As the title indicates, this book provides an overview of strategies, resources, and the authors' own experience on the topic of international business. It is geared towards academia, but many of the resources are available to anyone.
Chapter 1, Basic Tools and Sources, examines places to start researching international business: the library catalog; fee-based databases; agencies, organizations, publishers; publicly available sources; search engines; browsers; research guides; and Web 2.0 sources. Chapter 2, International Monetary System and Financial Markets, looks at the role of money, the international monetary system, and financial markets in international business transactions, including trade and foreign direct investment. Chapter 3 covers Resources with World Coverage, from US-based sources to international organizations, fee-based sources, and sources for international finance and investment.
Chapter 4 discusses Regional Economic Organizations and Trade Blocs, listing the various international alliances such as the European Union (EU), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), and the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), to name just a few. Chapter 5, International Company Research, gets into the nitty gritty of trying to find information on international companies, listing various sources and strategies that the authors have employed in their careers. Depositary receipts, regulatory authority websites, official registries, chambers of commerce, online and print product directories, and yellow pages are some of the sources listed. Chapter 6, Classification Systems for Industry, reviews different classifications worldwide that are relevant when conducting industry research. The book covers nine systems, from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to the Extended Balance of Payments Services Classification (EBOPS), to name two.
Chapter 7, International Industry Research, and Chapter 8, International Market Research, focus on global resources on these topics. These two chapters are where the in-depth resource analyses are offered by the authors, with very specific websites, databases, and tools. Chapter 9, Global Investing, discusses various ways that investors can diversify their portfolios using mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), depositary receipts, direct shares, and currency trading markets. Direct investment in foreign financial markets brings the book to a conclusion.
This book is packed with resources and tips, along with the authors' extensive knowledge and expertise on this topic. I highly recommend this volume for anyone involved in collection development in the business and economics subject areas.
