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International Business: Doing Business in the Global Arena: Country Information

This guide is designed to help students get started researching international business, focusing on University Library resources.

Global Business

Conducting business in a country other than your own necessitates that you research and learn about many aspects of the culture and business environment of that country.

  • First, it's important to gain a general understanding of your country.   This includes a basic overview of its history, geography, government, economy, culture, people, and infrastructure. 
  • Search the resources below to learn about a country's market conditions, business customs, corporate culture, economic strength and stability, trade data, Industry analysis, and more.

Country Information in Library Databases

MarketLine Advantage

MarketLine offers excellent country reports.   Search for a country name & then scroll down the screen to select Country Profiles.

  • The Macroeconomic Outlook Report provides a country overview using PowerPoint slides with nice graphics.  The report identifies the potential of a country as an investment destination.
  • The Country Analysis Reports for 51 major countries offer in-depth PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) Insights. 
  • The Country Analysis Reports for the top 50 - 110 countries analyze the Political, Economic, Social & Technological) structure of the country.  

Business Source Complete

Search for articles in business magazines and newspapers about what you need to know about doing business in other countries.

Tips for MGMT 3900 Culture Report

  • Try some of these search terms along with your country name for the Cultural Brief:   business etiquette, corporate culture, business customs, women and workplace, corporate social responsibility.
  • Use the Publication Date bar on the left of your search results to limit to current sources.
  • Use the keywords Country Report along with a country name to locate various types of country information

ProQuest Global Newstream

An online newspaper resource that includes international, national and regional papers such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, The Guardian, El Norte, Jerusalem Post and South China Morning Post.

Statista

An online statistics portal providing access to data from market and opinion research institutions, as well as from business organizations and government institutions. 

  •  Statistical charts with titles such as Most problematic factors for doing business in Luxembourg according to business executives in 2017
  • Detailed Country Reports with nice visuals (charts, diagrams, etc.).

Nexis-Uni

Search for articles in business magazines and newspapers about what you need to know about doing business in other countries. Be sure to use the "Guided Search" or "Advanced Search" to search the right resources. There is A LOT of information in Nexis-Uni that won't be relevant to this assignment (like case law).

Country Information on Websites (Non-Library Sources)

Profiles offer a guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories.

"A community built resource for cross-cultural etiquette and understanding."  Contains a section devoted to Business.

Educational resource offering information on cross-cultural attitudes, practices, norms, behaviors and communications for selected  nationalities.

Source for international business etiquette, manners, and cross cultural communication for selected (about 30) countries and regions.

Developed by international trade experts and economists, provides market intelligence, practical advice and business tools to help U.S. companies expand in global markets.   Includes global industry information, trade data and analysis.

"Market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs for over 125 countries prepared by trade and industry experts at U.S. embassies worldwide."   Includes a section on Business Travel with tips on business customs, hours, holidays, language, etc.

Offers extensive country information including sections on the Government, Economy, Trade Statistics, Culture, and more.

Find trade data and analysis on this ITA web site.

The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.

This resource guide published by Dubai's Best offers links to information such as business culture and etiquette, trade and tariffs, market opportunities and strategies, and more.

In addition to providing a Traveler's Checklist and "special considerations" information for  student, women & LGBTI travelers, they also offer Country Information for international travelers.   This information includes sections on Local Laws & Special Circumstances and Travel & Transportation.

Search or browse by country or development indicator.

Offers "Doing Business" country reports on doing business, trends, opportunities, challenges, etc.

Choose a country from the "Select an Economy" dropdown menu or follow the "Reports" option from the top menu bar.

Books and E-Books

Search the BGSU Library Catalog for books related to doing business in a particular country.  Here are a few that cover multiple countries.