International Business Resources
High Library, Elizabethtown College

Reference Sources
     Background and cultural information on all countries
        Additional info--China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain
     Statistics and Economic Information
     Corporate Information
     Company and Industry Rankings
     Other Reference Materials
     Bibliographies & Research Guides

Finding Books to check out

Finding Journal Articles
       
Finding a copy of the article

Internet Sources
    Regional Information
    Trade and Export
    Organizations
    Foreign Governments and Law
    Meta-Sites    

Citation Guides

These are only some of the sources that may be useful to you. For further help with your research, please call the reference desk at ext.1461 or email AskUs

Reference Sources

Background Information on Countries
Background Notes     Ref 327.09 Un58b
    Profiles from the U. S. State Department include geography, people, government and political conditions, economy, history, trade, exchange rate, national security, foreign relations as well as travel and business information. Updated yearly.

Area Handbooks/Country Studies
"Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors."

CIA World Factbook.
The Central Intelligence Agency provides basic background information by country.

Europa Year Book     Ref 341.184 Eu89 (1960 to present, in the general collection)
    Find more in depth coverage of countries here. Includes detailed statistics. Updated yearly.

Nations of the World: a political, economic and business handbook. Ref 327.09 N277

Political Risk Yearbook.     Ref 327.09 P76905?--ending portion of call number varies
    Includes background information on geography, history and social conditions. Goes into depth on forecasting political conditions and how those scenarios mgith affect the economy and investments. Updated yearly.

The Statesman's Year-Book.     Ref 305 St29

The World Today Series.
    Africa (Ref 327.0905 Af258) , Canada (Ref 327.0905 C212) , East & South East Asia & the Western Pacific (Ref 327.0905 Ea13), Latin America (Ref 327.0905 L357), Middle East & South Asia (Ref 327.0905 M627), Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Ref 327.0905 R969), Western Europe (Ref 327.0905 W527).  Updated yearly.

Cultural Information
Culturgrams.  Ref 390 C968

Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Ref 306.03 En56

Peoples of the World. Ref 306.M913p
    Brief, easy to read country and cultural information. Volumes include: Africans south of the Sahara, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet Republic, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, North Americans, Western Europeans.

Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World.  Ref 658.848 M882d

Robert T. Moran's Cultural Guide to Doing Business in Europe. Ref 382.094 M829r2

Do's and Taboos around the world: a guide for international behavior.  Ref 395.52 D722

Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: How to do business in sixty countries. Ref 395.52 M882k

Fourth World Documentation Archives
The Center For World Indigenous Studies provides online library of texts which record and preserve indigenous peoples' struggles to regain their rightful place in the international community.

China
Modern China: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture & Nationalism. Ref 951.003 M689

A Practical English-Chinese Pronouncing Dictionary. Ref 495.132 C518p

Culture and Customs of China. 951 G975c

People's Republic of China and the IMF

Your Dictionary.com (Chinese language dictionaries)

Foreign languages for travelers
Scroll down the page to discover brief language lessons, translating dictionaries, and more, for many of the world's languages.
 
Human-Languages Page
Links to language resources.

France
Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture. Ref  944.0803 En56

Larousse French-English/English-French Dictionary. Ref 443.21 F873

Business France: a practical guide to Understanding French Business Culture.  395.520944 K34bf

The Business Culture in France. 650.0944 G662b

France and the International Monetary Fund

Your Dictionary.com (French language dictionary)

Foreign languages for travelers
Scroll down the page to discover brief language lessons, translating dictionaries, and more, for many of the world's languages.
 
Human-Languages Page
Links to language resources.

Germany
Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture. Ref 943 En56

The New Wildhagen German Dictionary: German-English/English-German. Ref 433.2 W673n

Culture and Customs of Germany. 306.0943 B531c

Germany: Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette. 943 T655

Germany and the International Monetary Fund

Your Dictionary.com (German language dictionary)

Foreign languages for travelers
Scroll down the page to discover brief language lessons, translating dictionaries, and more, for many of the world's languages.
 
Human-Languages Page
Links to language resources.

