Information Research FAQ v.3.4 (Part 6/9)
David Novak
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: Apr 10 1999
URL: http://cn.net.au
Copyright: (c) 1999 David Novak
Maintainer: David Novak <da...@cn.net.au>
Information Research FAQ (Part 6/9)
This section of the FAQ contains a collection of heavily researched
articles prepared by an information professional and converted from
html. These articles are better in html, so consider visiting a spire
site (try http://cn.net.au) or downloading the website zipped up as free
shareware (http://cn.net.au/infokey.html).
If you have suggestions, leads or corrections, please inform David
(da...@cn.net.au) Note also the disclaimer statements on Part 1 of this
FAQ.
Contents
----- Part 6 -----
21. Information Research: Country Profiles
22. Information Research: Business Benchmarks
23. Information Research: Imports & Exports
___________________________________________________
21. Information Research: Country Profiles
From the Spire Project (cn.net.au)
http://cn.net.au/country.html
Certain questions require country specific data. The Internet is a fine
source for this kind of information, though better commercial
compilations exist. This field is dominated by data from large
international organizations (the UN, World Bank and WHO) or government
departments (CIA, UK Foreign Consular Office, Health Canada, Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs). This works in our favour: such
information attains a higher standard of quality than might otherwise be
expected on the Internet. The down side: current information is
difficult to locate.
---------- Internet Resources ----------
[1]International Travel Advisory Reports
These travel advisory reports, from USA, Canada, Australia and the UK,
contain considerable detail about issues affecting travellers: health
care, crime, current security issues. These travel advisories only
mildly overlap so try to read each one and take note of the preparation
date.
[2] The US Department of State's Travel Warnings & Consular Information
Sheets - list[2] and site[3]. This is a large and active site covering
the most countries and is most actively added to.
[4] The [Canadian] Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(DFAIT)'s Travel Information & Advisory Reports - list[4] and site[5]
[6] The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DEFAT) Consular Travel
Advisories - list[6] & site[7].
[8] (UK) Foreign Consular Office's Travel Advice - list[8], topic
webpage[9] and site[10].
[1]Country Health Reports
Health reports and guidance is available from organizations like the
CDC, Health Canada, and the Pan American Health Organization.
[11] Health Canada publishes Health Information for Canadian Travelers,
a very precise and helpful resource, especially their coverage of global
health issues. See their country information[11] or their organization
website[12].
[13] The [US] Center for Disease Control publishes CDC Travel
Information, also very precise and helpful with global health issues.
See their travel information[13], information by region[14], or their
organization website[15].
[16] The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) publishes "Health in
the Americas", country specific health descriptions dated 1998. PAHO
also provides information to WHO, like an analysis of Hurricane Mitch in
the WHO Outbreak News. List[16], site[17] and blurb[18].
[19] Shoreland is a commercial retailer of health news (see below), but
also publish Travel Health Online, free country health information on
the Internet. List[19] and site[20].
The World Health Organization (WHO[21]), is not the most active online
publisher, but does have the OUTBREAK NEWS[22] - a small description of
health concerns in the world, (organized by country), and WHOSIS[23], a
guide to health-related information from WHO. By virtue of the status of
this organization, consider just searching the WHO website[24] for
something relevant.
[1]General and Demographic Country Profiles
These summary and perhaps introductory profiles include maps, history,
demographics, political synopsis and similar information. We have also
included a resource for locating national websites.
Touch this map to list these reports by country.
[25] The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA[26]) publishes The World
Factbook 1998. This is the best of the general country profiles. Simple
but dense, these also include a map, population statistics, environment
and more. Coverage is universal, including oceans... start with this
country list[25], the factbook page[27], or the CIA publications
page[28].
[29] The US Library of Congress publishes Country Studies for most
countries.List[29] & site[30]. There is also a flexible search
function[31] covering these country studies.
[32] The US Department of State publishes their Country Background
Notes[32]. Start with the country list[32] or publication page[33].
[34] UNICEF (www.unicef.org[35]), publishes a single page statistical
look at each country. These statistics are current, and heavily borrowed
from the other UN organs. Start at their statistics page[34].
