International Business: Country Profiles
Country Profiles
General information and analytical reports on a country, may include PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis, risk assessment, forecast, business environment, etc. Coverage varies by country.
- Global InsightsCountry profiles with data and analyses, including links to major external sites.
- Country Reports (via Business Source Premier -- Enhanced)Select Country Reports, then click on Country to find available reports on a particular country.
- Passport (by Euromonitor)
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Contains extensive statistics and analyses on countries, industries, companies, and consumers. - Mergent Online
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Select a country in the drop-down menu under Country Profile (lower right hand side of landing page). - EIU Viewpoint (Economist Intelligence Unit)Reports on country commerce, country finance, and doing business in various countries. Now called EIU Viewpoint
- Europa World and/or the Regional Surveys of the WorldCovers political and economic information about countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Country Rankings
- Doing Business -- Economy RankingEconomies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
- IMD World Competitiveness Online (free limited version)Annual report on the competitiveness of nations, ranking and analyzing how a nation’s environment creates and sustains the competitiveness of enterprises.
- A.T.Kearney: Foreign Direct Investment Confidence IndexA regular survey of global executives, providing a unique look at the present and future prospects for international investment flows.
- NationMaster"A massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD.""
Business Environment
Recommended
- EIU Viewpoint (Economist Intelligence Unit)Reports on country commerce, country finance, and doing business in various countries. Now called EIU Viewpoint
- Country Commercial GuideMarket conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs for over 125 countries prepared by trade and industry experts at U.S. embassies worldwide
- Doing BusinessEconomy Profiles on over 180 countries. From the World Bank Group.
- Country Risk Assessments"160 country evaluations, drawn up on the basis of macroeconomic, financial and political data."
- Lex Mundi's Guides to Doing BusinessCover over 100 countries.
- Logistics Performance Index (from the World Bank)"An interactive benchmarking tool created to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face in their performance on trade logistics and what they can do to improve their performance."
- Practical Law Country Essentials"Legal and business regulations, procedures, rules and processes in countries around the globe."
- Tax Guides and HighlightsFrom the company Deloitte.
- PwC Territory SitesVarious publications from the local branches of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Culture/Social Enviroment
While "culture" is often considered enduring, some countries (e.g., China) have gone through dramatic changes in the past decade or more. Evaluate the currency of the information (e.g., descriptions about cultures and social customs from books published 20 years ago may or may not be accurate anymore). Consult recent books, articles, or websites to get a better picture of a country's culture.
- globalEDGEGo to the Culture section of a country's profile.
- Passport SeriesA collection of ebooks from World Trade Press.
For more information on culture, communication, and business etiquette, search with the following keywords in the library catalog:
- intercultural communication
- intercultural communication [country], * e.g., [Japan]
- national characteristics [people] * e.g., [Japanese]
- business etiquette
- business etiquette [country] * e.g., [Japan]
- negotiation in business [country]
- business communication [country]
- corporate culture [country]
- manners and customs