Books
Country and Regional Information Sources
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Middle East
Europe
Worldwide Coverage
Currency Exchange Rates
Dictionaries
General Sources
Guides to Sources
Indexes
International Trade Organizations
International Trade Sources (Import/Export)
Statistical Sources
A printed guide to sources of information about International Business is available in Milner Library and as a PDF file on this web site. Most of the sources listed are reference materials: bibliographies, dictionaries, handbooks and guides, statistical compilations, directories, and periodical indexes.
Circulating books and additional reference sources may be located in the Milner catalog. Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to determine appropriate headings, such as:
- EXPORT MARKETING
- FOREIGN LICENSING AGREEMENTS
- FOREIGN TRADE PROMOTION
- IMPORTS
- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES--GOVERNMENT POLICY
- TRADING COMPANIES
For books about individual countries or business and economic conditions in individual countries, consult the library guide: Country Resources for Business, available in print in the library or as a PDF file. This guide emphasizes general background sources and series with worldwide or regional coverage. Additional sources about individual countries may be located in the Milner catalog. In some cases, the country's name will appear first, in others it will be at the end of the subject heading, for example:
- GERMANY--ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
- KOREA
- SOUTH AFRICA--ECONOMIC POLICY
- INDUSTRY AND STATE--JAPAN
- OFFSHORE ASSEMBLY INDUSTRY--MEXICO
Because you must type the subject heading words in the correct sequence in a Quick Search Browse Subject search, you will have greater success if you use the Guided Keyword Search subject words search, as you may type the words in any order.
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Africa Online
Provides links to information and resources concerning the continent and links to country specific sections for eight countries: Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Swaziland Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
MBendi
Provides company and industry information and brief country profiles, as well as business and commercial links.
West Africa News
Provides links to resources in business, travel, history, society, and art.
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Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI)
A regional economic and trade community.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
A regional economic community.
Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica provides the draft text of CAFTA, a briefing book, and related documents.
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Includes news and electronic versions of the commissions publications, including the Statistical Yearbook and the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Free Trade Area of the Americas
Provides access to documents, reports, and activities of the working groups of the FTAA, which was initiated in 1994 to unite the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade arrangement.
Inter-American Development Bank
Access social, economic, and financial (e.g. exchange rates, balance of payments, external trade, external debt) statistics for Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Latin American Network Information Center (lanic)
Provides links to social, cultural, economic, and business resources indexed by country and by subject.
Latin-Focus
Provides access to current data from government sources, economic forecasts, market analysis, political risk assessments, and financial market developments in Latin American countries.
NAFTA
A Research Guide published by the Duke University School of Law Library listing many useful resources concerning NAFTA.
NAFTA Secretariat
Provides the text of the North American Free Trade Agreement and additional resources.
Organization of American States (OAS)
Provides information on member states and such topics as trade.
SELA: Latin American Economic System
Provides statistics and an overview of the social and economic situation in the countries of the region. The main site is in Spanish.
UCLA North American Integration and Development Center
The NAID Center site provides reports, information about the Center and its publications, and a NAFTA effects tracking database.
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Asia Business Today
Provides data, documents, and links to resources on US/Asia relations and international business; country specific data includes economic statistics, Internet portals, company listings, and market information.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
A regional economic community.
Asia Pacific Policy Program
A web resource on Asia presented by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Includes links to country profiles and "best" sites.
Asia-Pacific.com!
Offers a mix of business and economic resources, news, and data including links to respected media sources throughout the region, annual reports, and trade reports.
Asia Regional Information Center (ARIC)
An economic monitor for the region.
Asian Business Strategy & Street Intelligence Ezine
Created by the Asia Pacific Management Forum, a consulting group, it features news and links to economic and marketing information.
Asian Development Bank
Includes business opportunities and economic project profiles by country. Also provides sections on law and development, links to member governments, and links to other international organizations.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Business and Economy
Selection of links to information on Middle Eastern countries and business topics from the Middle East Network Information Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations site provides economic and social information and statistics for all the major countries of the region.
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
Provides information and an extensive statistics section for these central Asian countries.
