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Introduction
The research assignment for BUS 346 (D200 section) encompasses a wide range of possible topics, all on a global scale, so the number of possibly relevant resources is huge. I'll focus this guide on only some top resources – ones that I would normally consult for almost any global business topic.
If these sources don't cover what you need, please do use the SFU Library's chat and email help services to discuss your research with a librarian.
Good luck with your research!
– Mark
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Mark Bodnar
mbodnar@sfu.ca
Business & Economics Librarian
News
Factiva
Factiva allows you to search through over 30,000 news sources from around the world, many with a strong business/industry focus. This blog post about Factiva provides details on its expanding international content and tips on using the powerful Factiva Expert Search feature.
Financial Times
The FT offers deep coverage of global issues, especially those that touch on business and economic matters. In addition, it goes beyond short news articles and provides videos, reports, charts, and more. For instance, see this special report on China's Belt and Road Initiative. Read this blog post for details on accessing SFU's new FT subscription.
The Economist magazine
The Economist is well known for providing deep coverage of global economic and business issues. The link above covers all Economist issues from 1992 to the present.
The Conversation
The Conversation features analysis of news events written for the public by experts in the academic and research community. The link above will take you to the global edition, but you can switch to editions based in any of several countries.
Business Source Complete
BSC doesn't just have academic journal articles! It also contains many business news and analysis publications such as the McKinsey Quarterly.
Intergovernmental & government organizations
Asian Development Bank - Publications
Organizations such as the ADB often deal with topics of the sort you'll be working on. Consider starting with the subset of papers and briefs by the ADB Institute. See also the many "Development Finance Institutions" (DFIs) for other regions of the world... most will likely have publications and data available.
ILO
A few of your topics deal with global employment issues, so the International Labour Organization might be useful. Start with their Publications, Research, and Statistics areas. Note that most ILO information is free online – always look for a PDF option. Here are a couple samples that touch on expatriates and the "war for talent."
IMF: Research & News
The International Monetary Fund is a key source for anything concerning global finance and trade, and most of their data and publications are freely available.
OECD iLibrary
OECD's main focus is on its member countries, but many of its publications have a global perspective. Check it out for country studies, forecasting publications, reports, and socio-economic databases. Topics covered include agriculture, developing economies, education, employment, energy, environment, migration, social issues, and sustainable development.
UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) - Publications
US Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
The CRS reports are provided for members of the US Congress as a way to brief them on major issues of interest to the US. Here are a few recent samples on China, the BRI, and the USMCA.
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
A huge collection of publications about global economic topics, all freely available.
WTO: Documents & Resources
Explore publications such as the World Trade Report, the World Trade Statistical Review, and much more.
Consulting firms & think tanks
Harvard Think Tank Search
Think tanks and research institutes such as the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Migration Policy Institute analyze global issues and often make their reports freely available. The link above will take you to a customized Google search tool focused on the reports of major think tanks around the world. The following links are to some rough searches I ran on your topics... just to get you started: USMCA, BRI, expatriates, emerging market MNEs, war for talent, and US-China competition.
Global consulting firms usually provide insights – either research or experience based – on top issues relevant to businesses. I suspect they will be less likely than the sources above to touch on your assigned topics, but they are still worth a quick look.
- Deloitte: Insights - browse by topic, sector, etc.
- Ernst & Young: What We Think
- Grant Thornton: Insights
- PwC: Research & Insights
- KPMG: Insights
- Aon: Insights
- Mercer: Our Thinking
- BCG: Insights
Books & ebooks
The links below all go to rough searches in the SFU Library catalogue. All are focused on titles published in the last 5 years. I've included both print and online books, but it's likely that you'll only be able to access the online ones for much of this term. On the plus side, there are far more online than print titles, and they can be accessed anywhere in the world.
- China's Belt Road Initiative (BRI)
- NAFTA/USMCA (note the many think tank reports included among the search results)
- The War for Talent
- US-China Strategic Competition
- Emerging Market MNEs
- Expatriation
Getting help
Contact our reference librarians via online chat or email using our Ask a Librarian services.
You are also welcome to email me (mbodnar@sfu.ca) with your questions. It makes things much more efficient if you start your email by explaining...
- what class you are in (so I have a rough sense of your assignment right at the start);
- when the assignment is due;
- what exactly you are after (saying that you need "the global implications of the BRI" is far too broad - saying that you need to know where to find "information on the " is better (though not necessarily simpler!));
- where you have you looked so far (have you tried the catalogue for ebooks?);
- and what search terms you tried when you searched.
After your search
Research is only half the battle! You also need to communicate your findings in a clear, well-structured paper, Check the SFU Library guides to Business Writing and Academic Writing Resources for information to help with essay structure, grammar, spelling, and more.
The SFU Library has many books on creating effective business presentations and on public speaking or Powerpoint in general, including several recent titles that are available online for SFU researchers. We also have videos with public speaking tips. See our Business Presentations guide for useful resources to help you impress your audience!
You also need to correctly cite all of the books, journal articles, and sites that you used in your research. Start with the SFU Library style guides (covers APA and other major styles), as well as our guide to citing Business sources using APA. Note also that many of our article indexes (e.g., Business Source Complete) will allow you to email article citations to yourself with the citation automatically in APA format.
Learning how to properly credit others when you use their ideas is a difficult, but important, part of research. Start with the SFU Library's interactive tutorial Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism to test yourself and to learn more about plagiarism. Also read the SFU Library Guide on Plagiarism for further discussion of this critical topic and for links to other plagiarism guides.