This newly updated and expanded edition of a reference bestseller is the only work available that guides business researchers and librarians to the most valuable sources for information on international business--and shows how to interpret and use that data. The authors discuss the best available resources and how to use them to find answers to a wide range of questions about international business. They also describe business practices in various regions and countries, the basics of international trade and finance, international business organizations, and relevant political departments and agencies. Many exhibits and tables are included, and the book's appendices include glossaries, checklists for evaluating sources, and sample disclosure documents.

Modern economies depend on innovation in services for their future growth. Service innovation increasingly depends on information technology and digitization of information processes. Designing new services is a complex matter, since collaboration with other companies and organizations is necessary. Service innovation is directly related to business models that support these services, i.e. services can only be successful in the long run with a viable business model that creates value for its customers and providers. This book presents a theoretically grounded yet practical approach to designing viable business models for electronic services, including mobile ones, i.e. the STOF model and – based on it – the STOF method. The STOF model provides a ‘holistic’ view on business models with four interrelated perspectives, i.e., Service, Technology, Organization and Finance. It elaborates on critical design issues that ultimately shape the business model and drive its viability.

Beginning a business includes arranging, settling on key monetary choices, and completing a series of legal activities.

As businesses grow less capital and infrastructure intensive and more people and knowledge intensive it becomes increasingly vital for today's managers to know what business information is available and how to apply it to their own decision-making processes. This book relates organisations' real information needs to specific types and named examples of information sources and services. The final chapter shows how to exploit the vast array of available information systematically, looking, for example, at the role of the information intermediary, the Internet and online hosts. This is a book no well-informed business should be without.