BUS 200: Legal & Regulatory Environment of Business: Multiple Points of View

Use information resources to uncover multiple points of view

Compare results from several sources to verify facts, identify trends, and to establish a context necessary to achieve a deep understanding and prepare a comprehensive analysis.

Search Hein Online for legal and political resources related to your topic.

Search CQ Researcher for analysis (and possibly a "Pro / Con" presentation of some facet of your topic).

Find position papers from trade or professional associations, industry-funded organizations, or think tanks. Some well-known think tanks include Rand (nonpartisan); The Cato Institute (libertarian); Brookings (independent); Heritage Foundation (conservative); and the Pew Research Center (nonpartisan).

• Note that the purpose and motivation of think tanks is often called into question, as this recent series of articles (a collaboration between the NY Times and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting) reveals. Similar criticisms can be found in The New Republic [The Credible Think Tank is Dead] and in The Atlantic [The Dilemma of the D.C. Think Tank].
• You can learn more about evaluating think tanks from this library research guide at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  The Library at the Kennedy School has also created this customized Think Tank Search that searches multiple think tanks and other public policy groups.

Results from polls and surveys may be a helpful supplement to your research. A very good library resource is the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. Some free online sources include:

• Pew Research
• Gallup -- includes daily presidential public approval ratings

You may find it useful to support your position (are multiple contradictory positions) with statistics (from a reliable source). A good source for finding statistics (often supported by visually-appealing infographics) about a multitude of topics is Statista (a library database).

Find editorials from newspapers and magazines

• When searching for articles, include terms such as "editorial", "opinion", etc.; or select "editorial" as the specific document type

• Refine your search with biased terms to force skewed results
  • e.g. "consumer arbitration" and "unfair" / "alternative dispute resolution" and "corporate-sponsored lobbying" / etc.

Identify books about your topic, then find book reviews (favorable and critical)

• Select "review" as a document type when doing an article search

Search for articles related to your topic from national media organizations, including the following:

• The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
  • Full text available via TCNJ Library; see the "Finding Articles" tab
• PBS.org: http://www.pbs.org/
• Time: http://www.time.com/time/
• The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/
  • Full text available via TCNJ Library; see the "Finding Articles" tab
• Find broadcasts / transcripts (available in Access World News and Westlaw Next) from reporters and guest commentators on media outlets with opposing slants (e.g. Fox News vs. MSNBC).

Consumer Protection: A Beginner's Guide -- blog posting from the Law Library of Congress

Employment Arbitration -- from the American Arbitration Association

Consumer Disputes -- from the American Arbitration Association

Dispute Resolution Processes and Guides -- from the Better Business Bureau

Arbitration for Consumers -- from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [CFPB]

The Arbitration Clause Hidden in Many Consumer Contracts (article, September 2015) -- from Consumer Reports

Uniform Arbitration Act -- from Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute

Have We Lost A Constitutional Right In The Fine Print? (audio and transcript, November 2015) -- Fresh Air [National Public Radio]

The Finding Articles tab in this guide lists several databases with content that's relevant to this topic.  You may also want to browse issues of the Dispute Resolution Journal of the American Arbitration Association, which appears in several of the library's article databases.