Country & Industry Surveys on FT.com

The Financial Times publishes approximately 240 surveys annually. Topics include financial markets, global industries, business management and developed and emerging countries. These are overview surveys written by FT reporters, not pages and pages of statistics. A PDF of all surveys published since 1994 is also available.

Alibaba.com

“Alibaba.com is the world’s largest marketplace for global trade and is the leading provider of online marketing services for importers and exporters. Alibaba.com is the number one destination for buyers and sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their businesses online.

Alibaba’s websites allow users to browse company information and trade leads by 27 industry categories and 700 product sub-categories, ranging from agriculture to software.

Alibaba’s web … [ Read more ]

Brian Arthur

There’s nothing magical about the United States, in my opinion, except its ability to innovate and innovate freely, and that’s what this country’s all about.

How to Negotiate ‘Yes’ Across Cultural Boundaries

Myriad factors can make or break a deal, according to Harvard Business School professor James K. Sebenius. As he explains in this excerpt from Harvard Business Review, the “web of influence” in many countries is more important than meets the eye.

Alibaba.com

Beginning with $60,000 and a dream, Alibaba.com shot to the top in less than two years and is now the world’s largest online marketplace for international trade among small- and medium-sized enterprises. But just like the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, making it inside the cave is only the beginning of the adventure. Professor Ming Zeng describes Alibaba.com’s rise, explains the challenges … [ Read more ]

Global sourcing: solution in search of a problem?

A recent study of firms in the Netherlands shows that regional differences still influence the sourcing strategies of European-based firms. The results also turn the tables on the ‘globalisation pundits’ who link international sourcing with higher profits.

China’s Change Merchants

A new breed of CEO emerging in China is wiring the nation – and portending change for just about everything else.