubuntu Desktop Guide: Follow this guide to learn how to use Ubuntu Linux effectively.
57. Linux System Administrator Guide: Find out how to effectively administrate Linux with this guide.
58. Self-Service Linux: Mastering the Art of Problem Determination: Check out this course to learn how to diagnose Linux problems.
59. An Introductory Guide to Linux Basics: Use this course and its associated forum to learn more about using Linux.
60. Linux Quick Fix Notebook: In this notebook, you’ll be able to cover all of the problems you encouter in Linux.
61. Getting Started with the Novell Linux Desktop: Novell’s course teaches basic skills in Linux.
62. Administració avançada del sistema operatiu GNU/Linux: In this Spanish-language course, you’ll learn all about Linux operating system administration.
63. Linux for Computer Scientists and Engineers: Find out how Linux can be useful for computer scientists and engineers in this course.
64. Getting Started With Linux: Follow this self-study course to learn how to get started using Linux.
65. Upgrading to Certified Linux Professional 10: This course will explain the differences between SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions 9 and 10.
66. Bridging NetWare Skills to Novell Open Enterprise Server for Linux: Follow this self-study course to learn how to use NetWare.

Practical Applications

Find out how open source software and other open resources can be put to work through these college courses.

67. Research Topics in Architecture: Citizen-Centered Design of Open Governance Systems: See how this seminar used a working open source prototype for an online space.
68. Understanding Online Interaction: This course supports using Linux software for communication.
69. Office Applications: This course offers a detailed look at a number of open source office applications.
70. Software Engineering for Web Applications: Learn how to create open source web applications with this course.
71. Connecting People with Online Resources: Find out how you can help other people use open source software with this course.
72. Operating System Engineering: Follow this course to learn how to engineer an open source operating system.
73. Communicating in Cyberspace: This course discusses online communication via open and closed software.
74. How to Be a Programmer: In this course, you’ll learn the essentials of programming, which can be useful when creating open source software.
75. Internet Technology in Local and Global Communities: Follow this course to see how open source software can be used to connect local and global communities.
76. User Applications: Find out about open source applications as they relate to office and home users.
77. Network and Computer Security: Follow this course to learn about using open source software for security.
78. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Solutions Using R and Bioconductor: In this course, you’ll learn how to use the Biocondutor project, which is a widely used open source project for genomics and molecular biology.
79. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: Check out this course that recommends using open source satellite imagery.
80. Open Web Mapping: This course offers instructions for creating open source web mapping.
81. An Introduction to e-commerce and Distributed Applications: This course offers a glimpse at using open source software for ecommerce and beyond.
82. Preparing a project: This course recommends using open source mind mapping software to get your projects organized.

Education & Research

Find out how traditional universities and top online colleges are using open source educational and research applications with these courses.

83. Creating open educational resources: Follow this course to learn how you can create your own open educational resources to share with the world.
84. The London Accord: Sustainable Finance and Climate Change: Learn about this cooperative open source investment project.
85. Introduction to Open Education: This course provides an overview for creating and using open education resources.
86. Developing and Deploying Online Courses with JCourse: Learn how to make use of JCourse when creating open online courses of your own.
87. Producing Distance Education Resources: This course recommends using Linux software to create videoconferencing and streaming lecture resources.
88. The Impact of Open Source Software on Education: This course takes a look at how open source has improved education around the world.

Using Open Source Software

These courses will teach you how to use open source software.

89. Three-Dimensional Modeling, Animation and Rendering Using Blender 3D Software: Learn how to use the open source Blender 3-D software with this course.
90. Free Software for Busy People: This doctor explains why you should use free and open source software.
91. Unix Tutorial for Beginners: Get started on Unix with this beginner tutorial.
92. GIMP Manual: This course will teach you how to make use of the open source image manipulation program GIMP.
93. Freemind Tutorial: Follow this course to learn how to use Freemind, an open source mind mapping tool.
94. Open Source Security Tools: A Practical Guide to Security Applications: Here you’ll learn how to make use of open source security tools.
95. GnuCash Tutorial and Concept Guide: Learn all about using GnuCash with this course.
96. Get Ready for Open Source: SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (Book 2): Novell offers this course for training in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop.
97. Audacity Manual: Check out this course to learn how to use Audacity, an open source media player.
98. Blogs, Wikis, New Media for Learning: This course’s resources highlight open source GIS as a great place to find lerning material.
99. OASIS OpenDocument Essentials: In this course, you’ll learn how to use the OASIS format.
100. Open Office Tutorials: This resource will teach you how to effectively use Open Office, an open source office suite.

China has emerged as an amazing economic power that brings plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs and business people alike from outside China. If you plan to do business in China, there are several areas you should study prior to launching your business venture. The following resources include journals and newspapers, informative articles, blogs and podcasts, and free classes to help you learn about international business, Chinese culture, and even how to speak Chinese. Take advantage of these resources to get the best start possible on your business relationship in China.

Business Journals and Newspapers

Stay on top of all the news that affects business in China with these journals and newspapers.

1. The China Business Network. Learn about advertising, technology, cultural business strategies, and more as well as read interviews from important business people in this online journal.
2. China Success Stories. Take advantage of the experience of those who have gone before you and learn what these business people did to create a successful business venture in China.
3. China Economic Review. Stay on top of the economy in China with this journal.
4. The China Business Review. Find out about the supply chain, exporting, environmental issues, and more in this journal.
5. China Business Info Center. Read the latest news and headlines that pertain to doing business in China here.
6. Asia Times Online Greater China Business. Get all the news happening in China that may affect business there.
7. China Stocks, Companies, and Industry Analysis. Learn about the news that relates to stocks in China from this source.
8. China Briefing. Publishing in China since 1999, this business news publication offers news and information about doing business in China.
9. China Digital Times. The site sponsored by the Berkeley China Internet Project brings news stories about business, tech, and more coming out of China.
10. Wall Street Journal China Journal. Learn about Chinese business, economy, and culture with the reports from this respected news source.
11. China Business Market News. Get free articles on Chinese economy, investments, retail, pharmaceutical, technology, and more.
12. China Business News. Interfax China provides news that touches on telecommunications, metals, energy, commodities, and more.

Organizations

Being connected with other business people can be important to the success of your business venture. From business associations to sustainable development groups, these organizations will help you make important connections.

