Let's take an sample research project so that you can see how you would research starting a business in another country. Our sample project will be starting a wine business in China.
1. Search for business plan books using COAST, our online catalog. Go to the Library web site and click on Find Books and Media (COAST). Start with the keywords business plans. You will see a list of books to look at. Take down some call numbers and find them on the shelf at the Library.
2. Search for industry information using IBISWorld (contains U.S. and global industry reports). IBISWorld has a report titled Global Wine Manufacturing that covers, key statistics, market characteristics, industry conditions, and more. To search IBISWorld you can search all sections of the database or browse each section. The following are the different sections we have access to: industry market research, global market research, industry risk ratings, company research and business environment.
3. Search for company information using Mergent Online ( a good resource for company reports both U.S. and non U.S. public companies). You can look for companies by NAICS and SIC codes or just type the company name in the search box. The NAICS code for Wineries is 312130.
4. Search for country information using CountryWatch. This database will give you information about a country's economy, politics, and investment climate. CountryWatch has a 352 page report about China. You can download a PDF version of it on your own computer and have it to use all semester. This easy to search database allows you to use a drop down menu to find your country. Once you choose a country the report will appear.
5. Look at export.gov for information about doing business in different countries. There are Country Commercial Guides and Country Background Notes. The Country Commercial Guides offer information about market conditions, purchasing power, consumer trends, distribution channels, navigating entry constraints and much more. There is a 2011 Country Commercial Guide for China. It is 150 pages long with information about the political and economic environment, trade regulations, selling U.S. products and services in China, trade and project financing and much more.
6. Search for articles and other special reports on your topic using ABI Inform and Business Source Premier. In the case of China and the wine industry I found a Datamonitor industry profile Wine in China dated May 2010 from Business Source Premier using China as a geographic term AND wine industry.