General Business Environment

Business Environment - Overview

• Country Commercial Guide. U.S. Department of State. Available through Countries, at Export.gov-(register, choose Market Research > Country & Industry Reports), or through Stat-USA (GLOBUS & NTDB > Country Commercial Guides)
• Country Commerce. EIU or through Countries
• Country Finance. EIU or through Countries.
• Doing Business In... HLB International.
• Doing Business In...WorldBank - Business conditions
• World Investment Service. EIU - Macroeconomy, Investment, Business Costs 
• Guides to Doing Business series. Lex Mundi. . Guides developed by member law firms. See also their also International Business Transactions Checklist.
  
• BuyUSA.gov. U.S. Dept. of Commerce portal for exporters and importers. 
• Export.Gov Country & Industry Market Research - you will need to register.
  Portal for US country reports on tariffs, trade, travel, market research, and other reports, many of which are included in Stat-USA.
• Dun’s Export Encyclopedia. Annual. Information Desk1 HF3011.E9  

Human Capital Development

Resources providing data on education systems, education & social demographics, literacy, management culture & training, etc. Search News & Research Articles as well.

• Country Profile. EIU or through Countries.
• Human Development Indicators. UN Development Programme. A supplement to the Human Development Report.
• Higher Education Systems. UNESCO, International Association of Universities
• Education at a Glance. OECD. 
• …: A Country Study. US Library of Congress. – General Collection
• World Education Encyclopedia: A survey of educational systems worldwide Information Desk1 LB 15 .W87 2001 v. 1-3
• Human Capital Investment: An International Comparison. Information Desk1 LC67.O43 H86 1998
• Culturgrams  Information Desk1 GT150.C85 vols. 1-2
• International Higher Education: An Encyclopedia. Reference LB15.I59 1990 vol. 1-2
• UNESCO Statistical Yearbook. Information Desk1 AZ361 .U45 2001

For business culture:

Regional Encyclopedia of Business and Management Reference HF1001.R44 2000 vols. 1-4. Similar information in International Encyclopedia of Business & Management Reference HF1001.I53 1996 vols. 1-6

Corporate Governance

Resources covering organizational structures and related "doing business in..." information. Search News & Research Articles as well.

• Country Commerce. EIU.com or through Countries.
• Country Finance. EIU.com or through Countries.
• Doing Business in.... HLB International. 
• European Corporate Governance Institute  - covers selected countries 
• Emerald Fulltext - includes fulltext of the publication Corporate Governance

Labor Relations Practices

Search News & Research Articles as well.

• Country Commerce. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Profiles. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. U.S. Department of State.
• Foreign Labor Trends. U.S. Department of State. 
• Doing Business in.... HLB International.
• Social Security Programs Throughout the World. Biennial.
• Culturgrams.  Information Desk1 GT150.C85 vols. 1-2

Technology Policy - including Intellectual Property

Search News & Research Articles as well.

• National Trade Estimates, Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. US Trade Representative.
• Country Commerce. EIU or through Countries.
• Doing Business in.... HBL International. 
• Dun’s Export Encyclopedia. Annual. Information Desk1 HF3011.E9
• U.S. Office of Technology & Electronic Commerce. Telecommunications Country Profiles – on the web 
• FACCTS: Faulkner Advisory on Computer and Communications Technologies - choose Telecom & Global Network Services & then Global Telecom & Internet Infrastructure

Trade Policy

• National Trade Estimates, Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. US Trade Representative.
• Trade Policy Reviews: Secretariat's and Government Report summaries. World Trade Organization
• Global Trade Negotiations. Center for International Development at Harvard University -
• Country Commerce. EIU or through Countries.

Industrial Policy

Resources that cover industry support & incentives, regulatory environment and taxation.

• Country Commerce. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Reports. EIU or through Countries.
• OECD Economic Surveys. SourceOECD. - OECD covers selected countries.
• ISI Emerging Markets  - covers each of the countries on the exam.
• europa.eu - European Union gateway

Macroeconomic Tools

• Country Profiles. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Reports. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Finance. EIU or through Countries.
• OECD Economic Surveys via SourceOECD. - Covers selected countries.
• ISI Emerging Markets
• World Bank Country Briefs, etc.
• Bank of International Settlements.
• Hilfe Country Report. Factiva -Enter: sn=hilfe and hd=countryname
• United Nations Regional Economic Commissions.
• Development banks. Regional development banks review current economic situation and development plans.

Major Industries and Natural Resources

Use these sources to identify the major industries in a specific country or major areas for investment.

• Country Profiles. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Reports. EIU or through Countries.
• Country Commercial Guide. U.S. Department of State. Export.gov or through Countries - describes major areas for U.S. investment export.
• Export Statistics Express.

Specific Industries

• Mergent Online -choose Industry Reports, and select your industry.
• ISI Emerging Markets - Select your country, then Industry tab, and then your industry; or use the Search feature.
• EIU's IndustryWire - login to EIU site and scroll down to IndustryWire.
• STAT-USA - choose GLOBUS & NTDB, and search the Market Research Library.
• U.S. Office of Technology & Electronic Commerce - see Industry Focus
• RDS Bizsuite - tables and articles on industries and markets. For Datamonitor Industry Research Reports in the Words and Phrases box enter:datamonitor and select your Industry.
• Factiva - news from sources around the world

Comparative Tables & Statistics

• World Development Indicators. World Bank. - download statistics
  also Information Desk1 HC59.W62
• Euromonitor GMID - macroeconomic, trade, consumer & industry statistics
• SourceOECD - Download data and reports.  See the "Statistics" tab on the toolbar for available databases;  see also "At a Glance," report appendices, and imbedded links.
• USA  Trade Online - Best source for current US trade data such as exports, imports, commodity, and port data.  Download into excel and create charts online.
• Global Competitiveness Report. World Economic Forum. Annual. Information Desk1 HB238.G56
• WorldCompetitiveness Yearbook. Annual. Information Desk1 HF1414 .W67
• Wellbeing of Nations: A country-by-country index of quality of life and the environment. Information Desk1 GE 140 .P74 2001 

News and Research Articles - All Topics

If you need to update or find more information on a topic, consult a news or journal source:

• ISI Emerging Markets 
• ProQuest 
• EBSCOhost  
• Factiva 
• LexisNexis Academic > Business > Country Analysis

If you have any questions, consult with the library staff at the Information Desk, 781-239-4596 or e-mail reference@babson.edu.