International Business

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Many aspects of business decisions are affected by international business issues, which include country-specific factors, the global monetary system, global trade and investment environment, managing and structuring international operations, and operation-specific issues.

An online textbook by Sauder School of Business professor Keith Head - Elements of Multinational Strategy - provides an introduction to this subject.

Country Profiles

Top Source

Passport GMID. By country, provides consumer trends and lifestyles, economy finance and trade, government, labour and education, income and expenditure, industry infrastructure and environment, population and homes, technology and communications, and profiles of specific industries.

Additional Sources

BBC Country Profiles. Profiles and summaries of current events
Business Source Complete. Country reports by CountryWatch, Datamonitor and Economist Intelligence Unit
OECD iLibrary. Country economic profiles, factbooks, statistics
US. CIA World Factbook. Country economic and statistical overviews
US. Dept of State. Background Notes. Recent background information by country

Contact a librarian for help

Vancouver Campus: Librarians at David Lam Library

Okanagan Campus: Barbara Sobol, barbara.sobol@ubc.ca / (250) 807-8063

Related Courses
Commerce 498: International Business Management
BASM 531: The Multinational Enterprise

Careers
Business Career Centre. Sauder School of Business. International Business Careers

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Workshops | How To Cite | Course Materials

Articles

The library subscribes to article databases that can be searched for news, magazine, or journal articles on a company, industry, location or other business topic. Many include industry trade publications and are a valuable source of market statistics. The top article databases are listed below.

Business Article Databases

ABI/Inform (Abstracted Business Information)
Fulltext articles from 1000+ business journals. Search together with Canadian NewsStand and CBCA
Business Source Complete
Business articles, market research reports, company swot analyses
Canadian Newsstand Complete
Canadian newspapers
CBCA Complete
Canadian journals and magazines
Emerald Management Plus
Articles on management strategy, leadership, marketing, human resource management
Factiva
Global business and industry news service
LexisNexis Academic
News, government, finance, business information. Company directories
GoogleScholar
A simple way to search selected scholarly literature, with links for UBC users to fulltext

Search Tips

Single words or short phrases work best
Try different words and word combinations
Use "AND" and "OR" between search terms
Use dropdown boxes to focus your search
Use Subject Terms if the database provides them

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Books

Searching the UBC Library Catalogue

Searching the UBC Library Catalogue:

Search the UBC Library Catalogue for books - print and online - on aspects of international business. Because it is a broad topic, many library subject headings could apply, depending on your research interest.

Subject headings for searching the UBC Library Catalogue:

Finding books on library shelves:

Click here to learn about library call numbers and how to read them.

Borrowing books:

Many online books about international business can be accessed, and sometimes downloaded, through the Catalogue. Most print books on these topics will be located at the Koerner, David Lam or UBC Okanagan Library. Borrowers can borrow most books from, and return books to, any branch of the UBC Library. To request a book from another UBC library branch, click here.

New Books

Working with economic indicators: interpretation and sources (2012) ONLINE

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Data & Statistics

Country Demographic Data

Passport GMID (formerly Global Market Information Database)
Business intelligence on economies and demographics, consumers, lifestyles, companies and industries
OECD.stat
Quarterly, monthly and annual time series measuring economic and social conditions in member countries
Proquest Statistical Insight
Government statistics, including US government and international intergovernmental organizations
World Bank Data
Statistical data for over 550 development indicators for 200 countries

Country Economic Data

CIA. World Factbook
Provides data and overview of each country's economy
Datastream
Database of international economic, company and financial data, accessible on standalone terminals in Koerner and Lam Libraries.
IMF International Financial Statistics
Largest macroeconomic database with financial and economic time series for more than 200 countries
World Bank Data
Social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators for over 200 specific countries

Country Statistical Agencies

Government statistical agenices are good sources of data about a country.
In Canada, these include Statistics Canada, BC Stats, CANSIM and E-Stat.
A list of International Statistical Agencies is maintained by the US Census Bureau.
The UN also maintains a list of 'Country Data Services'

Search Tips

Can the data I want be collected?
Who would likely collect it?
Does anyone collect it?
Does anyone publish the data?
Is there other relevant data to substitute for what I can't find?
How can I break my topic into questions?
What terminology is used for my topic?
What are some synonyms for my topic?
How can I rephrase my search to bring different items to the top of my results list?
Will the drop-down boxes help me limit my search by date, etc?
Do I need to separate my search terms with "and" and "or"?
Am I searching for data at too granular (ie, specific) a level?

