LIBRARY RESEARCH GUIDE for BNAD 449:
International Business Environments
This research guide is intended to help you find information for your Paper 1: Introduction to International Business Research assignment, as well as for other international business research assignments for BNAD 449.
The research guide follows the order of the questions on Paper 1.
Here's a glossary with definitions of some of the terms used on your assignment and with an explanation of the industry codes.
Data about Gross Domestic Product (GDP) may be found in several sources. One useful source is The World Bank Group. On this site, click on Data and Research in the tool bar near the top of the page, then click on Data website in the teal-colored box on the left side of the page. Click on Data on the left side, then scroll a little down this page (the Key Developmen Data and Statistics page) until you see the Quick Reference Tables.
The Quick Reference Tables include links to charts for Total GDP and PPP GDP (purchasing power parity). The figure for world GDP is near the end of the list. Remember to note the year and units of the data. These data tables provide ranked lists of countries by their GDP, so here you can find the world's four largest country economies (according to GDP). To determine what percentage of the world economic input each country's GDP constitutes, you will have to divide each country's GDP by the world economic input. Make sure your information comes from the same year! That is, if your country's GDP figure is for 2001, then your world economic input figure should be from 2001 as well.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division provides lots of data on social indicators, from population and education to income and unemployment. Follow the link for "Income and economic activity" to get a table of data on per capita GDP. Again, remember to note the year and units of the data.
To determine if the top four countries' income per capita is above or below the world average income per capita, you will need to know the world population. Population data may also be found in the Quick Reference Tables on the World Bank site. To get the world average income per capita, divide the world GDP by the world population. Make sure your information comes from the same year! That is, if your world GDP figure is for 2001, then your population figure should be from 2001 as well.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Country Reports offer detailed country reports that include overviews of the country's economy as well as the key annual indicators for the economy. Report archives are also available through this database to allow for comparisons over time.
You'll need two resources for this portion of the assignment (Paper 1, Part I, no. 3). The first is a an article and accompanying graphs from Forbes magazine: "Where the money is," April 17, 2006. Country information for 2008 is also available online. This article ranks the largest global industries by sales, and charts the growth of industries by country. You may use this online or print it, as you prefer.
The second resource is the Forbes Global 2000, available online here: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/18/biz_2000global08_The-Global-2000_Rank.html.
Every year, Forbes magazine ranks the largest 2000 companies in the world, and sorts those companies by a number of criteria. See the "Sort List By" categories to get the 2000 companies ranked by industry, among other criteria. Within each list category, you can click on the name of the company to get a brief overview of that company's operations.
An excellent resource for country and industry information is globalEDGE from Michigan State University. In order to access the full site, you'll need to register, but registration is free. globalEdge includes industry and country statistics for trade, information about doing business in countries and includes a directory of links to other useful sites. http://globaledge.msu.edu/
Industry codes are used to classify business establishments by their primary type of activity and to promote better comparability of industry data. There are several industry classification systems, and here you will learn about four of them: SIC, NAICS (which replaced SIC), SITC, and HTS. Also, see the glossary for examples of these different industry coding systems.
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system classifies business establishments by their primary type of activity. Each SIC code represents a different industry. For example, 3695 is the SIC code for the magnetic and optical recording media industry (the industry that includes the manufacture of CDs). A company may have more than one SIC code, depending on the diversity of its business activities.
The SIC system has been officially replaced by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which was developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide new comparability in statistics about business activity across North America.
Many of the business resources organize their information by these industry codes. However, many of the sources have not yet replaced SIC with NAICS, so you will still need to find both the SIC code and the NAICS code for your industry.
SIC - Standard Industrial Classification Search
Also available in print at HF1042 .A55 1987 Info Commons Ref.
NAICS - North American Industry Classification System
Also available in print at HF1042 .A55 1997 Info Commons Ref.
The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) is a classification of commodities in world trade, developed by the United Nations to facilitate international comparison of commodity trade data. NOTE: The SITC covers only commodities; consequently, SITC codes for service industries are not available.
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) is published by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). The HTS provides the applicable tariff rates and categories for all merchandise imported into the United States. NOTE: As HTS is for imported goods, there are no HTS codes for service industries.
To find the each industry's sales revenues expressed as a percentage of world GDP, divide each industry's sales revenues by world GDP (the world GDP was determined earlier in this assignment).
Once you have selected your product or service, use the sources listed above to find the codes for its industry. Depending upon your product or service, you may need to select a broader product or service for some portions of section II.For example, if you select grapes, you may need to find the information for fruit in some sections, as it may not be possible to find information specific to grape imports, exports, consumption or production.
Some data about production by country may be found in the database Global Market Information Database (Euromonitor). For example, you may find data on the number of passenger cars produced in various countries.
NOTE: If you do not find information about production of your product or service in this database, you may need to consult other sources. Some suggestions:
Business Source Complete - a database of articles from business journals, magazines and newspapers. Also includes industry and company reports. Available from the library homepage at http://www.library.arizona.edu. Click on the "Article & Database Searching" link on the left side of the page, under "Search & Find."
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Market Indicators and Forecast Data Service provides information on specific products by country. Once in the database, select your country and click continue. On the next page, select the segment applicable to your product along with the years for which you would like data. Not all products or services will be covered for all countries and for many products and services, the data available through this service are on a macro level.
STAT-USA - a database of business, trade and economic information. Includes in-depth international market and industry reports. Available from the library homepage at http://www.library.arizona.edu. Click on the "Article & Database Searching" link on the left side of the page, under "Search & Find." HINT: you'll have a better chance of finding what you need in the "GLOBUS/NTDB" section of the database.
Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe - statistics from federal, state, and local governments, as well as international and intergovernmental statistical sources. Available from the library homepage at http://www.library.arizona.edu. Click on the "Article & Database Searching" link on the left side of the page, under "Search & Find."
Trade statistics for products may be found on the International Trade Centre website. The data for exports and imports is classified by SITC code, which you have already identified. Click on your code and you will get a data table of countries ranked by the value of their exports (or imports) of your product.
Once you have determined the top producing country of your product (or service), you may use a business directory to identify one producing firm within that country, and that company's in-country competition. The business directory Principal International Businesses is one source that lists companies by SIC code and then by country. It is available in the Main Library Information Commons at the call number HD69 .I7 D8.
Information on imports may be found on the International Trade Centre website listed above.
You may find information to determine the top consuming country of your product or service in the database Global Market Information Database (Euromonitor) mentioned above. You may also need to search for statistics, articles or reports in the databases listed above under production.
Trade associations may be identified using the Encyclopedia of Associations. To access this database, go to the library homepage, select "Reference Resources" (under "Search & Find"), then Organizations & Associations.
Citation Guide - Remember to cite your sources! Use this citation guide created by UA Librarians to see examples of how to cite different types of sources.
Additional resources - Here are some more resources of use to business students that may assist you in completing this assignment.
For research assistance:
Come to the Reference Desk in the Information Commons of the Main Library!
OR
Use Ask a Librarian to get reference assistance using chat software!
OR
Contact the Business Librarian Laura Carscaddon
Web page created by Mary Feeney
and maintained by Laura Carscaddon, Business Librarian,
University of Arizona.
Last updated August 21, 2008.
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