Japan
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture Ref 952.0403 En56

Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Ref 952.003 J35

Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Ref 952.003 K76

Modern Japan: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Nationalism Ref 952 M689

Kodansha's Romanized Japanese-English Dictionary. Ref 495.6 V222k

Culture and Customs of Japan. 952 K15c

Japanese Language and Culture for Business and Travel. 495.6 H639j

Japan and the International Monetary Fund

Your Dictionary.com (Japanese language dictionaries)

Foreign languages for travelers
Scroll down the page to discover brief language lessons, translating dictionaries, and more, for many of the world's languages.
 
Human-Languages Page
Links to language resources.

Spain
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Culture. Ref 946.082 En56

Espanol-Ingles/English-Spanish Dictionary. Ref 463.21 G748

The Business Culture in Spain. 395.520946 B913b

Culture and Customs of Spain. 946.08 St792c

Spain and the International Monetary Fund

Your Dictionary.com (Spanish language dictionaries)

Foreign languages for travelers
Scroll down the page to discover brief language lessons, translating dictionaries, and more, for many of the world's languages.
 
Human-Languages Page
Links to language resources.

Basic Statistics and Economic Information

International Financial Statistics. (1948+)
     Includes exchange rates, fund position, international liquidity, money and banking statistics, nonbank financial institutions, interest rates, prices and production, international transactions. Paper issues (2001 to present) located in reference area--Ref 332.05 In61

International Data Base
The International Data Base (IDB) is a computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for all countries of the world.

Demographic Yearbook.  Ref 312 Un58d
     Statistics for population, legal abortions, birth, deaths, life expectancy, and mortality for over 200 countries.

Year-book of Labour Statistics. Ref 331.05 In8

International Trade Statistics Yearbook.   Ref 382.058 Un58y
     Statistics for more than 150 countries with listings by SITC (standard international trade code).

European Marketing Data and Statistics Ref 338.094 Eu89

International Marketing Data and Statistics. Ref 382.09 In61 2001

IMF Survey.  Current Periodicals.
 
Survey of Current Business.   Located with Current Periodicals (monthly)
Special issues of interest:

World Development Report. Ref 332.1506 W927
    Investigates economic conditions in developing countries.

World Economic Outlook. Ref 338.91 W9272
    This IMF publication surveys the economic developments and policies in its member countries and watches developments in the international financial markets and the global economic system.

State of the World. Ref 338.9 St797
    Reports on the environmental and social challenges facing society and the progress the world has made in responding to them.

Corporate Information

LexisNexis Business
    Select 'Company Profiles' for a brief Hoover's report on the company. The search defaults to reports issued within the last six months. Select 'Company Financials' to retrieve that type of information.

Business Source Elite
    Click on the Company Profiles link on the bar below the tabs. Datamonitor reports are available in PDF format for some international companies.

Hoover's Handbook of World Business. Ref 338.74 H7893 2001
    Provides more in depth analysis of specific international corporations.

LexisNexis Corporate Affiliations. Ref 330.016 D598
    Volume 7 & 8 provide directory information on international corporations.

Company and Industry Rankings

Lexis Nexis Business
    Click on 'Industry and Market', use multinational companies or equivalent search terms, select the industry from the drop down menu. The search defaults to articles published within the last six months. Adjust the time frame to increase or decrease the number of results displayed.

Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys.  Ready Ref 332.67 St785i
    Focus is mostly on U.S. businesses.

U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook  Ref 338.4 Un58u
     Recent trends and outlooks for about 350 industries, including trade information. 

Company Rankings in Business Periodicals:

Other Reference Materials

Exporters' Encyclopaedia.  Ref 382.6 Ex962
    Includes best U.S. export prospects to specific countries, product standards, marketing and trade regulations.

Transnational Accounting. Ref 657 T772 2001
    Excellent source. Arranged by country, chapters focus on regulatory bodies, general principles, bookkeeping, balance sheets, and special accounting areas for individual accounts and group accounts.

Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of International Management  Ref 658.03 B632

International Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Ref 650.03 In61

Encyclopedia of Busine$$ and Finance. Ref 658 En56

Merriam-Webster's Guide to International Business Communications.  Ref 060.25 At791m

Bibliographies &  Research Guides

The Thunderbird Guide to International Business Resources on the World Wide Web. Ref 025.0665 D284t

Internet Resources and Services for International Business: a Global Guide. Ref 025.06 L783i

International Business Information: How to Find it, How to Use it. Ref 332.1753 P13312

Business Information Sources. Ref 330.016 D185b

The Business Library and How to use it:  A Guide to Sources and Research Strategies for Information on Business and Management. Ref 027.69 B979

Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources. Ref 330.016 En56

Finding Books

Search in the library catalog under the following subject headings to find materials relating to international business.