JETRO
The Japan External Trade Organization site provides access to the Japanese Government Procurement Database, facts and figures on Japan's trade and economy, information on the retail industry, distribution, and doing business in Japan, and links to other sites.
Middle East Free Trade Area Initiative
Fact sheets, trade agreements, and news from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Nippon Keidanren: Japan Federation of Economic Organizations
Provides full-text economic and policy reports on Japan and articles from the Keidanren Electronic Journal.
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Directory of Internet Resources on Central and Eastern Europe and Russia
The School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London provides links to online resources.
The Euro Home Page
Provides access to government sites, research papers, readings, news and chronologies about the Euro and the European Monetary Union.
Euro Resource Centre
Collection of resources and links to information about the Euro provided by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Europa: Gateway to the European Union
Official EU site providing information on its history, policies, institutions, official documents, current news, and links to World Wide Web servers in EU offices in the world.
Europages: European Business Directory
Provides keyword searching of companies, products, and services for 150,000 European companies. Companies are also listed by industry sector.
European Union - Resources and Research Guide
Compiled by Duke University Library.
Homepage on European Monetary Union and the Euro
Prepared by Nouriel Roubini of the Stern School of Business at New York University.
REESWeb: Russian and East European Studies Virtual Library
Searchable by subject and keyword. Provides links to a wide variety of resources.
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Background Notes (U.S. Dept. of State)
Provide economic, political, and cultural data on countries of the world. Older editions are archived.
CIA World Factbook
Profiles of each country of the world. Covers geography, population, government, economy, climate, etc. This site also includes maps that can be downloaded in gif, tif or pdf formats.
Country Briefings - Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
Much free information, but items noted as "premium content" are only available by subscription.
Country Commercial Guides are available from two websites, based on the year they were published: 1996-2001 reports are available at the State Department website, and more recent reports are available after registering at the export.gov website.
Country Indicators for Foreign Policy
Created and maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, the site assembles statistical information into tables representing and rating key features of the economic, political, social and cultural environments of countries around the world. Registration is only required to receive the newsletter.
Country Reports on Economic Policy and Trade Practices
Maintained by the U.S. Dept. of State to provide information on a country's policies related to such issues as intellectual property, tariffs, and quotas. Publication ceased in 2002. Access to reports from 1993 - 2001 are available at this site.
Country Studies / Area Handbooks
Many are over ten years old; best used for geographic, historical, and cultural and social information. Milner Library also has printed copies of these books.
Doing Business - Explore Economies
The International Finance Corporation and the World Bank present economic data by country. Use the Select an economy search to select an economy and view data on its economic environment.
Doing Business In ...
Guides for about 40 countries, from the accounting firm of HLB International.
FITA Regional Resources
Part of the website of the Federation of International Trade Associations, provides links to a wide variety of resources by country and region. Free registration from the homepage may be required to access the site.
Foreign Labor Trends
A series of detailed country reports from the Department of Labor, most dating from 2002-2003.
Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions
Profiles cultural dimensions and provides information on business etiquette in each country.
International Data Base (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
The IDB provides demographic and socio-economic statistics for all countries of the world. Locate variables such as population by age and sex; birth and death rates, infant mortality, and life tables; literacy; and Labor force, employment, and income.
OFFSTATS: Official Statistics on the Web
Created by International Commerce and Statistics Librarian Rainer Wolcke at the University of Auckland, the site links to official country, regional, and worldwide statistical reports and data.
Portals to the World
Part of the Library of Congress' Global Gateway site providing links to resources by country. The Country Study may be accessed by clicking on the map on that country's opening page.
Trade Policy Reviews
Reports from the World Trade Organization (WTO) providing backgroun information on each country. Some are several yaers old.
2006 Index of Economic Freedom
Consult the countries section for a database providing detailed information about economic policy for 161 countries provided by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
World Bank - Countries & Regions
Provides general country information as well as a detailed overview of the business environment and all aspects of doing business in the country and also for regions.
World Economic Forum
An independent international organization providing Country Competitiveness Profiles in the Knowledge Navigator section of their web site.
Yahoo! - Regional: Regions:
Hierarchical directory to regional and country resources.
