Questions about International Business Research?

  Ask Kate Wenger, your library liaison for business! 

  Call x1247. Email: kwenger@chatham.edu. AIM: askwenger. Stop by: JKM Library 101A.

Section I: Cultural and Economic Analysis

Library Databases

Global Road Warrior

Global Road Warrior provides a variety of information on many countries, including business culture, communications, demographics, money and banking, points of interest, security, society and culture, tips for businesswomen, transportation, and travel essentials. It also includes maps and photographs.

MarketLine Business Information Center

Use Marketline to find information on various countries. Simply browse using the Geography category to find the one you have chosen.

Useful Websites

• Background Notes (U.S. Department of State) - Provides brief overviews covering geography, people, history, government, economy, political conditions, defense, relations with the U.S., and travel and business.
• CIA World Factbook - Provides tons of useful information and statistics on countries, dealing with geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, and more.
• Coface: Country Risk and Economic Research - Provides information on the business climate of many countries along with the worldwide risk information and snapshots of various industry sectors.
• Country Profiles (ELDIS) - Choose a country.  Then navigate through the different areas of agriculture, environment, education, gender, health, trade, and more using the links in the left-hand column.  Once you choose one, select the various links in the center of the page to find news, statistics, organizations, and reports. 

  [NOTE: The BLDS links will take you to a list of print resources which you will then have to try to get through the library.  You may not want to use this.]

• Doing Business - Provides economic data by country, specifically that which would appeal to companies attempting to do business in those countries.  Particular emphasis is placed on business regulations in those countries. 
• Everything International - Provides links to free Internet resources for global business, including country and regional data, company and industry data, international organizations, and much more. 
• Global Resources Directory - Provides links to websites providing country information as well as information on living abroad, culture, conversions, and more.
  
• UHY International - Doing Business Guides - Provides reports on what companies need to know when doing business in over 60 countries.

Section II: Market Audit & Competitive Analysis

Library Databases

MarketLine Business Information Center

Use Marketline to find industry information specific to various countries. Simply browse by industry to find the appropriate one, and you will see a listing of all the reports available.  You can also use MarketLine to find company information, by browsing by name or by industry.

LEXIS NEXIS Academic Universe

Use the Get Company Info search box to look for the name of your company or the ticker.  You can also click on the blue "Companies" button on the left side of the initial search screen to find other information about a specific company.  Choose from the Company Dossier, Company Profiles, and more.

Business Source Elite

While it does not contain comprehensive industry or company reports, you can still search this database for some of the information required for your market audit & competitive analysis.  For example, search for the product and the name of your country to see what articles are available.  Or search for a competitor and look for information on its advertising practices, marketing strategy, forecast, and much more. 

Useful Websites

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Industries at a Glance - Provides data on more than 100 industries.
• Company Insight Center - A great site for finding information about over 42,000 public and 322,000 private companies worldwide, including background, financial, stocks, current news, and much more.  [NOTE: To find a company, use the stock quotes search on the right side of the screen.]
• CorporateInformation.com - Provides some basic information on companies for free.  Additional information is available for a fee.
• Everything International - Provides links to free Internet resources for global business, including country and regional data, company and industry data, international organizations, and much more.
• Foreign Trade Statistics: Country and Product Trade data -  Provides special reports, monetary information on US exports and imports by country, top trading partners, and much more.
• HighBeam Business: Industry Reports - An excellent source of industry information on many different industries.
• Hoovers Online: Free -  Hoovers allows access to some of its company and industry information for free.  However, the JKM Library has access to Hoovers through LexisNexis, which will provide you with more detailed information.  The free version is great once you are no longer affiliated with a college or university.
• Industry Snapshots from the Economic Census - Provides industry data gleaned from the 2007 Economic Census.
• US International Trade Administration - Use TradeStats Express to find monetary information on US exports in various industries.  You can pick a specific country for which to view the data.
• ZapData.com: Industry Reports - [FREE, but registration is required] Provides market analysis reports by metro area and state.