[36] US Census Department (www.census.gov[37]), publishes the
International Data Base (IDB), statistical tables covering demographic,
social and economic data for every country. The prize here is how you
can select different countries for a direct comparison of information.
The data is recent and there is also a graphical display of certain
facts. Start under the Recent Data - then select Vision.
Further valuable resource include 1_ This Directory of International
Government Entry Points[38] presented by the University of Michigan
Documents Center. Use this to find the official government entrypoints
to a country on the web. 2_ The CIA also publishes Chiefs of State and
Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. Start at either the CIA
publications page[28] or the country list[39]. 3_ The UN Statistical
Division[40] publishes Development Data[41]. Organized by category,
their current data compares countries by social indicators: Various
demographics, Child-bearing, Literacy, Income, Housing, Water supply and
more. 4_ The World Bank publishes Development Data: Development
Goals[42]. These statistics present country data in PDF format for:
Poverty, Education, Mortality, Health, Gender & Environment.
[1] Social Commentary by Country
Social profiles from organizations like Amnesty International and the
Red Cross covering Human Rights, Refugees, Conflict Resolution, these
related social issues.
Touch this map to list these reports by country.
[43] Amnesty International (AI[44]) maintains a country-specific
Publications & News Releases (1998-94) page. AI reports on situations of
human rights abuse and keeps lengthy and supported records back to 1994
online. Start at the index of publications by country[43] or the Amnesty
International Library[45]. Of particular interest is their annual the
Amnesty International Report 1998[46] (and past editions back to 1993)
[47] US Department of State publishes their Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices for 1997 (released Jan'98)
- 1998 Table of Contents[47] past years[48] and publication site[33].
[49] the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR[50])
publishes the UNHCR Refugee Profile. Start at their country list[49].
[51] US Committee for Refugees (www.refugees.org[52]) publish "The World
Refugee Survey", which in many ways mirrors the work of the UNHCR. Start
at their clickable map[51].
[53] The Canadian Forces College, with the support of The Canadian Dept.
of National Defense, publish the War, Peace and Security Guide. Start at
the country list[53] or site[54]
Further sites include 1_ Canada and the World[55] - [Canadian]
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and their
executive summaries & factsheets. 2_ The International Committee of the
Red Cross (www.icrc.ch[56]) and their Operations by Country[57] with
photos, reports & news. 3_ INCORE[58] Initiative on Conflict Resolution
and Ethnicity, (jointly from University of Ulster & United Nations
University) and their country-by-country reporting on conflicts[59].
(See Conflict Data Service: Country Guides) 4_ Further conflict leads
can be found at this Canadian Forces College List[60].
[1] Economic Country Profiles
There resources cover the financial health, business climate and trade
barriers. Some of this information is very spectacular, but a second
benefit is that clear comparisons can be made. Each resource will
provide a slightly different take on the economy, so we would suggest
you review all the relevant reports.
Touch this map to list these reports by country.
[61] New Zealand Trade Development Board Country Profiles
The New Zealand Trade Development Board[62] publish short and sharp
Country Profiles[61], as well as some fine Province and City profiles
for China. These include some commentary and are better than the US
profiles.
[63] DEFAT Economies at a glance
The (Australian) Department of Foreign Affairs gives away 5 page pdf
files full of economic charts & statistical descriptions. There are 27
available, each about 1Mbyte. They also publish more serious country
profiles (see below). See their country list[63], their
publications[64], or their organization website[7].
[65][66] The World Bank publishes two documents of interest. Firstly,
Competitiveness Indicators (list[65] and description[67]). Secondly,
the WorldBank Country at a Glance[66], data for 190 countries for
socio-economic indicators as PDF files. Oddly, Opera can not read this
webpage.
The World Bank also publishes a collection of international statistics
in Data by Topic and Development Data. Start at either their website
(www.worldbank.int[68]) the World Bank Group Site Map[69] or their data
page[70].
[71] Country Reports on Economic Policy and Trade Practices (1993 to
1997)
U.S. Department of State - 1997 country list[72], all versions[71] and
site[33]. Not all countries are reviewed each year, so you will want to
look back in time.
[73] The Past Country Commercial Guides produced by US embassies. The
latest edition is sold to US businesses (see below), but past
versions[73] (4 years worth) are free. There are not many, but most are
>100kbytes and very detailed.
