International Business

Use these sources to get a sense of how the industry is performing in a particular country or region. 

Think about: 

• What customer trends or preferences might be different there? 
• What cultural issues might affect how my product is perceived, consumed, or purchased?
• What political issues might affect how my product (or a person from the U.S.) is perceived or consumed? (see also the Country tab for this)
• and more...

While you may have to dig a little more to obtain useful information, studying trade flows between countries can give you some good insights into the relative strengths or weaknesses of a particular industry in your country. 

International companies do not use the same SIC and NAICS codes as we use here in North America. 

However, there is a rough international equivalent -- the International SIC (ISIC) codes. 

Open the document below. It is a PDF, so use Ctrl+F and enter a keyword related to your industry, to find the relevant codes. 

Once you have identified an ISIC number, you can use that to help you identify other companies internationally. 

Think about whether you are looking for: 

• competitors
• suppliers or other partners, such as transportation or storage providers
• customers, if your company is B2B

You can find all of these by using different codes.