Country Research for Business & Marketing
General Sources - Doing Business in a Country
- Statistics & Economic Data
- Culture & Business
Etiquette
Europa
World
-
Provides the recent history, government, economics, and other topics for every country and
territory in the world.
- Includes a statistical survey (covering area and population, agriculture, industries, finance,
external trade, principal trading partners, transportation, and more) and a detailed directory
(listing government offices, media sources, trade associations, and more).
Business Source Premier
- The Country Reports link on the left allows you to browse many reports for each country.
- Sources include the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Countrywatch, Datamonitor, Global Insight, ICON Group, OECD Economic Surveys, and the Political Risk Yearbook.
MarketLine
- Covers 50 countries, providing political analysis, economic analysis, and key economic data.
- Profiles of industries in those countries are also available.
Economist Country Briefings
- "Country Profile" data is available for free.
- Includes a factsheet (basic data), forecast (political and economic outlook), economic data (ten economic indicators over four years), political structure, political forces, and economic structure.
- The data is very current, and can be downloaded into Excel.
Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies
- From the Gale Virtual Reference Library
- Provides the full text of the 2002 edition of the encyclopedia.
- Covers 198 countries.
Government homepages
- You can usually find a lot of good information from a federal government's web site.
- Look for annual reports, facts and figures, and/or relevant departments or ministries.
- Many countries have a "Statistical Office".
- To find such sites, try the Google Directory Country List or the Yahoo Country List, or do a Google search (ex. "germany statistics").
- Another option is Europa World, which provides URLs in each country's directory section.
EIU Country Commerce
- Provides "how to do business" information for over 54 countries.
- Includes coverage of trade regulations and tariffs, investment conditions and regulations, e-commerce and intellectual property law, taxes, financial incentives, labor trends, and more.
Country Commercial Guides (CCG) (Market Research Library)
- Use the "Report Type" to limit a search to a CCG.
- Most reports cover economic trends, political environment, how to market U.S.
products, leading sectors for exports, trade regulations, investment climate,
business travel, and more.
- Most of the guides are updated annually.
- UNCG students can also access these guides from the STAT-USA/NTBD database.
Exporters' Encyclopedia
Reference HF3011. E9
- Updated annually.
- Section II, "Export Markets", covers the country
profile, communications, key contacts, trade regulations, marketing
regulations, transportation, and business travel (including customs and
etiquette).
See also the Trade Tariffs, Duty Rates, & Barriers guide.
3. Statistics & Economic Data
World Development Indicators Online (WDI)
- Provides 550 indicators for over 200 countries and 18 county groups, from 1960 to one year ago.
- Covers social, economic, financial, natural resource, and environmental data.
- Results can be exported into Excel.
- From the World Bank.
- The book version is available in Reference at HC59.15 .W656.
Euromonitor Global Market Information Database
- Provides economic and marketing statistics for over 200 countries.
- Covers 1977 through 5-year projections.
- Data can be downloaded into Excel.
Economist Country Briefings
- "Country Profile" data is available for free.
- Includes a factsheet (basic data), forecast (political and economic outlook), economic data (ten economic indicators over four years), political structure, political forces, and economic structure.
- The data is very current, and can be downloaded into Excel.
Europa World
- Provides the recent history, government, economics, and other topics for every country and territory in the world.
- Includes a statistical survey (covering area and population, agriculture, industries, finance, external trade, principal trading partners, transportation, and more) and a detailed directory (listing government offices, media sources, trade associations, and more).
4. Culture & Business
Etiquette
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Doing Business in More than 60 Countries
Reference Desk (just ask for the book)
- Published in 2006
- Provides excellent coverage of protocol, punctuality, negotiating, etc.
Craighead's
International Business, Travel, and Relocation Guide to 84 Countries
Reference HF5549.5 E45 D56 (4 volumes)
- Published annually.
- Provides excellent coverage of customs and business
etiquette.
- In addition to the "Customs, Etiquette, and Protocol"
sections, also look over the "Living in..." and "Social
Life" sections.
Countries and Their Cultures
Reference GN307.C68 2001 (4 volumes)
- From the Gale Virtual Reference Library.
- Covers 225 countries.
- Topics include history and ethnic relations, food and
economy, social stratification, political life, socialization, religion, the
arts, and more.
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
Reference GN333.W67 1998 (4 volumes)
- This set covers over 500 cultures, listed in alphabetical order by region.
- There is a country index in the front of each volume.
- Most articles have twenty sections, including religion, interpersonal relations, living conditions, family life, food, education, work, and entertainment and recreation.