13. The US-China Business Council. This non-profit organization exists to support and maintain positive US-Chinese trade practices.
14. American China International Business Association. Working to develop successful business relationships, this non-profit organization works closely with government and businesses in China.
15. The American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China. This non-profit organization works to provide solid business practices for its members.
16. Committee of 100. This group of American citizens with Chinese backgrounds has worked to secure important and respected positions in the community and work to better US-Chinese relations as well as provide a forum for specific issues faced by Chinese-Americans.
17. The 48 Group Club. This independent business network, with a heavy British presence, serves to promote good relations with China.
18. China Council for The Promotion of International Trade. Working to promote foreign trade, investment, and technologies, this group strives to create strong working relationships between China and foreign countries.
19. China Business Council for Sustainable Development. This organization of Chinese and foreign businesses work together to create sustainable development in an effort to promote environment health safety and social responsibility.
20. International Chamber of Commerce. This international business group works to strengthen the world economy, job growth, and overall prosperity in a global environment.
21. Business for Social Responsibility. This global network of businesses work together to create sustainable business practices. This organization also has a Chinese counterpart.
22. Transparency International. With a chapter of this organization in China, this politically non-partisan group works to end corruption in both public and private sectors around the world.

Articles

From learning what to do or not to do when conducting business in China to the importance of being in business groups, these articles will inform you on the best business practices in China.

23. 7 Deadly Perceptions About Doing Business with China. Don’t fall victim to these misperceptions and you will be on the way to a successful business partnership.
24. China Tries to Solve Its Brand X Blues. This article offers insight to the importance of branding in China and the struggles currently faced by companies there.
25. 7 Secrets to Business Success in China. These simple yet effective suggestions will have you starting off on a promising venture in China.
26. Starting a Business in China. Discover the procedures and costs involved with setting up a business in China with this table provided by Doing Business.
27. Business China. This interview with a European businessman working in China for 16 years provides insight to what it is like to do business in China.
28. Business Groups in China: Is Qiyejituan Membership a Guaranteed Advantage?. This article from the W.P. Carey School of Business explores the role of business groups to the success of firms in China.
29. ‘Quality Fade’: China’s Great Business Challenge. Take a look at one popular theory as to why the quality of Chinese goods has deteriorated and how they can improve.
30. Business Travel in China. Learn invaluable tips from meals to dress code to business card etiquette to use while on business in China.
31. Why China Won’t Come to the Rescue. Looking at the recent financial history between China and New York, this article explains an important reason why China may not help America’s financial crisis.
32. Tips on Doing Business in China and China Sourcing. While this article is intended as a sales tool to use this company’s services, it nevertheless provides valuable information on doing business in China.
33. Inside the War Against China’s Blogs. This Business Week article describes the power of blogs when it comes to businesses and their practices in China.
34. Rough Guide to Outsourcing in China. Read this businessman’s journal documenting his experience while in China to visit suppliers. After the article, scroll down for tips on finding a supplier in China and survival tips while traveling in China.
35. 10 Best-Kept Secrets to Selling in China Successfully. Two experts in Chinese business offer suggestions for successful business relations in China.

Government, Legal, and Non-Profit Resources

These resources range from governmental websites about exporting to China to Chinese laws to a database of important Chinese leaders.

36. China Business Information Center. Learn all about exporting to China with this resource from Export.Gov.
37. China Business Intelligence. This site from The American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China offers links to other sites ranging from legal issues to tax issues to human resources.
38. China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission. Find arbitration rules and news pertaining to arbitration at this site.
39. China Stands Up. This series from Project Syndicate examines China’s impact on world trade and the global environment.
40. Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China. With this resource, you will ensure you understand the laws in China regarding foreign trade.
41. Securities Law of the People’s Republic of China. Having a business in China may mean you become involved with investors, public stock in your business, or other securities issues. Know the Chinese law before you begin.
42. China Commodity Net. Find Chinese suppliers with international certification or browse by location within China or product name to find suppliers at this government site.
43. China Data Center. From the University of Michigan, this site offers statistics on China including information on census, agriculture, economics, and more.
44. China Watch. A part of World Watch, this organization monitors safety, health, and environmental issues in China as they pertain to policy-makers, businesses, and non-governmental agencies.
45. China Vitae. This site keeps information on over 3000 Chinese leaders from several sectors including government, politics, business, education, and the military.
46. Global Institute of Logistics China Report. This organization works to connect academia with the business world, and this page is devoted to business in China.
47. Business Library 2.0: Doing Business in China. These links provided by the University of Florida offer articles, advice, and resources for doing business in China.

Blogs

Blogs hold an important place in the business culture in China. Follow these blogs to learn what you need to know and help you become a part of the Chinese business community.

48. Asiabizblog. Learn about the latest news about doing business in China with this blog that is updated twice weekly.
49. ChinaSolved Blog. The blog at this site offers great advice to help you improve your business relations with your Chinese counterparts.
50. China Business Blog. From the financial markets to trade surplus, learn what is affecting businesses in China at this blog.
51. China Business SEO Marketing Guide. Find out how to boost your online presence for your business in China with the advice on this blog.
52. All Roads Lead to China. Get a better understanding of China through the posts offering strategic insight and advice on this blog.
53. Business and Finance on Danwei. From Chinese labor laws to technology policies in Asia, learn about the details of doing business in China here.
54. Best Practices China Blog. This blog offers "international business skills for China’s professionals" with advice and suggestions to improve your business relationships.
55. China Business Law Blog. Written by a Chinese man attending law school in Texas, this blog offers insight and news analysis of China and business law.
56. China Environmental Law. Keep up-to-date with Chinese environmental and energy laws and policies with this blog written by an international lawyer in China.
57. China Financial Markets. Written by a business professor in China, this blog offers important information about the financial markets.
58. Experience Not Logic. This blog states its purpose to "explore the business and legal culture of China."

Videos and Podcasts

These videos and podcasts can help you stay on top of the news, culture, and even learning the language in China.

59. ChinaOnTV Business Videos. Watch video clips featuring business news from China at this site.
60. China Business Blog and Podcast. Listen to podcasts from this consulting firm offering information on doing business in China.
61. China Talk Radio. Get podcasts here that deliver speeches from some of the top business people working in China.
62. The China Business Show. These podcasts bring interviews from experts in the fields of advertising, business culture, entrepreneurship, and much more.
63. ChinesePod. Learn Chinese with these podcasts. One week is free, but then you will need to pay to continue the service.
64. Interview with Jill Buck, Founder of the Go Green Initiative. Listen to this podcast to learn about this organization and how it is working with China.
65. The Cool Aid . Listen to podcasts from bizCult about living and doing business in China from this site.
66. Danwei FM. Get podcasts from one of the most popular China blogs on the Internet.
67. Marketplace from American Public Radio. The Asia section covers all of Asia, but has a preponderance of podcasts on China.
68. Peace Corps Language Lessons. Get Mandarin lessons on podcast from the Peace Corps here.
69. CSLPod. These podcasts are intended for those learning Chinese as a second language.

