globalEDGE Resource Desk - New and Updated Sites

Happy Planet: Human Well-Being & Environmental Impact Index

The Happy Planet index ranks 143 countries based on the life satisfaction, life expectancy, and ecological footprint exhibited by each country. It is a simple measure designed to evaluate how efficiently countries use their resources in order to achieve fulfilling lives for their citizens. Data is accessible through an interactive global map or a list ranking in PDF and Excel format.

International Institute for Management Development: World Competitiveness Yearbook

Published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the annual report uses over 300 criteria in 4 main categories, economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure, to rank the competitiveness of 57 countries. The site includes the overall rankings for the past 5 years, and a limited selection of tables and graphics for the individual criteria. Ranking is available in PDF, and the complete report is available for purchase.

Engineering News-Record: Top 225 International Contractors

Annual study that ranks contractor companies based on the construction revenue generated outside of each company's home country. A separate ranking is available for the Top 225 Global Contractors and includes the companies' revenues in their home countries as well as their international revenues.

Center for Global Development: Commitment to Development Index

An annual ranking that grades 22 developed nations on how their aid, trade, migration, investment, technology, security, and environmental policies influence the development of poor nations. The site explains the methodology and the ranking of the 22 nations in the 7 categories (in addition to an overall ranking).

World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators

World Bank Governance Indicators provides a ranking of 212 countries and territories on six dimensions of governance; voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. The report is an aggregate project from the years 1996 to 2008. Data is available in Excel format only, and the World Bank Policy Research Working Paper on the report is available in PDF format.

Vale Columbia School on Sustainable International Investment: Emerging Market Global Players

The Emerging Market Global Players (EMGP) Project, a collaborative effort led by the Columbia Program on International Investments (CPII), ranks emerging market based multinational enterprises (MNEs) according to the level of foreign assets held. Rankings and analysis are included for Brazil, Russian, Israel, Argentina, India, China and Slovenia. Reports are available in PDF format, some in the country specific language.

Heritage Foundation: Index of Economic Freedom Rankings

A joint effort of the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, the index scores the relative freedom of 179 world economies based on 10 factors: trade policy, fiscal burden of government, government intervention in the economy, monetary policy, capital flows and foreign investment, banking and finance, wages and prices, property rights, regulation, and black market. The complete publication is available online.

Interbrand: Best Global Brands

The world's top 100 global brands ranked by Interbrand and BusinessWeek are ranked against each other and within industry. Updated annually, the table allows easy comparison to the past year. The site also has feature articles that accompany the table. Additional analysis and interactive presentations are available through the site. Previous reports since 2001 are available at the bottom of the page.

World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Report

The report identifies and measures the underlying factors that contribute to high rates of economic growth in the medium term (a time horizon of about 5 years). These factors are quantified and then combined into an Index of Competitiveness. The website provides access only to an interactive map (link on right column) that provides the current state of world countries with various hotspots clickable for detailed explanation. The rankings are available in PDF and excel. The full report is available for purchase.

Fitch: Sovereign Ratings

The Fitch Ratings Sovereigns Group provides credit research and opinion on more than 100 countries, and assigns ratings to the foreign and local currency debt of sovereign governments that account for virtually all of sovereign international debt issuance. A subscription is required for access to research and credit reports, but the actual rankings can be downloaded through the "Sovereign Ratings History" link of the left menu.

World-calendar.com

World-calendar.com is a web-based perpetual calendar that provides calendars (with Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic and Japanese versions) and holidays (including religious holidays) for over 70 countries. Available in English, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.

LogLink: NAICS/SIC Codes Lookup and Conversion

A database of NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) and SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes that allows for conversion and searching numerically, categorically, or alphabetically.

International Monetary Fund: Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board

The Monetary Fund’s Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB) was launched as an initiative to strengthen transparency and promote good governance practices by establishing standards and codes. It shows how the IMF has taken measures to improve statistical practices of countries by providing key economic and financial data and the practical steps followed by the different countries that have signed the Standard.

Electric Current Worldwide

Provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, "Electric Current Worldwide" is a guide to the types of electricity and plugs used around the world. After selecting a country from a drop down menu, the user can view current information and images of the different types of plugs and frequencies used in the area.

AskNumbers.com

The site contains multiple converters in an easy to use format. Some of the conversions include length/distance, weight/mass, temperature, pressure, energy, frequency, currency, CO2 emission and more.

