General General 

Business Environment 

Use the following databases to locate overviews of countries including the economic, political, financial and labor environment. 

• Country Commercial Guide. U.S. Dept of State. Covers the political, economic and investment climate, selling your products, contacts and trade events.
• Central Intelligence Agency - includes World Factbook
• See EIU - Country Commerce,  Country Profiles and Country Finance which provide operating conditions, commercial laws, business regulations,  tax laws, investment opportunities, stock markets, social, economic and political issues affecting your country.
• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. U.S. Dept of State. Search by country for detailed reports.
• Doing Business In... HLB International. Covers investment factors, employment regulations, types of organizations and taxes.
• Doing Business In...WorldBank - Ranks the ease of doing business by major topic such as starting a business, employing workers, licenses, credit and taxes.
• Guides to Doing Business series. Lex Mundi. . Guides developed by member law firms. See also their also International Business Transactions Checklist.
• Europa.eu - European Union gateway - links to dozens of topics relating to the EC including culture, customs, freedom, transport and much more.
• Eurostat - official website of the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Register to use for free.  
• SourceOECD. -  covers selected country reports and statistics.
  

Technology Policy 

• Dun’s Export Encyclopedia. HF3011.E9 (Information Desk1) - includes customs and etiquette, advertising, business travel, trade & postal regs., key contacts, consumer protection and product standards.
•  EIU Country Commerce -  Use to locate information on operating conditions, commercial laws and business regulations, permits and registrations, intellectual property and local tax laws.
• List of Directives and Subjects - on the Europa site, this covers conformity with health, safety and environmental requirements.
• Telecommunications Country Profiles – on the web -  U.S. Office of Technology & Electronic Commerce - issues affecting the IT and high tech industries.
• FACCTS: Faulkner Advisory on Computer and Communications Technologies - choose Telecom & Global Network Services & then Global Telecom & Internet Infrastructure to locate reports on telecommunications in several countries.

Trade and Trade Policy

• National Trade Estimates, Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. US Trade Representative. Everything you need to know about foreign trade barriers.
• Country Commercial Guide. U.S. Dept of State.  Political, economic and investment environment, business travel, trade events and more.
• World Trade Organization - see also their  Trade Policy Reviews - regulations and policies that affect doing business in particular countries.  
• 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.
• Trade Shows - top 3 places to go for a list of trade shows

Industry Sources
Use these sources to find information on a specific industry including reports and articles.

• Mergent Online -choose Industry Reports, and select your industry for general overviews.
• S & P NetAdvantage - choose Industry (top menu bar), then choose Region/Europe and industry for general overviews focusing on the financials of an industry. 
• Euromonitor-GMID - some general country and global market research reports
• STAT-USA - choose GLOBUS & NTDB, and search the Market Research Library for market overviews.  
• U.S. Office of Technology & Electronic Commerce - see Industry Focus for reports on telecomm, e-commerce, IT and more.
• Mintel - offers reports on a variety of industries with some international
• 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 international sources - try typing your country and product or industry name. See the instruction page for search techniques.

Comparative Tables & Statistics
This section provides databases that offer statistics on foreign trade, economic indicators and industries.

• Euromonitor GMID - macroeconomic, trade, consumer & industry statistics
•  Europa.eu - Click on the Services tab in the middle of the page and then 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.
• World Development Indicators - Over 500 indicators from the World Bank

News and Research Articles - All Topics

• ProQuest - good scholarly articles and trade journals.
• EBSCOhost - good scholarly articles, trade journals, Datamonitor company reports.
• Factiva  - covers over 12,000 U.S. and international publications.
• 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.

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