International Business Schools

The business schools in China have gained a reputation as some of the best in the world. If you plan to pursue your MBA in China, check out these schools.

70. China Europe International Business School. Earn an MBA at this school located in China run exclusively for business people operating in or moving to China.
71. University of International Business and Economics. The first institute of higher learning for Chinese international business, this business school enjoys an excellent reputation as a leader in business education.
72. Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. The first non-profit business school in China, this school not only attracts top educators, it also promotes a strong sense of social justice in its education.

Free International Business and Politics Classes

Whether you already have an MBA or are just gaining more knowledge about doing business in China, these free classes will help you understand the economic, political, and business culture in China.

73. International Trade. Study current topics of international trade to determine the flow of goods across borders and what determines the flow of savings and investments between countries.
74. International Economics. Learn the basics in trade theory, policy, and international finance in this class.
75. International Economics I. This graduate level class from MIT explores the field of international trade and foreign investment.
76. FT Business School Growing Business Opportunities in China. From Financial Times, this course offers videos, online Q&As, and more to help you learn about doing business with China.
77. Global Markets, National Politics and the Competitive Advantage of Firms. Study the risks and opportunities available to businesses operating in a global markets.
78. Global Entrepreneurship Lab. Learn about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the global world of business in this lab class.
79. Global Strategy and Organization. This course teaches business owners and managers how to lay the foundation for a successful company in international business.
80. International Relations. This introductory course strives to teach students the basics of international relations including idealism and realism.
81. International Relations of East Asia. Explore western relations with East Asia both before and after the Cold War and examine how this history has shaped current relations.
82. International Environmental Negotiation. Learn how to successfully negotiate for sustainability when working internationally in this graduate level course.
83. Government and Politics of China. Examine pre-Communist and Communist China to discover how the current political system has developed.
84. Comparative Politics and China. Study contemporary Chinese politics and relate them to the wider field of comparative politics in this graduate class.
85. Analyzing & Accounting for Regional Economic Change. Learn about factors within regions that affect economic growth and development in a global economy.

Language Classes

Doing business in China means you will probably need to speak some of the language. These university courses are all free and will have you speaking Mandarin before you know it.

86. Chinese I. Learn the basics of Mandarin with these lessons specially created for open courseware. This is the first in a series of four classes.
87. Chinese II. The second course of the series, this class focuses on conversation, reading, and the structure of the Chinese written language system.
88. Chinese III. In the third section of this series, this class builds upon what was learned in the prior classes to strengthen conversation and writing skills.
89. Chinese IV. Continue your lessons in the final course of the series while focusing on strengthening your reading skills and gaining confidence with the spoken word.
90. Chinese V: Chinese Cultures and Society. This course combines text lessons with real-life explorations of Chinese culture.
91. Chinese VI: Discovering Chinese Cultures and Society. Sharpen the sophistication of your written and oral Mandarin in this course that explores various real-life resources to further your studies. Conducted in Mandarin only.

Culture Classes

Before you begin doing business in China, you should get an understanding of the culture there. These free classes will enlighten and educate you in the ways of the East.

92. Chinese Foreign Policy. Learn the history of Chinese policy from the Cold War era to present day with this class offered through MIT.
93. Traditional Chinese Literature: Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. Learn about the major Chinese genres in traditional literature in this class.
94. Cultural Performances of Asia. Examine the way traditional and present-day performances in Asia communicate culture in this class that utilizes text, video, audio, and online materials to teach the subject.
95. Smashing the Iron Rice Bowl: Chinese East Asia. Follows the lives of ordinary Chinese citizens as they experience enormous changes of 19th and 20th centuries in this course.
96. Race and Gender in Asian America. Explore the Asian American experience so that you can better understand the intersection of traditional Asia and America in your business practices.
97. Working in a Global Economy. Find out about practice and policy of doing business in a global economy.
98. Communicating Across Cultures. Learn how to bridge culture gaps in this class that focuses on communication issues.
99. East Asia in the World. Study the history of East Asia, most specifically China and Japan, and their relationships within East Asia and abroad.
100. Introducing Regional Integration. From the United Nations University, this course teaches about integrating regions both across countries and within countries.

The old adage, “a happy employee is a productive employee” has been proven to be true time and time again. Looking at many of the most successful companies today, many of them have a wide variety of ways they keep there employees happy and working. While it’s true that raising wages will always make employees happy, there are several other things you can do to ensure their happiness. These things will also probably be significantly cheaper than an across-the-board wage hike.

1. Flexible Hours – All businesses are different, and some are much easier to allow flexible scheduling than others. However, simply making any effort can have positive results. Employees have lives outside the workplace, and sometimes issues with children come up, family emergencies, or simply needing a nice vacation. Allowing employees to have some flexibility is a great way to keep them happy. If a employee asks to leave work early to pick up their child from school, letting them go, and having them make up the time later (if you so desire) is much more effective in terms of employee happiness.

2. Casual Fridays and Other Themes – Businesses have many different kinds of dress codes. Some are strict, and business formal, while others lean towards business casual. No employee likes wearing a suit and tie every day, so allowing employees specific days of the week to “dress down,” is a great way to keep them happy. Making the dress-down day theme oriented can also produce great results (usually, something more inventive than a simple Hawaiian shirt day will have better results). Potential ideas include, sports teams, colleges, wear your favorite sweater, and so on.

3.  Coffee and Tea for Everyone – It’s no secret that a little caffeine can do wonders in terms of motivating an employee. It’s often difficult to complete tasks if you are run-down, or otherwise simply very tired. Giving employees a high quality coffee-machine, with a variety of options (including tea, for those who don’t like coffee), is a wonderful decision. In terms of cost, it won’t be as much as raising wages, but it will certainly help motivate some employees to keep working away. There will always be those who disagree, but in my experience, half of the office would be asleep before lunchtime without some coffee or tea.