[74] Market Access Database (mkaccdb.eu.int[75]), a project by the
Commission of the European Union, presents some sharp analysis about
market access for a collection of 30+ countries. Extends from overviews
of barriers, to specific barriers in specific industries. Query the
database by country[74].
If market access interests you, also view the comparable US trade access
1998 National Trade Estimate Reports on Foreign Trade Barriers[76]. This
annual report from the Office of the US Trade Representative covers far
more countries than the EU market access database, but is less
informative and far too americano-centric.
Further resources include 1_ The PACIFIC Exchange Rate Service, through
the University of British Columbia, presents Current Currency Exchange
Rates - some[77], the rest[78], and the organization website[79]. 2_ The
Food & Agriculture Organization, a UN organ, maintains a database of
each countries food and agricultural resources. Complete and detailed,
though complex at first, this database gateway generates tables of data.
Start at the database gateway[80]. 3_ The World Trade Organization
(WTO[81]) produces a study on world trade[82]. Dated 19th March 1998,
with considerable trade information in the apendixes: the second half of
the document. 4_ The World Bank[83] also publishes Development Data:
Data by Topic[84], a long list of available data fields on a wide range
of topics from air pollution to access to education. 5_ Trade Data
Online[85] is a free gateway to trade data from Statistics Canada and
the US Bureau of the Census. This site will give you very recent trade
figures from either the US or Canada, with any other country. Further
description appears on this website[86]
---------- Library Resources ----------
[1]Library Resources & Books
This is a sample of reference tools available at large libraries to get
you thinking if this could answer your query.
The World in Figures: contains editorial information compiled by the
Economist.
Social Indicators of Development by the World Bank.
The Europa World Year Book 2 volumes and now in the 37th edition. Very
similar to the Library of Congress and CIA Factbook mentioned above.
Compendium of Social Statistics and Indicators by The United Nations
Statistical Yearbook 1998 by the United Nations, now in its 41st edition
Population and Vital Statistics Report is a UN quarterly journal.
The Far Eastern Economic Review runs periodic descriptions of South East
Asian Countries.
United Nations publishes a wide variety of comparative studies. See our
separate article, United Nations Information[87].
The world's most dangerous countries by Robert Pelton is a delightful
book we have in our library.
---------- Commercial Resources ----------
[1]Commercial Compilations
Commercial Compilations of Country Data are universally more
resourceful.
[88] PERC (Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, Ltd) prepares &
analyses the east & southeast asian markets. Part of their work includes
producing risk reports by country, quarterly. Some past risk reports
used to be free online, but can't be found now. Site[88] and Blurb[89].
(Australian) Department of Foreign Affairs Country Economic Briefs
About 40 pages, about A$30 each ($850 the set) and full of stats & data.
These profiles also highlight the relationship with Australia. The blurb
and sample[90] are online, or visit the agency website[7].
[91] Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Country Reports, Country
Summaries and more. Their website is available online[91], available for
direct purchase or database access.
[92] Asia-Pacific Profiles 1998 developed out of the Australian National
University. Expensive but factual and detailed descriptions of a
collection of Asian + Australia & New Zealand. Further description found
here[92].
[93] OECD Economic Surveys
These are 100+ pages of stats and conclusions, but for just 29
countries. Here is the OECD website[93].
[94] Country Commercial Guides are prepared annually at US Embassies by
several US government agencies. These are for US use only, available
from Stat-USA[95] or the NTIS (ord...@ntis.fedworld.gov). Here is the
country list[94].
[96] Price Waterhouse Information Guides
Their sample and description[96] are online.
[97] Bank of America World Information Services.
Country Forecasts, Risk Monitor and Outlooks, economic and forecast in
nature. The sample and description[97] are online, at the Bank of
America[98] website.
[99] Shoreland's Travel Health Online
Publishes TRAVAX and customized reports for travel health & safety
information. Visit their website for more[99].
[100] World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
WCMC publishes their National Biodiversity Profiles. The
description[100] is online, at the WCMC website[101].