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Industry Research

Top Global Industry Research Resource

Passport GMID. Country economies, demographics, consumers, lifestyles, companies and industries.
Numerical and analytical information from Euromonitor for 205 countries and their industries.

Market Research Databases

Business Source Complete
Includes "telecoms and technology" reports for a variety of countries, including Canada (note: full text available only for reports older than 6 months)
eMarketer
Market research and trend analysis on digital media, marketing and commerce. Topics covered include B2B and B2C eBusiness, online marketing, consumer behaviour online, social media, mobile devices
Forrester Research
Information geared towards IT and technology industry professionals. Emerging trends and issues in e-Business, IT products and services.
Freedonia Focus
Majority of reports on U.S. industries, with an expanding selection of reports for other countries, including Canada, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Russia, as well as global reports.
IBISWorld Industry Reports
Reports on over 700 US industries as well as some global industries.
MarketResearch.com Academic
Reports on the US market and specific consumer groups.
Passport GMID (formerly Global Market Information Database)
Global and country specific reports on consumer goods and services.
Print Measurement Bureau
Survey data on Canadians' usage of over 3500 products and services.
Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
US Industry Surveys and Stock Reports.
Thomson ONE
Includes analyst reports on industries and companies. For analyst reports on industries, click on "Screening & Analysis" in the menu bar on the left, then click on "Research" and "Research Search." Search for reports by keyword or NAICs industry code, and limit by geography

Related Guide
For more extensive industry research, see our Industry Research guide

Sample reports in Business Source Complete

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Business Costs

World Bank. Doing Business
Business regulations for local firms in 183 economies and selected cities
World Bank. Economy Rankings
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 - 183
KPMG: Competitive Alternatives
KPMG's guide for comparing business locations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific
PricewaterhouseCoopers. Doing Business series
Search the website for the phrase "doing business" to find guides for specific regions
US. Department of Energy. International Energy Price Information
US. Department of Energy. Electricity Prices for Industry
US. Foreign Agricultural Service
Production and prices for agricultural products
World Bank. Doing Business series
Objective measures of business regulations and enforcement across 183 economies. Each economy is ranked according to 10 sets of indicators, which are combined into an overall "ease of doing business" ranking

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Business Culture

Book: The world's business cultures and how to unlock them HD62.4 .T66 2010
This book helps people understand and 'unlock' other cultures by offering a variety of methods, including studying communication styles; working style; discussion style; business attitude; leadership style; business relationship; decision-making style; basis for decision making; attitude to time and work-life balance.
Website: Canada. Centre for Intercultural Learning. Country Insights
Cultural awareness and business culture and etiquette by country and region
Book: Kiss, bow or shake hands: the bestselling guide to doing business in more than 60 countries
Well-known classic book on business etiquette by country
Book: Cross-cultural business behavior : negotiating, selling, sourcing and managing across cultures HF5389 .G47 2005
Practical guidance for negotiating with customers and suppliers around the world. Cases, negotiator profiles and comparisons of business cultures, as well as detailed advice for adapting sales presentations to the culture of the customer
Book: Intercultural business communication HF5389 .C47 2011
Includes chapters on the nature of intercultural communication, universal systems, contrasting cultural values, cultural shock, language, oral and nonverbal communication patterns, written communication patterns, global etiquette, business and social customs, intercultural negotiation process, intercultural negotiation components, laws affecting international business and travel, and exercises
More books on intercultural communication
More books on global business etiquette