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OANDA 164 Currencies Converter
RatesFX - Currency Resources on the Net
Links to currency converters and other foreign exchange services.
Universal Currency Converter
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The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of International Management (Reference HD 30.15 .B456 1997)
Comprehensive Guide to International Trade Terms - from the Commerce Department
The Dictionary of International Business Terms by Jae K. Shim, Joel G. Siegel, and Marc H. Levine. (HD 62.4 .S55 1998)
Dictionary of International Trade: Handbook of the Global Trade Community by Edward G. Hinkelman. 6th ed. (Reference HF 1373 .H55 2005)
The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of International Trade and Finance by Carolyn R. Gipson. (Reference HF 1373 .G57 1994)
Reference Library for Global Trade
Glossaries and other information from TradePort.
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Global Marketing Information Database (GMID)
Includes statistics on world consumer markets, marketing data and statistics, and lifestyle reports. Data track consumer spending on over 330 products (volume and value) in 52 countries since as early as 1977. Also included are international country data, demographic and economic statistics, lifestyle indicators including housing and household facilities, travel and tourism trends, income and earning potential. Restricted to onsite users and Illinois State University students, faculty, and staff.
Industry Canada's Strategis
Provides information on companies, market intelligence, export opportunities, Canadian industries, technology and innovation, and economic data.
International Chamber of Commerce
International Standards - Accounting
Sources of information on international accounting standards and the accounting standards of other nations.
United Nations Standards for Trade and Electronic Business - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
World Economic Outlook Reports
Each report provides a comprehensive survey of the outlook of the world economy; produced semi-annually by the staff of the International Monetary Fund. Chapters are in .pdf format and must be downloaded separately.
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Bilateral Investment Treaties - International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
Business Information Sources (Reference Z 7164 .C81 D16 1993)
Find international sources primarily in chapters 5 and 16.
Business Webliography: Marketing (U.S. and International)
Part of a comprehensive bibliography of web sites published by Louisiana State University.
Federation of International Trade Associations - Web Resources for International Trade
A wide-ranging site, providing links to many sites covering all aspects of international trade. Registration required.
FinanceWise
Offers links to online resources about topics and countries. Some services require registration.
Finding Foreign Direct Investment and Import/Export Data
A Milner Library guide to extracting this data from SourceOECD and the Global Market Informaiton Database.
GlobalEDGE
A wide-ranging directory maintained by the Michigan State University Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Includes links to electronic journals, country specific information, international trade, statistical sources, company information, and much more.
The Globalization Website - from Emory University
International Agencies and Information on the Web
International Business Information: How to Find It, How to Use It (Reference HF 54.5 .P33 1998)
Guide to print, electronic, microform, and CD-ROM information sources.
International Business Information on the Web
Provides links to resources listed in the book of the same title.
International Business Resources
Provides a listing of print sources on international business and relevant links to electronic sources - from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Internet Resources and Services for International Business (Reference HF 54.56 .L58 1998)
Wide ranging guide to online resources, arranged by country with a subject index.
Internet Resources and Services for International Finance and Investment (Reference HG 64 .J5 2001)
Internet Resources and Services for International Marketing and Advertising (Reference HF 1416 .C69 2002)
The Thunderbird Guide to International Business Resources on the World Wide Web (Reference HF 54.56 .D43 1997)
Provides the URL and a description for each of thousands of Web sites; arranged by country covered.
VIBES--Virtual International Business and Economics Sources
Provides links to full-text files and statistics on international business. Sites are listed under three major categories: comprehensive, regional, and national. The site is maintained by Jeanie M. Welch, Reference Unit Head and International Business Subject Specialist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
World Business Resources .com (Reference HF 54.56 .W37 2000)
Lists and describes over 8000 Internet resources.
World-Wide Web Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources
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Export-Import Bank of the United States
Information on programs on loans, working capital, export credit insurance, country information, and related topics.
International Monetary Fund
Includes working paper summaries on countries and regions, full-text articles from the IMF Survey (Sept. 1995 to present), exchange rates, and a directory of economic, commodity, and development organizations.