Additional Commercial Compilations do exist. I am aware of: Associated
Banks of Europe: Country Reports, Country Reports by Walden,
Kaleidoscope Current World Data, and IBC Political Risk Services &
Country Risk Guides.
---------- Conclusions ----------
[1] Other Resources
Before you finish, there are several additional sources available to
you. Firstly, many countries will have an Ambassador, Consulate or
Consular Representative in your nearest large city. Beyond providing
services to nationals, these also provide commercial information and
tourism directions. For example, many cities have Japanese cultural
centers. Secondly, your own country's Ambassador, Consulate or
Representative in your target country often provide paid assistance to
commercial inquiries. There will be a government agency locally which
will help you with this.
For more refined information, you can look for International Policy
Journals which include expert commentary under peer review. There are a
large number of such scholarly journals, often available at university
libraries or published by the United Nations. Alternatively, Important
Country Newspapers can be perused for political and local information.
Sometimes, regional periodicals like The Far East Economic Review and
The European can provide a less affected look. Many such papers are also
available to word search through commercial databases. See Newswires &
News Databases[102] for leads.
Lastly, you can progress to the standard tools like a book search[103]
or an article search[104] for further information.
This post comes from The Spire Project,
a site devoted to information research.
Advice welcome : email da...@cn.net.au
(c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)
--- footnotes for the above article ---
[1] http://cn.net.au/index2.html
[2] http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
[3] http://travel.state.gov
[4] http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/travelreport/intro_e.asp
[5] http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/travelreport/menu_e.htm
[6] http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/advices_mnu.html
[7] http://www.dfat.gov.au
[8] http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp
[9] http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel
[10] http://www.fco.gov.uk
[11] http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/osh/pub_e.html
[12] http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/links/english.html
[13] http://www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html
[14] http://www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html#georec
[15] http://www.cdc.gov
[16] http://www.paho.org/english/country.htm
[17] http://www.paho.org
[18] http://www.paho.org/english/DBI/blrb5asp.htm#sp549
[19] http://www.tripprep.com/country/country.html
[20] http://www.tripprep.com
[21] http://www.who.int
[22] http://www.who.int/emc/outbreak_news/index.html
[23] http://www.who.int/whosis
[24] http://www.who.int/home/search
[25] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/country-frame.html
[26] http://www.odci.gov/cia
[27] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
[28] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/pubs.html
[29] http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html#toc
[30] http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
[31] http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/csquery.html
[32] http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/index.html
[33] http://www.state.gov/www/outreach_publications.html
[34] http://www.unicef.org/statis
[35] http://www.unicef.org
[36] http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/ipc/www/idbnew.html
[37] http://www.census.gov
[38] http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/foreign.html
[39] http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/index.html
[40] http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/statdiv.htm
[41] http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/main.htm
[42] http://www.worldbank.org/data/dev/devgoals.html
[43] http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/countries/index.html
[44] http://www.amnesty.org
[45] http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/index.html
[46] http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/ar98/index.html
[47]
http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1998_hrp_report/98hrp_repor
t_toc.html
[48]
http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/hrp_reports_mainhp.html
[49] http://www.unhcr.ch/world/alpha.htm
[50] http://www.unhcr.ch
[51] http://www.refugees.org/world/countryrpt/mapsearch.htm
[52] http://www.refugees.org
[53] http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/wars/index.html
[54] http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/index.html
[55] http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/english/canada/menu1.htm
[56] http://www.icrc.ch
[57]
http://www.icrc.ch/unicc/icrcnews.nsf/5845147e46836989c12561740044a4f7/a
77d2a91a05eb61cc12563e70057ae0f?OpenDocument
[58] http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk
[59] http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/cds/countries/index.html
[60] http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milorg/indexc.html