4. Family Events – Employees like to take their families to work-related events. It’s a great way for them to build new relationships, and just have a good time outside of the traditional workplace. “Family Days,” as they are sometimes called, can be tremendous for employee motivation. Serving good food, maybe some beer, having fun games, and generally making a great experience at a family event is fantastic from an employee-motivational standpoint.

5. Company-wide Competitions – Competition is the mother of productivity. If you can come up with a great competition, with a great reward, you just might find that your employees really get into it. It depends on your industry, but one example would be a sales competition for a sales company. Other competitions can involve things outside of the work place, such as fitness competitions.

6. Child Care Facilities – Sometimes things happen, and employees will need to bring their children to work. If you don’t have anything that could be used as a childcare facility, you risk unhappy employees who will be forced to jump through hoops in order to take care of their kids in difficult situations. Google allows their employees to, in an emergency, bring their kids into work, and Google has nice toys (such as legos) for kids to entertain themselves. If you don’t provide emergency child care for employees, then they may have to start their own daycare business, and that wouldn’t make anybody happy (unless you really like kids).

7. Nice Office Supplies – This may seem funny, but consider it. I don’t know how many employees have complained over the years about a lack of office supplies, but it’s a large number. Employees need supplies to do their work. So having nice post-its, pens, and paper readily available is a must if you’re going to be keeping your employees smiling and working.

8. Parties – Who doesn’t love a good party? In my experience, some of the happiest employees are those who are celebrating a coworker’s birthday and eating some cake. If you are diligent and get everyone in the workplace’s birthdays written down, then you might just see happier employees. The gesture will look great on you as a boss, and it will keep employees being social and happy. Remember to change the cakes though, people like variety. Also, don’t ever cancel the office Christmas Party, it’s the most exciting one of the year.

9. Friendly IT personnel – IT is the bane of the existence of many employees in companies all over the world. There’s nothing more angering and frustrating then coming into work, only to find that your computer is malfunctioning which prevents you from doing your work. Having a friendly, well-staffed, IT department can do wonders for employee happiness. IT people should want to help employees. In fact, at a company like Google, they provide their employees with an opportunity to play video games while they wait for their computer to be serviced. Having this won’t just improve employee happiness; it will also probably improve productivity, as there will be less down time due to computer issues.

10. Delicious Food – If there’s one thing workers really care about, it’s food. Recently, my friends’ work place changed their kitchen manager. The food now apparently “sucks,” which has lead to my friend being unhappy, as well as many of his coworkers. How can employees work hard and be happy if they have empty stomachs, or view the cafeteria food as awful? If the food is delicious and healthy, then employees will be much more well fed and therefore happier. Once again, at Google, employees have access to more food than anyone would ever need. Their employees are ecstatic when it comes to their work, and I think it has a great deal to do with how full their bellies are at the end of the day.

11. Decorations and Windows – There’s nothing more depressing than a dark office with very little windows and seemingly endless rows of cubicles. Employees don’t want to feel as if they are working in a sweatshop. Adding color to the workspace, paintings, and making sure that it is well lit with ample windows can do wonders in terms of employee morale. You don’t have to do a full-scale remodeling, but investing in some artwork and color for your office can have a tremendously positive affect.

12. Be Open to Suggestions – If there’s one thing that people like to do, it’s voice their opinion. Being open to suggestions is one of the simplest and most-effective ways to keep employees happy. If employees feel that their opinion is valued, and if they see some of their suggestions implemented, then they will be much happier. The improvements could also turn out to be really great for your business. After all, two heads are better than one, so if you have all your employees thinking and making suggestions for improvements, then that’s a very positive sign.

Businesses should always be concerned with how happy their employees are. A happy employee will work harder, be more social, and will simply be better for the business than an unhappy employee would be. While raising wages is the quick and easy fix, in the long term, it’s better to focus on a variety of elements to help make employees happier and enjoy their work more. If you take any of these suggestions, I’m sure at least one employee will come into work with a smile on hides or her face every day.

If you’re in the midst of your MBA application, you’re probably swamped by rankings, school comparisons, essay writing, letters of recommendation, and even more headaches. We’re urging you to take one step back, breathe deeply, and browse this list before diving back in. Below are 100 tips and resources to keep you organized and on top of it all.

Rankings and Research

Take school rankings with a grain of salt, but they can be useful when picking back-up schools and evaluating your chances of getting in.

1. Business School and MBA Surveys: Read reviews of business schools like University of Virginia, Purdue, Yale, UT Austin and others.
2. Choosing a Business School: This resource has tips for researching full-time programs, part-time programs, accelerated and Executive MBA programs.
3. Rankings and Admission Criteria: Review percent of applicants accepted, average GMAT score and average student age for schools like MIT, Duke, University of Chicago and more in this chart.
4. Business Schools: BusinessWeek’s rankings are well-respected. Check to see how they rank your top school.
5. Best Business Schools 2008: Get stats of top business schools from U.S. News and World Report here.
6. The Best Part-Time MBA Programs: Going to business school doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job and try to get into Harvard. Here’s a look at the top part-time programs at places like Indiana University and Rollins.
7. Business School Diversity Profiles: Find out which of the top schools offer the best diversity.
8. Best distance-learning MBAs: The Economist lists international distance-learning programs from Open University and IE Business School as its top choices.
9. How do you research programs?: The Wharton Business School has put together this tips guide for researching business schools and programs.
10. Quick Search: Business Programs: The Princeton Review publishes this very useful directory as well as its guide to the rankings.

GMAT Tips

Be sure to gain admission into the best online university with our GMAT tips below.

11. GMAT Score: Before you take the test, understand how it’s scored and what score you’ll need to get into your top school.
12. Build up your floor: Your floor is the level of questions you can consistently answer correctly. Practice easier questions first.
13. Pay attention to the first questions: Your answers to the first few questions of each section are used to determine your level of difficulty, so take your time on these.
14. Don’t fill in guesses randomly: This technique actually counts against you, so West.net recommends that you "try to eliminate at least one answer choice before you confirm your response."
15. Advice on Test Preparation: Learn how to focus on only certain areas, and don’t over prepare yourself.
16. GMAT Math: Achieve a Top Score: Learn how to get a better math score here.
17. GMAT Tips: The Numbers Game: Don’t look for trick questions on the GMAT: everything is supposed to be pretty straightforward.
18. Need-to-Know GMAT Tips and Strategies: Get tips for reading comprehension, data sufficiency questions and more here.
19. GMAT Prep Resources Hacks: Use study guides like the ones found on this list to familiarize yourself with the format of the test beforehand.
20. Take a practice test: Learn the format and prep yourself with practice questions to make yourself feel more comfortable with the GMAT.