Photo: Chris-Havard Berge, Creative Commons

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Labor Issues

Japan. Institute for Labour Policy and Training. Databook of International Labour Statistics
OECD iLibrary
United Nations Development Programme
Human development indicators and wage rates by country
United Nations. International Labour Organization
ILO. Laborsta
Labour statistics for over 200 countries from the International Labour Organization, including monthly wages and hours of work by industry
US. Bureau of Labor Statistics
International labor statistics, price indices
US. Department of State. Human Rights Reports by Country

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Risk

ABI/Inform
Country risk analyses from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Search for your country as a geographical location and risk as a subject.
Business Source Complete
Detailed country reviews and forecasts provided by CountryWatch and Political Risk Yearbook, including political risk assessments and ratings for countries, forecasts of energy consumption, etc. Search for your country as a geographical location and risk as a subject. To more quickly find reports, add prs or countrywatch to your search as keywords.
Bloomberg
For EIU reports on country/political risk in Bloomberg, type EIU then enter [go]. Choose Country Risk Summary.

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Trade Data

Canada. Agriculture Canada. Agri-Food Trade Service
Data relating to food and agriculture trade between Canada and other countries
Canada. Industry Canada. Trade Data Online
Ability to generate customized reports on Canada's and U.S. trade in goods with over 200 countries
Canada. Statistics Canada. Canadian International Merchandise Trade
Monthly, quarterly, and annual data presented by principal trading area, country, commodity category and province
Canada. Statistics Canada. Trade Analyser Database
Canadian imports and exports
International Monetary Fund. Statistical Databases
Annual, monthly, and quarterly financial and economic time series for more than 200 countries and over 40 regions. Use for finding data on Balance of payments, Exchange rates, Interest rates, International liquidity and Banking, National accounts, Prices, Production and Trade.
OECD iLibrary
Contains International Trade by Commodity Statistics
Taiwan. National Statistics. Commerce and External Trade
United Nations. Food & Agricultural Organization
Country briefs, country profiles and trade statistics
United Nations. UN Commodity Trade Statistics (COMTRADE)
Detailed trade statistics reported to the UN Statistics Division from 130 countries
United States. Census
Detailed data on US international trade in goods and services
United States. Department of Agriculture. Foreign Agricultural Service
Market research for international agricultural markets
United States. Department of Agriculture. Foreign Agricultural Trade
US trade data are collected by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and compiled and distributed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau using the United States' Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of 10-digit codes.
United States. International Trade Administration. Trade Stats Express
Annual and quarterly US trade data
World Trade Organization. Statistical sources for trade
International time series trade data for WTO member countries by commodity and country

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Trade Guides

Canada Business Network. Exporting guides. Financing, market research, marketing, sales, logistics, regulations
Canada. Industry Canada. Trade and Investment.

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Trade Regulations

Canada. Canadian Border Services Agency
Export documentation, customs brokers, commercial carriers, exporting for SME's, etc.
Canada. Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Portal with information for Canadian exporters on doing business abroad
United States. International Trade Administration. Export.gov
Market research and trade regulations by country

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Videos

Streaming Video

The UBC Library has licensed Films on Demand, a Web-based digital video delivery service that allows UBC users to view and show streaming videos from Films Media Group anytime. To view videos from off-campus, users authenticate by Campus-Wide Login.

Users can view segments of films, create playlists, and embed videos in webpages and other materials. Instructors can show films in class, create links to specific films, or embed films in Blackboard Learn pages.

Subjects include Anthropology, Area Studies, Art & Architecture, Communication, Criminal Justice, Education, English & Language Arts, Geography, History, Music & Dance, Philosophy & Religion, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, World Languages, Biology, Computers & Technology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Geography, Mathematics, Physical Science, Business & Economics, Health & Medicine.

Videos on DVD

Librarian

Jan Wallace (David Lam Library)

Last Modified 1:31 pm, May 11 2012

The University of British Columbia

International Business