Useful Sites # 121 about the UK, ISO Standards, World Phone Directories and War Maps


	Wednesday, October 12, 2005	Issue 121	Volume 5 Number 21

TELL A FRIEND

IN THIS ISSUE:
•	THE UNITED KINGDOM -- OUR FEATURED COUNTRY
•	INFOBEL WORLDWIDE PHONE LOOKUPS
•	ISO STANDARDS GLOSSARY
•	DEADLY MAPS
•	FITA CAREER HEADQUARTERS - FEATURED JOB - ASIAN OPERATIONS/GENERAL MANAGER

Hello International Traders!

The UK has a thriving economy and friendly trade policies, and I've got sites in this issue that will help you attain success there. Also, I've got a site where you can look up ISO numbers in a flash. And, if you want to stay up on what's happening with the world's arsenals of deadly weapons, I have a site that will help you do that. Finally, I have a site where you can look up phone numbers anywhere in the world, in a matter of seconds.

And don't forget -- if you'd like more information about international trade, go to FITA's Really Useful Links ( http://fita.org/webindex/index.html ), which has a link library of more than 8,000 sites related to international trade.

THE UNITED KINGDOM -- OUR FEATURED COUNTRY

http://www.buyusainfo.net/info.cfm?id=126697

In our reader survey the UK was one of the countries that most readers wanted to see profiled. When you look at the economy of this country, you can see why. Low inflation, interest rates, and unemployment make it one of the strongest economies in Europe.The UK is a leading trade center, with exports in 2004 of US $347 billion and imports of US $439 billion.

To learn more about trade opportunities with the UK, go to the U.S. Commercial Service Country Commercial Guide to the UK ( http://www.buyusainfo.net/info.cfm?id=126697 ). Scroll down the page and you'll find a comprehensive report on all aspects of the UK, including: economic trends; political environment; how to market your products in the UK; leading sectors for exports and investment; tariff and trade regulations; trade and project financing; business travel; economic statistics; and much more. Although I wished the subheads were clickable, so that you could move around more easily within the document, the information is worth the time you'll take reading it.

Another good resource is the UK Mini Portal ( http://fita.org/countries/ukportal.html ), one of the new features at the FITA site. The Mini Portal is a good place to start your research. There is an overview of the country, with facts about the language, currency, climate, etc., plus more specific information about the economy, UK markets, taxes, labor market indicators, tips on doing business, and a search engine to help you find market research on the Internet. There's also a news feed with the latest UK news. Click on "Useful Links" and you'll find a variety of sources for market research, trade leads, business directories, logistics, government contacts, travel, financing, and lots more.

The UK Mini Portal is one of many research gateways at the newly redesigned FITA site. To find Mini Portals for other regions or countries, just click on "Country Profiles" from within a Mini Portal, or at the FITA home page ( http://www.fita.org).

FITA's Global Trade Book Store has some excellent books about doing business in the United Kingdom. Check out Culture Shock!: Success Secrets to Maximize Business in Britain and Passport United Kingdom: Your Pocket Guide to British Business, Customs and Etiquette among others. And the British-American Business Council, Several chapters of the British-American Chamber of Commerce (check out the FITA Member Directory to find their websites) and the British Academy of Film & Television Arts - Los Angeles are FITA member associations. Check out their websites for more resources about doing business with the UK.

INFOBEL WORLDWIDE PHONE LOOKUPS

http://www.infobel.com/teldir/default.asp

Ten years ago when I first started writing about useful Web sites, I thought the phone number lookup sites were really cool. You could select a city or state, type in a name, and in seconds you found the number. In those early days you could only look up U.S. phone numbers, but things have come a long way since then. Infobel ( http://www.infobel.com/teldir/default.asp ) is a site where you can look up phone numbers from 184 countries worldwide. Just select a country or a region, and in many cases you'll be given several types of directory to search (white pages, yellow pages, e-mail, etc.). You can also find international dialing codes with the click of a mouse.

ALIBABA.COM
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