Important Dates

Don’t miss the test! Here are links to keeping your dates straight.

21. Take the GMAT: Schedule the GMAT using these tools.
22. Clear Admit application deadlines: This blog posts upcoming application deadlines in its left sidebar.

Standing Out

For help figuring out how to stand out from the rest of the applicants, take a look at this list.

23. The Admissions Office Finds Facebook: This article explains how admissions offices "are seeking applicants through social networking sites," so clean up your profile.
24. How to get into a top MBA program: This About.com article offers advice from admissions representatives from schools like Columbia, UT and others.
25. Understand what sets you apart: Admissions reps want to know how you’re different, so take some time to figure out what it is that makes you different from everyone else, like your family background, small business story or something else.
26. How B-Schools Catch Resume Liars: If you think no one will catch the way you padded your resume, think again. It’s best to be honest.
27. Don’t be shy: The admissions process can be cutthroat, so don’t be shy about sharing your story, speaking up during an interview or acknowledging your racial or ethnic background.
28. Have a clear, specific plan for post graduation: If you want to go to a business school in order to network and learn the skills you need to start your own cosmetics line, put that in your essay and include it in your interview. The more specific, the more you stand out.
29. Letters of recommendation: These can really help your cause, so pick people who know you really well and who believe in your potential.
30. Write a winning essay: Your essay may be one of the most important factors in your entire application process, so make sure it’s error-free, well-organized, and personal.

Tools for Staying Organized

From calendars to practice tests, these tools will keep you better organized.

31. MBA Depot: Use this website to keep track of your choice schools and more.
32. HipCal: HipCal is a great little web-based calendar, address book and alert system that can help you keep track of study time, exam dates and more.
33. Check Seat Availability: Use this tool to preview testing centers before you register.
34. GMAT Practice Tests: GMATCAT.com’s free sample questions are a great help for nervous test takers.
35. Study Suggestions: MBA.com, the website for the Graduate Construction Management Admission Council, has lots of suggestions and tips here.
36. Timing your application: Check out this guide that has tips for planning out the best time to submit your application.

Your Application

Below are tips for cleaning up your application and making sure it’s error-free.

37. Make copies: Before marking up the original, make sure you can make copies or print out several editions so that you won’t have to scratch through or white-out your mistakes.
38. Triple check each question and box: It’s absolutely important that you don’t leave anything blank.
39. Remember your name: Don’t forget your name and/or signature!
40. If you have bad handwriting, type it: Type in your answers if you have terrible, illegible handwriting.

Scholarships and Grants

Part of the admissions process is evaluating what kind of financial aid you need and where you can find it. Read our tips below for help locating scholarships and grants.

41. How to Go to Business School for Free: Don’t discount options like full tuition and hefty grants.
42. Funding and Scholarships: Read tips for evaluating your financial need here.
43. FastWeb: This site lists all kinds of scholarship information that will help you pay for business school.
44. National Association of Women MBAs: Women MBA hopefuls should consider applying for this scholarship.
45. National Black MBA Scholarship Programs: African American applicants may want to apply for assistance through the National Black MBA Association, Inc.
46. NSH MBA: The National Society of Hispanic MBAs also has scholarship programs for Hispanic students going to business school.
47. Scholarships.com: Search by school or scholarship to find the best solution for your needs on this site.
48. FAFSA: You can find federal aid for graduate school, too.
49. Paying for Your MBA: School-Based and Federal Aid: Learn about these two types of MBA tuition assistance here.
50. 4 Things to Know About Receiving Tuition Reimbursement from Your Employer: Getting your boss to pay for your MBA is very tempting, but make sure you’re aware of all the loopholes and fine print first.

Evaluating Your Skills and Experience

From preparing for interviews to asking for letters of recommendation to finding the best MBA program for you, we’ve got a lot of advice and resources to help you evaluate your skills and experience.

51. Career Planning: Learn how to identify your skills using this guide.
52. Leadership Skills Assessment Questionnaire: Rate your leadership skills to help you design your resume and application.
53. How Schools Evaluate Your Application: By understanding how admissions departments analyze your application, you’ll have a better feel for what to include and what to leave out.
54. Personal and Professional Career Assessment: The Harvard Business School has put together this resource to help students identify their strengths, goals and career goals.
55. SMU Admissions Criteria: Here you’ll find plenty of admissions tips as well as gain insight into the kinds of skills and experience candidates are expected to have when they apply to a respected MBA program.
56. Credit for Work Experience: If you’ve already put in many years in the business sector, you might be able to enroll in a program with some credits already satisfied.
57. HBS Gives Advice on Letters of Recommendation: Learn what to ask for when you request letters of recommendation.
58. Work after your undergraduate degree: Most competitive business schools, including international schools require, or at least prefer, their incoming students have a few years of experience working in a business environment.
59. Foundation Skills: Use this resource from The Career Key to better evaluate your marketable skills.
60. Are You Ready for an MBA?: Before you even start researching schools, ask yourself if you’re ready to take the next step and if you’re at the right place in your life to go back to school.
61. Work Experience: Learn "what your work experience says about you" and how others view your experience.

Essays and Interviews

Follow these links to even more tips about acing the interview and writing a winning essay.

62. Application Tips from the MBA Class of 2008: Stanford MBA students share tips in this video.
63. MBA Admissions Essays: Learn strategies for successful essay writing here.
64. Look at Your Competition: Before heading into an interview or writing your essay, anticipate how your competition is going to try to stand out.
65. MBA Admissions Interview: Tips, Sample Questions, Feedback: Access sample interview questions that will help you prepare.
66. Sample MBA Application Essays: Read examples of four types of essays: the background essay, the goals essay, the personal essay and the example of what not to write.
67. MBA Admissions Interview Tips: Before going to an interview, learn how to set your own communication objectives and speak coherently.
68. Write for Acceptance: Consider taking an essay-writing class or getting professional help designing your MBA essay.
69. Application Essay Dos and Donts: Listed in this guide are 20 different dos and donts for MBA application essay writing.
70. Essays: MBA.com’s resource features a list of things all essays should consider and important points to remember when crafting your MBA admissions essay.
71. Admissions Interview Tips: Click on a specific business school to find out what kinds of interview questions they typically ask.

Articles and Guides

This list includes tips about tweaking your resume, analyzing your GPA, and more.