Aglobalworld.com

Aglobalworld provides several different kinds of reference information for over 220 countries. For each country, the business traveler can find local holiday calendars, local time, weather, and voltage, among others. The site also includes international travel tips, warnings and links.

globalEDGE Business Review: The Challenges of Dual Career Households in a Global Economy

Executive Briefing: The global economy, growing numbers of dual income households, and the increase of international assignments are producing pressure on American multinationals and the Federal Government to provide career transition assistance to spouses/partners worldwide. New support programs emphasizing entrepreneurial skills training and internet savvy show promise to boost employment opportunities abroad. Opens in PDF format.

globalEDGE Business Review: Why CAFTA Faces Opposition

Executive Briefing: CAFTA was signed in 2004 in spite of substantial opposition to it in the Dominican Republic and Central America. Supporters say CAFTA will encourage each member to find and rely on its comparative advantage. However, critics use historical evidence to illustrate that CAFTA's provisions are harmful, both financially and environmentally, to citizens of Central America and the Dominican Republic. Opens in PDF format.

UNIDO: Globalization and Its Implications on Industries

This UNIDO publication contains links to documents on the topic of globalization and how it is affecting industrial development. While some of the publications are a few years old, they provide relevant information on topics like trade in a global economy, industrialization, and poverty alleviation. Publications are free of charge and each document can be downloaded in PDF form.

globalEDGE Business Review: Running a Global Corporation

Executive Briefing: What does it take to run a global corporation? Are there too many environmental and industry forces to think about? What about the strategy and organizational factors? No worries, it can all be paired down to a manageable few. Opens in PDF format.

globalEDGE Business Review: How Flat is the World?

Executive Briefing: In his 2005 bestseller, The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman argues that countries compete on an increasingly level playing field. But, does that argument hold over time when tested empirically? In some economic sectors the answer is "maybe," while in most sectors the answer is a simple "no." So, what does this mean for global business strategy? Opens in PDF format.

globalEDGE Business Review: Strategic Global Supply Chains

Executive Briefing: Does your global supply chain adopt a narrow or broad focus? Is either of speed, quality, cost, or flexibility the key outcome in your chain? If so, certain elements drive your performance more than others. But if you truly go for the gold standard, your focus is probably on running a strategic global supply chain (SGSC). Do you know the drivers of a SGSC? Opens in PDF format.

globalEDGE Business Review: Knowledge in Global Supply Chains

Executive Briefing: Despite the importance of supply chains to firms, we know little about the intangible aspects of why some global supply chains excel while others struggle. The fit among strategy and knowledge elements is a key determinant of global supply chain performance. But, which knowledge elements should be stressed by which firms? Opens in PDF format.

Globaloganization of Renault Development Strategy

This article presents the drive of Renault from the edge of bankruptcy to the rise of its model Logan to international preeminence, fame and success. At the same time, Renault concentrated its production in countries that have been considered by the major car manufacturers as solely a marketplace and not the location of their production.

How to Go Offshore – Set up a Captive Unit or Outsource?

Firms today are facing increased pressure from shareholders to cut down costs of operation and one of the ways firms have cut costs effectively with limited changes to their strategy is to look at offshore production of firm's activities. While outsourcing firms offer easy offshore solutions in well developed and defined markets, firms are increasingly investing in establishing a foreign subsidiary in a low cost offshore location with a view to withholding control of processes and knowledge of their critical activities. Hybrid arrangements involving a combination of outsourcing and captive unit strategies are also increasingly becoming common. How does a firm know which is the best way to go offshore – setting up a foreign subsidiary in an offshore location or engaging with an offshore based outsourcing provider? What are the considerations that managers take into account while they make this decision? What are the enablers and barriers in either of the strategies?

SourceExperts.com

SourceExperts.com is a US based outsourcing network for global service professionals. The site features a service provider directory for over 150 countries and 250 outsourcing service categories, an outsourcing project post, opportunities to connect with outsourcing professionals and additional resources.

Taiwan: All Products Online

All products.com is an international B2B website aimed at helping business people find manufacturers, exporters, wholesalers and suppliers from Taiwan, China, and other Asian countries. The database contains over 980,000 products. Also available are buyer and seller services and trade leads searchable by product category.

World Economic Forum - Initiatives

The World Economic Forum is an independent, international organization striving towards a world-class corporate governance system based on values. The Initiatives page of the site provides a plethora of reports and rankings that emphasize a wide range of topics including: global corporate citizenship, financing for development and partnering against corruption.

ASIA & MIDDLE EAST: ASEAN Bankers Association

The ASEAN Bankers Association brings together the banking associations of all ASEAN member countries. Its purpose is to increase the economic growth of Southeast Asia through cooperation among its member banks.

Inc. 500 / 5000

Inc.com is aimed at helping business owners and CEOs start, run and grow their businesses more successfully. The Inc. 500/5000 is an exclusive ranking of United States' fastest-growing private companies. Users can view the full list or utilize a search function.