[61] http://www.tradenz.govt.nz/intelligence/profiles
[62] http://www.tradenz.govt.nz/index2.html
[63] http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/eaag/index.html
[64] http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/index.html
[65]
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/psd/compete.nsf/d3fe1ba1940f13908525650d00
53554f/c2b07f0ad3cc44d68525650d00536564?OpenDocument
[66] http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/countrydata.html
[67] http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/psd/compete.nsf
[68] http://www.worldbank.org
[69] http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/toc.html
[70] http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/data.htm
[71] http://www.state.gov/www/issues/economic/trade_reports/index.html
[72] http://www.state.gov/www/issues/economic/trade_reports/97_toc.html
[73]
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/index.html
[74] http://mkaccdb.eu.int/mkdb/mkdb.pl?METHOD=COUNTRY
[75] http://mkaccdb.eu.int
[76] http://www.ustr.gov/reports/nte/1998/contents.html
[77] http://pacific.commerce.ubc.ca/xr/today.html
[78] http://pacific.commerce.ubc.ca/xr/rates.html
[79] http://pacific.commerce.ubc.ca/xr
[80] http://apps.fao.org/lim500/agri_db.pl
[81] http://www.wto.org
[82] http://www.wto.org/intltrad/internat.htm
[83] http://www.worldbank.int
[84] http://www.worldbank.org/data/databytopic/databytopic.html
[85] http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/tr_homep.html
[86] http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/site.html
[87] http://cn.net.au/un.html
[88] http://asiarisk.com
[89] http://asiarisk.com/percrpts.html
[90] http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/cebs.html
[91] http://www.eiu.com
[92] http://ncdsnet.anu.edu.au/AsiaPPress/ap-profiles.htm
[93] http://www.oecd.org
[94] http://www.ita.doc.gov/uscs/ccglist.html
[95] http://www.stat-usa.gov
[96] http://www.i-trade.com/infosrc/pw/cmenu.html
[97] http://www.bankamerica.com/econ_indicator/wis.html
[98] http://www.bankamerica.com
[99] http://www.tripprep.com/index.html
[100] http://www.wcmc.org.uk:80/nbp/index.html
[101] http://www.wcmc.org.uk
[102] newswire.html
[103] http://cn.net.au/books.html
[104] http://cn.net.au/articles.html
___________________________________________________
22. Information Research: Business Benchmarks
From the Spire Project (cn.net.au)
http://cn.net.au/bench.html
Business Benchmarks are statistical descriptions of the running costs of
comparable businesses.
There are several ways to use benchmarks. Accountants use them
frequently, as do bankers and investment advisors, to judge the health
of a business. Certainly anyone buying a business will reach for
business benchmarks as one measurement of business health and value.
Equally as often, your accountant will do this work for you.
A standard business benchmark will describe various costs as a
percentage of total turnover. They may include figures like turnover per
staff, gross profit as a percentage of turnover, staffing costs as a
percentage of turnover and such. Some benchmarks give more. These are
the ones we are aware of.
---------- Internet Resources ----------
[1]Small Business Advancement Electronic Resource
[2] The SBAER[3] publishes a collection of 33 small business profiles[2]
free on the net, but unfortunately slightly dated now.
---------- Library Resources ----------
[1]U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook '98 (USA)
[4] U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook '98 is an NTIS publication compiled
by industry analysts from Dept of Commerce. Their blurb describes a 650
page volume, reviewing most important sectors of the US economy. If
your library does not have a copy, the book is inexpensive at about
US$75. See their webpage description[4].
[1]Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Australia)
The ABS publishes business benchmarks in their industry analyses. If the
ABS has undertaken surveys, and you search their online catalogue to
determine this, then they will have compiled information which can be
used as business benchmarks. You may have to calculate the percentages
yourself, the ABS tends to have older data than other sources, and focus
more on industry. The ABS collects their data from surveys sent to
businesses.
[5][6] 1) The ABS 1998 Catalogue of Publications.
Full Text Search of the 1998 Catalogue
[7] A separate article, National Statistical Agencies[7] includes a more
complete description of ABS products and services.
Other benchmarks are published as books.
The [Australian] Bureau of Industry Economics publishes a series of
studies on various Australian infrastructure industries. Each study
compares between states and against best work practice, including costs,
services and operating efficiency. All have the titles "International
Performance Indicators ..." and you can get a list by entering this in
the AGIP database[8] of Australian Government Publications.
The Locating Books[9] article will help you find alternative books.
---------- Commercial Resources ----------
[1]FMRC Benchmarking Team (Australia)
The FMRC Business Benchmarks are Australian business benchmarks,
recording the expected costs as a percentage and certain business ratios
for a range of mostly small business industries.