72. MBA Admissions Resume: Read this guide to learn about the characteristics of a good resume.
73. GMAT Test-taker Rights and Responsibilities: You’ll need to familiarize yourself with your rights before taking the tests.
74. Recipe for Disaster: Application Mistakes You Want to Avoid: Learn what not to do when you read this guide.
75. Academic Record: Know how admissions offices will regard your academic record and GPA.
76. Letters of Recommendation: Kaplan shares more tips for making your letter of recommendation personal.
77. MBA Admissions: Low GMAT or GPA: Learn how to address a low GMAT score or GPA during the applications process by reading over this guide.
78. Managing Your Offers: Get tips on what to do when you’re rejected, admitted and deferred.
79. How Important is Your GMAT Score?: If you’re a nervous test taker, read this guide to get a more realistic idea of how much your score matters.
80. Admissions to Business School: Yahoo! Education’s guide to applying to business school lists top schools and admission statistics, and gives you insight into the competition.
81. Glossary of Terms: Look up business school terms to make your application process easier.

Forums and Blogs

Turn to these resources for advice from the people who’ve already been there.

82. GMAT Hacks: This blog has daily tips for cracking the GMAT.
83. MBA Forums: Check out what MBA students are saying to get an impression of what you’ll really encounter in business school.
84. MBA Zone: Categories and threads here include "What are my chances?" and "Application questions."
85. BW Business Schools: BusinessWeek’s forum includes discussions about going back to school, early decision and more.
86. Beat the GMAT: Get tips for acing GMAT strategy, math and verbal sections.
87. GMATClub: Here’s another forum for cracking the GMAT.
88. Veritas Prep: The blog for the Veritas organization has tips on essay writing and more.
89. MBA Admissions Wire: MBA applicants can find plenty of advice and links here.
90. Journey to my MBA: Get tips on the TOEFL, interviews and more on this blog.
91. The MBA Insider’s Blog: UCLA Anderson School of Management offers up plenty of tips and news for its programs.

General Tips

Our last list features a round-up of tips that can help you organize your admissions process.

92. Know why you want to go to business school: This question will come up in your essay, interviews, and everywhere else in the admissions process. Expressing a clear set of goals for how business school will affect you personally is what deans and presidents want to hear.
93. Be thorough: Be thorough with your research, tracking down teachers who can write your recommendations, evaluating your skills, and reviewing your application.
94. Be honest: Admissions directors conduct background checks, so if you lie on your application, you’ll be disqualified immediately.
95. Pick a backup school: It’s the same rule as college, but even more necessary now, since MBA schools are even more competitive. Have a backup school waiting in the wings in case you don’t get in to your first choice.
96. Emphasize Your Leadership Skills: Business schools have an invested interested in how well you can demonstrate leadership skills before, during and after you earn your MBA.
97. Proactively Address Academic Gaps: Make sure all of your prerequisites and transcripts are in order.
98. Every Contact Counts: Don’t blow off an interview or make a rude phone call. Know that every contact with your business school counts.
99. Visit the campus: This shows the school how interested you are and gives you a better idea of how you think you’ll fit in.
100. Prepare adequately for the GMAT: Take practice tests, understand the format, and of course, get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast before the exam!

Preparing to take the GMAT can be a nerve-racking experience, with hours spent memorizing vocabulary and practicing math problems. You can help give yourself an advantage for doing well on the GMAT by making use of the numerous resources that are out there. Many of them won’t cost you a dime and can make a big difference in how you study and perform during the test. Here’s a list we’ve compiled of some of these great resources as well as some helpful tips to get you started on the right track.

Study Tips

Give these tips a try while you’re still in the preparatory stages.

1. Start early. Just starting to study a week before you have to take the exam isn’t going to do you any favors or really help you boost your score that much. Give yourself at least a few months to study slowly and thoroughly before the test day.
2. Study the easy stuff first. While it is good to know how to do the tough stuff on the test, you should work on building your way up. The GMAT will give you problems based on your level and if you can’t solve the easy ones quickly and correctly you’re unlikely to see many truly hard ones.
3. Focus on your weaknesses. If you know you really stink at geometry or can’t understand grammar for the life of you then spend a little extra time on those areas to ensure you’re as prepared as you can be for any questions on the test.
4. Mix it up. Along those same lines, however, make sure you’re not focusing too much on one aspect of the test. Give equal time to practicing for each section so there won’t be any surprises when you’re sitting down to do the real thing.
5. Find out what you do know. It’s hard to know where to focus your studies if you are unsure what you remember from school and still know really well. Spend some time going over practice problems to determine where your weaknesses and strengths are or just to help you learn how to organize and synthesize all the good information that’s already in your brain.
6. Find a method that works. Not everyone studies the same way most effectively. For some, flashcards will be perfect. For others, studying with a partner or a group may work the best. Figure out what helps you remember and learn the material the easiest and stick to it.
7. Make the most of practice tests. While taking practice tests can be time consuming and tiring, there is no surer way to determine how you might actually perform on the real exam. Take at least one or two practice tests before heading into the GMAT to ensure you know what to expect.
8. Know the test format. It may seem like a no-brainer, but knowing how the test is set up and how it will be administered is essential. If you’ve only been practicing out of books and you’re taking the exam on the computer you may be thrown off, so spend some time learning about how the test will go, step-by-step.
9. Create a strategy. You wouldn’t attempt to build a house without a blueprint so why attempt to build your knowledge without a plan of attack? Spend some time figuring out what you want to study and how you want to study it to make the most of your time.
10. Don’t cram the night before the test. While it may not hurt to review a few flashcards or get a last-minute overview, don’t stay up late trying to study the night before the exam. Instead, get some rest. Studies have shown that you’ll actually remember more this way and do better on the test.
11. Have a schedule and stick to it. Spend some time figuring out just how much time you want to dedicate to studying each day or week. Set up a schedule for yourself based on this desire and work as hard has you can to stick to it.

Test Taking Tips

If you’re anxious about taking the test, go over these tips for some suggestions for keeping your cool come test day.