Business Culture in Europe.  395.52094 R191b

Do's and Taboos around the world for women in business. 395.52 D7222

Doing business in...[country or region]
     See the library catalog for a full listing of the countries and regions. The library has books on the following countries: India, China, Eastern Europe, Mexico, Japan, South Africa, Russia, etc.

Finding Journal Articles

Use the following indexes to find journal articles or current information on a company or industry.  Bibliographies or lists of further reading at the end of the article, may provide leads to other resources.

Lexis Nexis Business (varies)
    Contains a wealth of full text information on business and industry, including articles from newspapers, magazines, newswires and media transcripts.  Also includes detailed financial data about companies, and extensive industry and market information.

 Business Source Elite (varies)
    Provides full text for nearly 1050 journals covering business, management, economics and finance.

Communication and Mass Media Complete (varies)
    Includes citations and full text articles on marketing.
 
 Accounting and Tax Index (1991 to present in reference index area)

PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service). 1970-2004. (level 1 of the library).
    Excellent source of citations about foreign countries.

Finding a copy of the article?

What is available here and now?
Search for full text articles in journals using the following link: Locate E-town Journals.
Type the name of the journal next to 'Find:' and then press 'Search'. Full text can be electronic or within the library in paper, microfiche or microfilm.
Check the publication dates of the article against the listing of years for the database or the years listed 'Within the High Library'. If the database includes those years, click on the link, add in an author's name or title of the article. The full text link should appear at the end of the citation.
    Current year paper issues of journals in the High Library are on the entrance level.
    Older print journals are on Level One, alphabetically by journal title.
    If the journal is in microfiche or microfilm, copies can be made in the library.. Ask the reference librarian or circulation student assistants for help.   Order copies online by using ILLiad   Click on Request an Article and fill out the form. You will receive an email when the article is available on ILLiad for downloading.

What if it is not here?
Order items from another library, if The High Library doesn't own that specific journal or have it for the years that you need it. Requesting the article can be done through the databases or through the following software link: ILLiad (Interlibrary Loan). Allow a minimum of 4-5 working days for the article to arrive.

Internet Sources

Tips for finding Quality Cost-Free Internet Resources in International Business written by Professor Wayne Selcher.

International Business Resources -- St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin
    The following list, originally prepared by staff at St. Norbert College, in De Pere, Wisconsin, is a comprehensive annotated list of web sites of value to researchers in international business.

Regional Information   Developed by the University of Texas, this site provides information specifically related to four regions of the world: UT INTERNATIONAL NETWORK INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Asia
Latin America
Middle East and
Russia and Eastern Europe

Other region specific information
Canada - Strategis is a great master site for both Canadian and worldwide international trade links. One of the top 10 international business sites.
Latin America
Europe

Trade & Export  

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code Search
For information about the new NAICS System, including a comparison of SIC & NAICS.

Standard International Trade Classification (SITC)
Listing of SITC codes.

Country Library
Arranged by area then country, this site provides background information on each country, market research reports, trade information, key contacts and other useful information. An excellent starting place!

U.S. Dept. of Commerce
A variety of information from the different Department of Commerce sites including the Bureau of Export Administration, the International Trade Administration and others.

International Trade Administration
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Trade Information Center is the first stop for information about all federal export assistance programs. This site provides export information, trade leads, financing information, country & regional market information, etc.

Office of Trade and Economic Analysis
Available information includes trade data in the Tradestats Express database, industry data, trade agreements, trends, forecasting, and analysis. Office of Trade and Economic Analysis comes under the umbrella of the International Trade Administration.

Export.gov
U.S. government portal covering export and international trade information. Anyone may use it, but registered users have access to country and industry market research reports. The agencies will contact registered users with targeted information and trade leads based on their business interests; users who do not want to be contacted can uncheck the "I would like to be contacted " box.