I have not had time to review their new website, but previously they
came in two formats... a single sheet and a small pamphlet which is
little more than the single sheet with an explanation attached.
Accountants use benchmarks frequently, and this may well be the easiest
place to go to get them. The State Library in Western Australia has an
aging collection in a binder held behind the business help desk and The
Small Business Development Corporation's Free Advisory service in WA
incorporate this information into their advice. You could also purchase
these directly from the SBDC (formerly $250 for hard or softcopy for
complete information or about A$40 each.)
Be careful of their age. Each industry is only analyzed every few years,
and the libraries may not have the most recent version. Further, these
do require some understanding of business ratios.
[10] FMRC now resides at www.benchmarking.au.com[10] (yes, .au.com!)
[1]Westralian Business Ratios (Western Australia)
John Watson, from the Economics Department of the University of Western
Australia, has created a very professional set of business benchmarks on
Western Australian businesses. Unlike most business benchmarks, these
are annual, present quartile information and describe the statistics in
a most professional manner (including sample size !). You may need the
help of your accountant to get a copy.
---------- Conclusions ----------
We have listed just a few benchmarks here, but information about
benchmarks is so poorly distributed, and we get asked so frequently, we
thought it worthwhile publishing this article anyway. If you know of
further benchmarks, do inform us.
One further opportunity is Purposeful Benchmarking. Ideally you arrange
an amicable invitation to peruse the best practice of, not your
competitor, but a business unit which does similar functions in a
different industry. Thus, compare Airplane Turnaround times with an
RaceCar Pit crew.
The Benchmark Self-Help Manual is guide to the concept of creating
benchmarks. Best Practice manuals and journals also cover this activity.
This post comes from The Spire Project,
a site devoted to information research.
Advice welcome : email da...@cn.net.au
(c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)
--- footnotes for the above article ---
[1] http://cn.net.au/index2.html
[2] http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/sbaer/publications/index.ssi#industry
[3] http://www.sbaer.uca.edu
[4] http://www.ntis.gov/yellowbk/1nty752.htm
[5]
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110121.NSF/d29f0d90066771024a25644f00
1d0c5b?OpenView
[6]
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110121.NSF/d29f0d90066771024a25644f00
1d0c5b/$searchForm?SearchView
[7] http://cn.net.au/bureau.html
[8]
http://webpac.ausinfo.gov.au/webpac-bin/wgbroker?new+-access+top.advance
dsearch
[9] http://cn.net.au/books.html
[10] http://www.benchmarking.au.com
___________________________________________________
23. Information Research: Import and Export Statistics
From the Spire Project (cn.net.au)
http://cn.net.au/imports.html
Once you have decided to reach for trade statistics, reach for the best.
All the general statistics and trade links are of limited relevance
compared to knowing the volume of tuna exported to Japan. We can try to
identify specific exporting firms, potential markets and existing trade
patterns. We list here statistics prepared by the national statistical
agencies, certain directories of possible interest, and a database of
port traffic.
---------- Internet Resources ----------
[1]Trade Data Online
[2] Trade Data Online
(strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/tr_homep.html[2]) is a service
by Industry Canada[3], presenting trade information from Statistics
Canada and the US Bureau of the Census. This free database presents
trade data for both the US and Canada. Results either list imports and
exports by product (down to the level of "pulp of wood and the like", or
"footwear", or imports and exports by industry ("fruit farms" or
"contract logging industry").Further description appears on this
website[4].
In every way, this is a brilliant tool, except the depth of categories.
Results can be as specific as exports from British Columbia to
Afghanistan, divided by month in CA$ or US$. For more detail, we need to
reach for the paid services below.
---------- Library Resources ----------
[1]Directories
[5] Kompass directories list manufacturing firms by product. If you are
looking for the manufacturer of plastic disk slips - here is where you
go. They are a bit tricky to use, so read our simple guide[5] first.
Kompass directories list manufacturing companies, which may suggest
potential exporters.
Kompass is produced by Kompass [US][6] or Kompass International[7].