12. Pace Yourself. When taking the GMAT you won’t be doing yourself any favors if you rush through the questions without reading carefully or spend far too long on one or two questions so you don’t have time for the others. Work to find a pace that allows you a happy medium and know just how much time you can afford to spend on each problem.
13. Relax. If you’re hyperventilating you’re going to be spending more time concentrating on breathing than on the test so settle your nerves and calm down. Remember that even if you do absolutely horribly on the test the world is not going to end and you can take it again.
14. Don’t get hung up on mistakes. You may be a perfectionist in normal life, but acting that way on a test won’t help you out. You’re probably not going to get every single answer right and there will be problems that you simply don’t know the correct answer to. Do not let this sidetrack your focus for future problems. Wipe the memory of the previous problem from your mind every time you move onto a new problem instead.
15. Avoid guessing randomly. Unless you’re racing to guess on answers in the last few minutes of your exam time, you really shouldn’t completely guess on an answer. Most of the time you can eliminate one or two that you know aren’t right and guess between a smaller number to give you a better chance of being right.
16. Watch out for baited answers. The makers of these kinds of tests can be sneaky and provide a few answers that reflect commonly made errors or ideas that are somewhat similar. For this reason, ensure that you read questions carefully and get those simple calculations right.
17. Take your time with the first few questions. The first few questions of each section on the GMAT are used to gauge the level you’re at and determine the difficulty of the rest of the exam, so make sure to go through these carefully so you get questions that reflect how much you know. You can catch up later on by answering those easier questions right, but it’s easier in the long run to get it right from the get-go.
18. Use your scratch paper. The test provides you with scratch paper so make the most of it. Sketch out problems that you’re having trouble with or use it to help you make clear concepts you’re struggling with.
19. Don’t waste time reading directions. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t know the directions, but this is something that you should have already done BEFORE the test not something that you’re doing as you’re sitting in the test. Make it a point to know the directions for each section backwards and forwards before you ever show up to take the real test.
20. Stay active, not passive. It’s easy to just let your eyes glaze over and pick the answers that seem the most correct without much though but that’s not the kind of attitude that will get you a great score. Keep your mind up and running as you’re going through the test instead.
21. Don’t watch the clock obsessively. While it’s a good idea to have some notion of how much time you have left, watching the clock like a hawk is just going to stress you out. Focus on the work you’re doing an only check the clock periodically.
22. Remember it will be over before you know it. While the hours it takes to go through the test may seem like an eternity, in reality it will be over before you know it and you can relax.

General Information

Learn the basics about what the GMAT is and how to take it from these sites.

23. How the GMAT CAT Works: If you’ve never taken an exam on a computer before, learn how the computer adaptive test works and what important things you’ll need to know about it that can help you to do better on the GMAT.
24. MBA.com: Check out the official site for the GMAT to learn about the basics of signing up and how the test is put together.
25. Graduate Management Admissions Council: This site is home to numerous resources about being an MBA student but can also provide a wealth of information about the GMAT as well.
26. GMAT Test Structure: Learn just how the GMAT is going to be set up so you can study better for each part.
27. GMAT Scoring Scale: Here you’ll find information on how the GMAT is scored so you can understand what your score means.
28. How to Sign Up to Take the GMAT: To take the test you first need to sign up for it. This step-by-step guide will help you to understand just what you need to do to get signed up.
29. ETS.org: Want to sign up to take the GMAT and find helpful resources like practice exams? Pay a visit to this official site.
30. GMAT Information: Check out this site to learn all the basics about how the GMAT works.
31. What is the GMAT?: Want to go to radiography school but not quite sure just what the GMAT is? This PDF will give you the complete lowdown.
32. GMAT Orientation: Get a great overview of the GMAT including what it will include, how much time you’ll have and how it’s scored from this site.
33. Wikipedia GMAT Entry: Find out all the basics of the GMAT on this encyclopedia entry.

GMAT Strategies

Don’t study or take the GMAT without a plan of attack. Use these sites to provide some guidance and advance planning instead.

34. Top 5 Test Day Strategies: Learn some great ways to keep your focus and ensure you do as well as you’re capable of doing on the test with these helpful strategies.
35. GMAT Prep Plans: This site provides study plans for those with as much as a month to study and as little as a few days to maximize the effectiveness of studying.
36. GMAT Strategy: Here you’ll find some suggestions on how to prepare for the GMAT, what common mistakes are made and more from this site.
37. Nova Test Prep GMAT Strategies: If you scroll down past the ads, you’ll find some helpful strategies for the GMAT that can help you breeze through questions with confidence.
38. Honing Your GMAT Strategy: Business Week provides some helpful suggestions on prepping for the GMAT no matter how much time you have to study.
39. GMAT Prep Pointers: Learn some of the common pitfalls that affect people when they are studying or taking the GMAT and how you can avoid them.
40. GMAT Test Taking Tips: This blog is home to a multi-post guide to some ways that you can help yourself on the GMAT.
41. 10 Ways to Crack the GMAT: Here you can find some helpful tips and links to resources that can give you some assistance studying for the test.
42. Prep Strategies for the GMAT: Check out this site for some interesting GMAT stats and tips to help you stay calm and focused while taking the test.
43. Top Tips for the Test: This site provides some basic dos and don’ts for taking the GMAT that can help make a big difference come test day.
44. GMAT Test Taking Strategies: Here you’ll find four big strategies that you can consider using when taking the GMAT to help boost your score.

Helpful Tools and Resources

Whether you’re looking for others to share the experience with or just need some helpful tools and pointers, check out these sites.

45. Beat the GMAT: This forum provides tons of information on each portion of the test, answers to common questions, ways to meet up and much more.
46. GMAT Club: Aspiring MBA students from around the world can join this club and get help and resources to take the GMAT from this site.
47. Are Your GMAT Scores Competitive?: Check out this site to find out if your score on the GMAT will help you to get into a top business school.
48. GMAT Hacks: This blog provides some tips on getting discounts on GMAT study materials as well as some tips and resources to help you do well.
49. GMATTutor: Need some resources to help you study? You’ll find just about anything you could want on this site.
50. LearnHub GMAT Prep: Visit this hub to join thousands of other members who are taking advantage or articles and study tools available through the site.
51. Last 14 Days of Study: So you’re down to the last two weeks before your exam. Check out this site to find out how you can make the most of that time.
52. Attacking Each Section of the GMAT: Go through the GMAT section by section to learn what to expect and get some pointers on what to look out for in each.
53. GMAT Meetup: Use this online tool to find GMAT study groups and classes in your area so you don’t have to go it alone.
54. ScoreChase: Commune with others who are studying for the GMAT on this site by participating in the forum. You’ll find answers to some common questions and some tips for studying.
55. GMAT and MBA Blog: This blog can keep you updated with the latest news for those getting their MBA and some study tips and tools for those planning to take the GMAT.

Study Guides and Tools

Check out these lists, quizzes and flashcards to help you get an awesome score and gain admission into the best online colleges.

