COBRA

Cobra is a continually expanding business encyclopaedia covering all aspects of starting and running a business. From writing a business plan to expanding an existing business, COBRA contains around 4000 factsheets, market reports, contacts, and sources of funding and support to help entrepreneurs and their advisers.

Cobra Business Opportunity Profiles

Business Opportunity Profiles (BOPs) provide practical, factsheet style guides to starting up more than 350 different types of business, in the following business sectors

•Animals and pets

•Business services

•Clothing and accessories

•Farming and horticulture

•Food and drink

•Health and beauty

•IT and telecoms

•Personal services

•Residential property services

•Retail services

•Sport and leisure

Cobra Business Information Factsheets

Business Information Factsheets (BIFs) provide concise, informative and practical guides to over 300 management issues which have been categorised as follows

•Finding Business and Market Information

•Management

•Marketing

•Office and Premises

•Personnel

•Raising and Managing Finance

•Starting a Business

•Trading Abroad

•Trading Legally

Cobra UK Market Synopses

- market research guides and synopses covering dozens of UK business sectors

Cobra Local Area Profiles

- summaries of vital business information specific to local, urban and rural areas around the UK, covering the business and commercial environment and sources of business support in each local area, including training and advice, financial support, workspace and networking opportunities.

Cobra Business Support and Finance

- a directory of over 2,000 business support schemes, initiatives, grants, subsidies, events and providers of support and assistance to small firms in the UK

Cobra Business Legal Library

- clear and concise explanations on over 300 current laws and regulations facing small businesses.

Cobra Sources of Business Information

- a directory of organisations dealing with issues relevant to setting up and running a small business. Provides details of who they are and what they do.

Cobra Events and Exhibitions

- a national database of events and exhibitions.

Cobra Useful Contacts

- a directory containing contact details for organisations of interest to anyone involved in setting up or running a business.

Cobra is available to use from any computer anywhere using your library card number to access it.

Click here to access Cobra

If you would like to use any of our business information resources and require further assistance please contact one of the Reference Information team at:

Oldham Reference Library

PO Box 523

Greaves St

Oldham

OL1 9BE

Tel: 0161 770 8036

Fax: 0161 626 6675

E-mail: ecs.reference.lib@oldham.gov.uk