Exporting Basics
The site of the U.S. government agency that maintains export controls and issues export licenses--the Bureau of Industry and Security under the Dept. of Commerce. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) are in a database maintained by the Government Printing Office..

National Trade Estimates/Foreign Trade Barriers
Report by U.S. Trade Representative, submitted annually to congress, which covers all US trade partners. Search the documents library for the current year and national trade estimate (i.e. 2006 national trade estimate).

Office of International Trade U.S. Small Business Administration
A good source of export information, including the "Guide to Exporting".

TradePort
TradePort is a repository of free information and resources for businesses that seek to conduct international trade to and from California. Created in 1996, TradePort is backed by an alliance of regional trade associations that assist California export and import businesses.

Currency Converter
View any exchange rates among the 164 currencies for any day since January 1, 1990 through today. The currency converter is updated daily at 8:00 p.m. EST.

 The Universal Currency Converter 

Organizations

European Union

International Monetary Fund
News briefs, speeches and information on how to order country reports.

United Nations
Provides links to all United Nations Internet Information.

UNESCO  
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization provides information on its organization, activities, current events, programs, publications, statistics, legal procedures, databases, and other information. Includes portions of the World Information Report, among others.

UNICEF
Statistics and publications from the United Nations Children's Fund, including The Progress of Nations, The State of the World's Children, and other reports on child labor, women's & children's rights, etc.

World Bank  
Provides abstracts of economic and sector reports, environmental assessments and data sheets. World Bank's Doing Business web site was created to identify the regulatory aspects of private-sector development and investment in order to promote economic growth and alleviate poverty.

World Health Organization (WHO)
Information on the health of people worldwide, including the World Health Report, outbreak reports, international travel and health, Weekly Epidemiological Record, and more.

World Trade Organization
This site includes links to numerous sites in general trade topic areas including goods and services, intellectual property, the environment, development, policy reviews, dispute settlements, analysis and review as well as a list of resources that includes publications, documents on line, legal texts, news releases, archives and other links. Information also available in both French and Spanish.

Foreign Governments & Law

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments

Electronic Embassy
Links to foreign embassies, business and trade organizations, companies providing goods and services of interest in a global marketplace, and other information. See also the Embassy Page, below.

Foreign Government Resources on the Web
A well-organized and searchable meta-site leading to information about foreign countries, including government web sites, country background, laws, treaties, etc., embassies, news, statistics, and international agencies.

Foreign and International Law Web
Provides links to primary foreign and international legal resources, research aids, and sites useful in conducting research in these areas of the law. Arranged by country, topic, and searchable. Site maintained by Washburn University School of Law.

International Business Practice Guide
Designed to provide U.S. firms with an overview of legal practices in 117 countries, and to provide up-to-date information on some of the nuances involved with operating in other countries.

Meta-Sites
These sites both contain extensive lists of links to other web sites in the same subject areas.

Dr. Hossein Varamini's Links Page

WWW Virtual Library -- International Affairs Resources - International Business and Economics.   Compiled by Elizabethtown College professor, Wayne Selcher.

Business, Economics and Labor Index
A meta-index of links to other business sites, by category from Michigan eLibrary.

Internet Resources on International Economics and Business
 
IOMA
The Institute of Management and Information site is excellent for linking into sites on just about every aspect of business/international business. Over 600 links to sites providing business news; competitive intelligence; corporate finance and investment; credit and financial management; human resources and benefits; sales and marketing; small business; etc. A good list of Internet resource sites by industry.
 
globalEDGE
This is the portal from the Center for International Business Education and Research , Michigan State University. It has hundreds of links to international news/periodicals, country information, company information and directories, international trade, government resources, trade shows, and other related sources. You will run into this site over an over again on other master lists.

Wisconsin Department of Commerce International Trade Export Assistance.
This meta-site describes and arranges under the following categories: Wisconsin exports and exporters, markets abroad, international business and starting a business in Wisconsin, International trade partners, frequently asked questions, trade shows and additional links.

International Business Resources and Trade Links
The University of North Carolina’s library provides a well organized site with detailed links that include country background information, global production, export information, privatization and State Department links.

Citation Guides

Format References/Works Cited

Prepared by Joan Quinn, March 2001

©2007, High Library, Elizabethtown College
One Alpha Dr., Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Updated 2/07 stm/pd