Print directories exist for most countries while Kompass databases cover
regions (ie Kompass Asia/Pacific). Large libraries will have some of the
print directories. Further descriptions can be found from Dialog[8],
Australian Exports by Austrade, gives the names of major firms divided
by product and service. Volume of trade is not provided, but this
directory, and directories like this, provide the names responsible for
the trade numbers you can determine using other resources (like export
statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics). The American
Export Register provides similar information.
---------- Commercial Resources ----------
[1]US Trade Statistics
The US Customs Service collects import and export information, but the
information is developed by the US Census Bureau and Stat-USA (a
commercial wing of the Dept of Commerce). The Trade Data Online listed
above[9] is a free version of this information but at a shallow level.
[10] The National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) is a subscription service to US
import and export statistics offered through Stat-USA[10]. Costs are
US$50/quarter or US$150/yr. This data is accessed through the stat-usa
website. The database extends down to the level of "0105190020 Turkeys,
Live, Weighing Not Over 185 G Each (SIC0259)".
The subscription price also entitles you to a range of further economic
data, so you will want to investigate this a little further. Start
here[10].
[11] The US Census Bureau[12], also sells trade data collected by the US
Customs Service. Start at USA Trade Statistics[13].
[1]Canadian Trade Statistics
Canadian customs information is either available through The Trade Data
Online listed above[9] (a free but at a shallow trade database), or
through the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database, also by
Statistics Canada[14].
[15] The Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database delivers
specific imports and exports from Canada - and provides you with a quote
for the cost. Works like a shopping trolley, and Statistics Canada
accepts payment by credit card. Start from this page[15].
[1]Australian Trade Statistics
[16] All the Australian Trade Statistics are prepared by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Import and Export statistics are collected
by the customs authority, then released as a paid service directly from
the ABS prepared to the level of classification you need. Prices are
arranged by quote.
Due to privacy concerns you will not be able to pinpoint who is
exporting/importing but you will get totals, by state if you wish, for
commodities. This is a paid service. To start, contact the ABS by
phone[17].
[1]PIERS - Port traffic database.
[18] PIERS (www.piers.com[18]) is a database of port traffic. Based upon
the port documents (manifest & bill of lading), the complete database
compiles this information into specific categories, countries and the
like. The PIERS database covers imports and exports from the US, Mexico
and a collection of south and latin american countries. Of particular
interest, summary data is also available through the website (sample). A
report detailing the top importers of olives fro italy costs US$87 when
I looked.
Databases are organized as US or Mexico, Import or Export. Consider
reading the further descriptions from Dialog[19].
---------- Conclusions ----------
As each national statistical bureau records and monitors imports and
exports, read the National Statistical Agencies[16] article for
directions to other country statistics. For those tempted to trawl for
Internet resources, consider International Trade Web Resources[20] by
the Federation of International Trade Associations, a site recommended
by Argus.
This post comes from The Spire Project,
a site devoted to information research.
Advice welcome : email da...@cn.net.au
(c)Copyright Community Networking. (http://cn.net.au)
--- footnotes for the above article ---
[1] http://cn.net.au/index2.html
[2] http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/tr_homep.html
[3] http://strategis.ic.gc.ca
[4] http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrkti/tdst/engdoc/site.html
[5] http://cn.net.au/note08.html
[6] http://www.kompass.com
[7] http://kompass-intl.com
[8] http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0592.html#AB
[9] http://cn.net.au/imports.html#1
[10] http://www.stat-usa.gov
[11] http://www.census.gov/mp/www/censtore.html
[12] http://www.census.gov
[13] http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/index.html
[14] http://www.statcan.ca
[15] http://www.statcan.ca/english/tradedata
[16] http://cn.net.au/bureau.html
[17]
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/d3310114.nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00
121564/a250eeaa1ff771d74a2564500009a40a?OpenDocument
[18] http://www.piers.com
[19] http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0572.html#AB
[20] http://www.fita.org/webindex.html
___________________________________________________
This document continues as Part 7/9.
__________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 1999 by David Novak, all rights reserved.
This FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service,
website, or BBS as long as it is posted unaltered in its entirety
including this copyright statement. This FAQ may not be included in
commercial collections or compilations without express
permission from the author. Further permission requests please to
da...@cn.net.au
-----------------------------------
David Novak - da...@cn.net.au