International Trade Commission
Provides full text Industry and Trade Summaries, Section 332 Executive Summaries (on tariffs and international trade), the staff reports analyzing the global position of U.S. industries and related topics, and tariff schedules and tariff databases which may be downloaded either in Acrobat, Wordperfect, or Lotus. Also provides links to trade resources.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)
Provides information on the organization and member countries. Visit SourceOECD for texts and statistics (only accessible within the library or to users of ISUnet).
USAID
U.S. Agency for International Development home page, with many links to related sites.
U.S. Department of State
Useful information about U.S. foreign policy and global issues, economic and trade policy. Also links to the United Nations and international organizations.
World Bank
Especially useful are the categories: Topics in Development and Countries and Regions, with several downloadable files.
World Trade Organisation
Trade data and news; many files are quite large. Useful background reports include the Trade Policy Reviews, which can best be searched chronologically.
Yahoo: International Trade Organizations
Index that lists general indices, World Trade Centers, and several Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
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Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade
University of Texas at Austin Institute of Latin American Studies tracks US Trade.
Center for Trade Policy Studies
Sponsored by the CATO Institute, includes key issues in trade policy.
Commercial News USA
Maintained by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce; provides links to directories of importers and exporters.
Commodities and Products
Provides links to trade data on US exports and imports of agricultural, fishery, and forestry products supplied by the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.
Export.gov
The export portal from the US Department of Commerce, with links to resources on trade and exporting. For information concerning export tariffs, see the Schedule B and HS Numbers page. Also see the related sites:
Export911
Offers tutorials on exporting and importing topics.
External Trade Resources (US International Trade Commission)
include in commission entry
Foreign Trade Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau site includes data on trade balances, trade highlights, detailed data by SITC, and country data.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
U.S. International Trade Commission's schedule provides tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the US.
Industry Trade and Technology Review
Analyzes trade issues, the global position of US industries, the technological competitiveness of the US, and implications of trade and policy developments.
Interactive Tariff and Trade Dataweb
Database offering monthly, quarterly, annual, and year-to-year trade from the United States International Trade Commission.
International Trade Centre
Provides several databases; for international trade statistics, select Infobases, then ITC Databases, and scroll down to select trade statistics by country or product or national trade performance by country.
Lex Mercatoria - Commercial Law Related Chronological List and Organizations
An international trade Law monitoring site. Provides the final texts of the GATT and NAFTA and other trade agreements.
STAT-USA Globus & NTDB
Provide a wide range of data concerning international trade. The National Trade Data Bank is accessible only within the library or by users of ISUnet. They provide a wealth of information on international market research; export data and opportunities; indices of foreign and domestic companies; how-to market guides; reports on demographic, political, and socio-economic conditions for hundreds of countries; and much more. Reports and databases include:International Marketing Insight ReportsIndustry Sector Analysis ReportsMarket Research ReportsCountry Commercial GuidesForeign Agricultural Market ReportsU.S. Import and Export Statistics by Commodity and by CountryCommerce Business Daily LeadsTrade Opportunity Program Leads. Restricted to onsite users and Illinois State University students, faculty, and staff.
Trade and Commercial Relations
Tufts University's Ginn Library provides links to the text of many trade and commercial treaties and conventions.
Trade Observatory
Resources provided by the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy.
The Trade Zone
Links to directories, trade resources, statistical sources, company profiles, and more.
Tradeport
A free service that allows users to access a broad range of public and private information resources and databases connected with international trade.
2006 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers
A report from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) surveying and classifying significant foreign trade barriers to U.S. export with 55 countries. The report may be downloaded by country.
2006 Trade Policy Agenda and 2005 Annual Report
The Bush Administration's report on the Trade Agreements Programs, including the activities of the World Trade Organization, regional and bilateral negotiations, and trade enforcement and policy development.
United States Court of International Trade
Provides information about the US court that hears international trade and import disputes, rules and forms, and full text of slip opinions from 1999 to the present.
U.S. International Trade Administration
Provides a wealth of trade information, including industry data, state and metropolitan area export data, and U.S. Foreign Trade Highlights.
U.S. Trade Representative - 2007 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers
Reports by country.
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