How the International Business Directories Compete: A Comparative Review Available to Purchase

Americans are increasingly aware that international business affects their lives. Consider the furor over foreign automobile imports or the concern about foreigners buying up U.S. farmland. Remember how excited U.S. soft drink manufacturers got about diplomatic recognition of China's teeming millions of thirsty citizens? Overseas sales by U.S. firms have been growing in both developed and underdeveloped countries. On the other hand, involvement of foreign businesses in the U.S. economy has been increasing at a “significant pace” recently. Given that knowledge has been equated with money and with power, the need for information on international or multinational business should be apparent. But what is the best source or sources of such information? Two directories of international business, Kelly's Manufacturers and Merchants Directory and the Who Owns Whom (WOW) directories, are in their ninety‐third and twenty‐first editions respectively. In addition there is Bottin International: International Business Register, less well‐known to Americans but equally venerable, now in its 182nd edition. Dun and Bradstreet's Principal International Businesses (PIB), in its seventh edition, is the relative newcomer to the field. This review will compare and contrast the above‐named directories, pointing out areas where they overlap and suggesting to what segment of library users each might appeal.