56. English Test.net: For those who need a little extra attention for the verbal portion of the test, check out this site. You’ll find loads of quizzes and vocab exercises.
57. Business Week GMAT Preparation: Take the advice of Business Week and get your GMAT study off the ground with the tips and tools offered here.
58. GMAT Flashcard Study System: These flashcards aren’t free, but if you want to sign up with this site you can get access to a collection of professionally produced flashcards to aid your study.
59. GMAT Flashcards: Take advantage of these flashcards to study for certain portions, especially those related to math, of the GMAT.
60. GMAT Practice Tests: This site offers not only practice tests but a wide range of helpful study guides so you’ll know what to expect on every section of the test.
61. GMAT Vocabulary Builder: Improve your vocabulary skills for the GMAT and beyond with this site.
62. GMAT Vocab Lists: If you need some guidance as to what vocab words might show up on the GMAT then check out this forum for some suggested words you should know.
63. Quizlet GMAT Flashcards and Study Tools: Here you can find flashcards and an array of other study tools to help you get through your study sessions more productively.
64. GMAT Flashcards: If you find flashcards to be a helpful study tool then look no further than this site which has a great collection of pre-made GMAT flashcards.
65. MBA Podcaster: This site has a great collection of podcasts for those already earning their MBAs as well as prospective students. There’s even a special collection of GMAT podcasts that you can listen to for some additional test prep.
66. Mark Rice’s GMAT Study Guide and Notes: Want to learn from the experience of someone who’s been there before you? Then give this site a look. You’ll find all kinds of helpful study and test-taking tips.

Preparatory Courses and Products

Get some great advice and information on what you need to do well on the GMAT through the offerings of these companies.

67. The Princeton Review: This company offers classes to those planning on taking the GMAT. Check out their site to see where the classes are that are closest to your hometown.
68. Kaplan: Get personalized attention and help from the classes offered by Kaplan. You can sign up online to find courses offered in your area.
69. Manhattan GMAT: Residents of New York can take advantage of this prep service which can offer personalized tutoring and courses to boost your scores.
70. Veritas GMAT Prep: With sites all over the US and the world, this company can be a big help to prepping for the GMAT no matter where you live. Check out on-site courses or an online alternative.
71. WinGMAT: Get some help studying for the GMAT through this online program. You can sign up to use it for as little as $3.99 a day.
72. GMAT CAT.com: Check out this site to get access to materials and guidance that can help you score better on the GMAT.
73. UNC Charlotte Exam Prep: Those who live near the University of North Carolina-Charlotte can sign up for a prep course offered through the university. If you don’t live in the area, check with colleges in your area to see if they offer similar services.
74. GMAT Secrets: This site offers a specially designed study guide that aims to help you do better on the GMAT.
75. PowerScore: You can sign up for classes with this company and get advice and information from instructors that can help you do better on the test.
76. GMAT Simulator: If you want to get the authentic experience of taking the exam more than just with the free exams that the official test site offers then consider purchasing this program.
77. Test Circle: Use an interactive and on-demand video course to get additional information and strategies about taking the GMAT.
78. Integrated Learning: If you think you might need some one-on-one tutoring to help you out with prepping for the GMAT, you’ll find it on this site.

Sample Tests and Questions

Make sure you’re prepared for the real deal by taking these practice tests ahead of time.

79. Test Prep Review: Check out this site for helpful test practice, flashcards, and a study guide.
80. 800 Score.com: Want to score an 800 on your GMAT? Learn how to get close or on the mark with some guidance from the practice exams on this site.
81. Kaplan Practice GMAT: Kaplan offers courses to help you do better on the GMAT as well as these free online practice exams.
82. GMAT Test Prep: Here you can test yourself on the verbal, quantitative and analytical portions of the GMAT.
83. Syvum GMAT Test Preparation Exercises: This test prep company offers some free online resources in the form of these helpful test questions to get you in good shape for the real thing.
84. Princeton Review Practice Test: Even if you’re not taking courses with Princeton Review you can use their online tests and questions to practice.
85. GMAT Test Questions: Here you’ll find sample questions that will test you on every section of the exam to ensure you’re ready.
86. 4Tests GMAT Practice: This site offers a few verbal and math questions for you to get some practice as well as links to other online exams.
87. Peterson’s Free GMAT Practice Test: This timed practice test will help you get an idea of how you’ll perform on the GMAT when you actually take it.
88. MicroEdu Free GMAT Test: Take a text based exam on this site and get complete explanations of the answers to help you know where you went wrong.
89. MBA Schools GMAT Practice Tests: This site offers one free practice test that can help you get ready and find out where your weaknesses are in studying.

GMAT Study Books

If you want to study for the test on your own or need a supplement for a course, check out these helpful publications.

90. The Official Guide for GMAT Review: The Graduate Management Admissions Council puts out this publication which offers loads of practice questions, explanations of why you’re right or wrong, free computer-based tests, and much more.
91. EZ GMAT Math Strategies: Focus on the math portion of the exam with this book, with helpful advice on how to study and make the most of your time during the quantitative part of the test.
92. Kaplan GMAT Premier Program: Study for the GMAT using this book. You’ll get practice questions and exams to test your skills as well as some test-taking strategies.
93. Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review: With this book you’ll be able to focus your studies on the verbal section and have access to numerous practice questions, some of which might even show up on your actual exam.
94. Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review: If you’re struggling with the math portion, consider checking out this book. You’ll be able to go through hundreds of practice problems and access your strengths and weaknesses.
95. Cracking the GMAT: This book comes complete with a DVD that gives tutorials as well as hundreds of prep questions, practice exams and more from the Princeton Review.
96. Kaplan GMAT 800: If you’ve already mastered the basics, check out this book to get access to some of the toughest questions you may be asked on the GMAT.
97. The Ultimate Math Refresher for the GRE, GMAT and SAT: Review some basic and advanced math concepts through this book so you’ll be prepped on all fronts for the GMAT.
98. Barron’s GMAT: Barron’s puts out this GMAT study guide that contains practice questions and study strategies.
99. GMAT for Dummies: Part of the popular Dummies series, this book breaks down how to study for and do well on the GMAT in a way that’s easy to understand and apply.
100. The Ultimate Verbal and Vocabulary Builder for the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT and LSAT: Check out this book to get some extra help with the verbal part of the exam. You’ll get helpful advice on building up your vocabulary and learning the basics of correct grammar.