Economic Websites

Tutor2u is a portal site for students of Economics, Business Studies and Politics. The objective of Geoff Riley is to build a comprehensive, user friendly study portal, and to contribute to the study and examination success of all our users. At the heart of Tutor2u lies the Discussion Forums. A widening range of bulletin-board style discussion groups that provide users with a unique opportunity to interact with each other. In just 16 months, the Discussion Forums have attracted over 2,000 registered users and some 19,000 posts. Tutor2u also includes a range of study materials. The comprehensive collection of revision notes covers the key areas of economics and politics. Tutor2u maintains one of the Web's most comprehensive collections of reviewed study links, carefully categorised and described to help users find the data and support they need.

International Finance and Development: As part of the University of Iowa's Global Studies Program, Enrique R. Carrasco and his students have produced an electronic book on International Finance and Development. The E-Book has been written for laypersons and is fairly easy to read. It looks at the key concepts relating to international finance and development. Key issues covered include the role of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in the globalised economy. The website has a chronology of key events relating to international finance and development and a Bulletin Board to exchange ideas and information. An outstanding website that provides an insight into what reference books will be like in the future.

UK Business Park: This website provides comprehensive information on UK business activity, including news on acquisitions, new projects, expansion plans, strategy and major new products. Material is organised under sixteen topics: chemicals, computers, construction, energy, engineering, financial services, food & drink, health care, leisure, media, motor, packaging, retailing, transport, opportunities for employment and mergers & acquisitions. Information can also be accessed by searching for specific companies.

The Marx/Engels Archive: This website provides a comprehensive collection of the writings of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels. The material available is constantly expanding and eventually it will contain everything the two men published. It also includes material from writers influenced by Marx and Engels. The website is produced by a group of volunteers from Colorado's Progressive Sociology Network and is completely free to use. The authors tell us that "the real profit will hopefully manifest in the form of individual enlightenment through easy access to these classic works".

Bank of England: The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. The Bank was founded in 1694, nationalised in 1946, and gained operational independence in 1997. This website briefly describes what the Bank does - its main activities and responsibilities. From here you can go to the different areas of the website to find out more about each part of the Bank's work and the relevant material produced by the Bank. This includes material on monetary policy, financial markets, banknotes, banking, financial stability, and the Euro.

British Economy Survey: Statistics for Education has made available on its web site, back issues of the British Economy Survey going back to the autumn 1999 issue. This journal provides an essential up-to-date source of information on the state of the British economy. The contributors are all experienced writers in the areas of Economics and Business Studies and choose their own approach to each topic. The blend of analysis and vital factual information will vary from section to section, but the overall aim is to provide a critical understanding of a wide range of contemporary developments. It is organised under 14 regular sections: 1: Government economic policy; 2: Structure of industry; 3: The public sector ; 4: The monetary system; 5: Public finance; 6: Industrial relations and employment; 7: The UK balance of payments; 8: The UK and the European Union; 9: The UK and the world economy; 10: Human resources in business; 11: Production and operation; 12: Marketing; 13: Accounting and finance; 14: Special article; Questions and answers.

Times 100: The Times 100 Case Studies with Business News is a resource for 14 to 18 year old students of business studies and their teachers. It provides case studies on actual companies and other organizations demonstrating business theory in practice. Edition 7 is designed to run three times faster than previous sites. It's also designed to be easier to navigate, with more links between more pages. However the most important navigation feature helps you find exactly what you need from the 100,000 words on the site. You can now search by course e.g. GCSE and from this page, you can also search by specification e.g. GCSE AQA 3132.

American Stock Exchange: The Amex website provides a comprehensive resource for investors and issuers seeking the unique market environment offered at the American Stock Exchange. Investors and issuers now have access to the market and historical data, charts and tools, and news and education. Students will find American Stock Exchange Financial Dictionary very useful.

Biz/ed Newsletter: This is a unique feature of Biz/Ed in that it incorporates a current news item and develops this into a theoretical analysis. The piece draws on the glossary, diagram bank and chronology sections to allow students to download a range of materials relevant to the topic being discussed. In the periods immediately before public examinations two editions are published weekly and concentrate on the major topics included in the AS and A2 papers of both Business Studies and Economics.

Entrepreneur: This online version of the Entrepreneur magazine provides a wealth of information on starting, growing and managing a small business. The material is organized under the following headings: Starting Out, Homebased Business, Franchise Zone, Technology, Tools & Services, How-Tos, e-Business, Sales & Marketing, Money & Finance, Opportunities and Management. There is also an Ask the Experts section.

American Currency Exhibit: Money hasn't always looked like it does today. Explore the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's American Currency Exhibit online and watch history come alive as you step back in time. The website reveals that America's history is closely tied with currency. Visitors can tour exhibits by Era (Independence, Westward Expansion, Civil War, Industrial Revolution, Metal Standards, National Stability and World Standard).

Commanding Heights: This site offers a comprehensive overview of global economic history from the beginning of the First World War. Along with a six-hour video narrative divided into short chapters, it includes extensive interviews, essays, charts, reports, an interactive atlas of history, and economic data related to the topics of globalization, economic development, and international trade. The purpose of this PBS site is to promote better understanding of globalization, world trade and economic development, including the forces, values, events and ideas that have shaped the present global economic system.

Friends and Fortunes: In this economic simulation you compete with four experts. Each of you wants to build a successful business empire. The game consists of 12 stages. Players make decisions according to the rules for each stage. Rules for each stage are simple and are given during the game. During play it is useful to collect as many companies as possible. Each company increases a player's strength during the stage Partnerships and Power. After the final stage players tally their wealth: cash, plus companies, plus deeds, minus any loans.

EH Net: This website has been established to provide a wide range of internet-based services to economic historians, historians of economics, economists, historians, related social scientists and the public. These services include an Ask the Professor service, research abstract and book review series, a collection of course syllabi, a directory of economic historians, an Encyclopedia of Economic and Business History, several databases, numerous links to websites related to economic history, and the popular "How Much Is That" services - which allows users to easily look up historical prices, interest rates, wage rates, GDP statistics, exchange rates and inflation rates.

Upstarts Awards: Funded by the New Statesman, the Upstarts Awards exist to promote the best of UK social enterprise and spread the idea of social entrepreneurs as a dynamic force for change. The awards highlight and reward individuals with extraordinary vision and a commitment to social enterprise. There are six awards and more than £20,000 worth of prizes to be won this year. Previous winners include the Eden Project in Cornwall and McSence in Midlothian.

John Birchall Economist: This website features a section on Sierra Leone, where John Birchall is developing a range of facilities to bridge the digital divide that exists between the rich world and those in developing economies. Another section concentrates on primary health care, which is to feature in teacher training in Sierra Leone. Further sections concentrate on: The European Union, general items and copies of some of the lectures that John Birchall has presented over the last couple of years. His weekly Letter from an Economist also appears as does a discussion forum which will be used for developing an online Current Affairs facility for Sierra Leone.