Subject: ENTERWeb News #2 August/September 1997 ********************************************************************* ENTERWeb The Enterprise Development Website http://www.enterweb.orglocate/ContentsDirect *********************************************************************** You will find hereunder the list of new sites ( with short descriptions) which have been addedd to ENTERWeb during August and September. To access any of those sites, just go to the What's New page at http://www.enterweb.org/whatnew.htmntsDirect ****************************************************** -Ministry of International Trade (Japan) This is the official site of MITI the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Essential for understanding government policies.Do not miss the publications, the summary of economic trends and the current topics, A very good site. -Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan) Apart from Japan's foreign policy on economic affairs, this site is quite useful for understanding Japan's relations with countries and regions of the world. - Economic Planning Agency of Japan A rather arid site but very useful for understanding the institutional and policy structure for economic planning in Japan. Unfortunately quite a number of documents are outdated (1995). -China Vista ChinaVista is a division of the Xindeco Business Information Company, the first and currently only publicly listed information company in China.This commercial site offers free information on current news, stock markets, investment reports, etc. as well as a very rich list of China links. Do not miss the Hyper-C link.=20 - Canada China Business Council Although Canada focused as the objectives of the Council are both to achieve greater economic growth and closer relationships between Canada and China , this site offers interesting information such as latest China business news and links to other sites of interest. A very good site. - WTDB China WTDB (World Trade Data Base) is a comprehensive website and database designed as a resource for companies and individuals which do business in Asia. The initial focus of WTDB is on doing business between China, Taiwan and the United States. - The Great Web of China Apart from information on the Shanghai Stock Exchange(including daily quotes) and on the Pudong region, China's fastest growing special economic zone, this site offers rather limited material at this stage. - StreetEquity Network This is a site about small investment banking for neighborhood economic community development. It is a very innovative and challenging site. Difficult to describe but worth several visits. - Partnerbase: International Trade Resource for Finding Partners Partnerbase is a new service dedicated to promoting business partnerships between North American and European companies. The key feature of the Partnerbase web site is the Partnerbase Company Register, a unique partnership matching database. This free service helps match businesses looking for partners with suitable partner companies. Aside the register, I particularly liked their links. - Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) The objective of LANIC is to provide Latin American users with access to academic databases and information services throughout the Internet world, and to provide Latin Americanists around the world with access to information on and from Latin America. An exceptional resource housed by the University of Texas. - The Enterprise Research Institute for Latin America The Enterprise Research Institute for Latin America was founded recently to study the business environment in Latin America. Its work includes evaluating conditions for entrepreneurship and investment both from the perspective of individual investors and reformers. It also deals with issues of small and medium sized enterprises. Their approach on "second generation reforms" and their publication page are quite interesting. - Center for Latin American Capital Markets Research Despite the "title's" heavy emphasis on research, this site provides practical information on stock exchanges and general economic information. - Mexico on-line MEXICO OnLINE is the complete and independent resource center dedicated to Mexico. Includes excellent general information as well as a business resource center. - SEBRAE Nacional SEBRAE has developed in Brazil an original system of support to small and microenterprise based on the development and promotion of technological capacity of those microenterprises. - EuroBusiness Centre Although European Web sites represent 23% of all sites worldwide, it is often rather difficult to locate European businesses on the Web, since U.S. search engines cater nearly exclusively to the English-speaking world. This resource provides links to interesting European business sites, especially those not written in English. Apart from the rather general business index what I liked best was the links to journals. - Agence Pour la Cr=E9ation d'Entreprises (APCE) As part of the french government national policy for enterprise creation, APCE's mandate is to ensure entrepreneurship development through the promotion of new enterprises. A very good site for those interested in enterprise creation. - Partnerbase: International Trade Resource for Finding Partners Partnerbase is a new service dedicated to promoting business partnerships between North American and European companies. This business resource can help companies identify and develop international trade opportunities through transatlantic alliances. A commercial site which provides a free directory and an extensive list of related links. - Business Europe Business Europe is a comprehensive source of information from US Embassies and corporate lawyers, auditing and management firms. Provides interesting information on a country by country basis. US focused but useful. - The EMPLOYMENT Initiative - Ireland The EMPLOYMENT Initiative is one of the Human Resource Initiatives of the European Commission. The program aims to promote social solidarity and equal opportunities, to contribute to the development of human resources and to improve access to the labour market. Interesting, especially for those involved in new initiatives for community development and employment= creation.=20 - REESWeb: Russian and East European Studies Internet Resources=20 The REESWeb at the University of Pittsburg is a comprehensive index of electronic resources on the Balkans, the Baltic states,the Caucusus, Central Asia, Central Europe, the CIS, Eastern Europe, the NIS, the Russian Federation, and the former Soviet Union.It is also part of the World-Wide Web Virtual Library. A "Must". - Bucknell University: Russian Business & Economics As the Russian and NIS economies stabilize they provide invaluable insights into the real nature of economic relations in that part of the world. This page contains economic reports as well as essential links related to Business &Economics in Russia. - Friends and Partners Friends and Partners was jointly developed in 1994 by citizens of the US and Russia to promote better understanding between the people of the two countries. Includes various databases, information and communications resources. Do not miss their Economics and Business links - The Mining Company Guide on Business in Central Europe An interesting new concept for Internet guides and a "mine" of information. Do not miss the resource list which provides country specific resources as well as sectoral resources. - Rusline: Russian Data Bank On-Line Rusline claims to be the most reliable source of business information on Russia, NIS and beyond. Its core is the "Russian Information & Business Center " which provides, on a commercial basis, information on business & industrial directories; atlases & business guides; CD-ROMs, etc. Despite the fact that most of the available information has to be commercially ordered, the site includes interesting free information, although mostly of a general nature.=20 - American Business Centers - Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd, Russia The objective of the American Business Centers (ABCs) in Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd is to encourage U.S. firms to explore business opportunities in the Russian market and to assist them in exporting, investing, and establishing joint ventures.The centers provide business services including identification of business opportunities, commercial and regulatory information, business matchmaking, market research, and counseling services . Do not miss their "Russia Guide Online". - TRADEnet - Business Information Service TRADEnet is "a specialised international source of free useful information for entrepreneurs, companies and other commercial subjects operated by the Czech Foundation for Enterprise Development." Includes a database of companies, and a list of wanted imports. Rather limited at this stage, but a worthwhile effort by volunteers. - -Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Clearinghouse on Entrepreneurship Education The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Clearinghouse on Entrepreneurship Education (CELCEE) identifies sources of information on aspects of entrepreneurship education at every level -- K-12, postsecondary, nonprofit organizations and societies, commercial organizations, and small business development centers. Great for identifying documents locations through the CELCEE database but contains very few on-line documents with the exception of a few digests. - TOOL TOOL consists of a group of Dutch organizations dedicated to the advancement of the socio-economic conditions of underprivileged groups in developing countries. To achieve this aim, the TOOL organizations promote technology transfer to many countries throughout the world. With the promotion of technology transfer, TOOL encourages the South-South exchange of knowledge. -Hot Community and Community Economic Development Sites This site was designed as a public service for those interested in learning about communities, community development organizations (CDC), and community-based organizations (CBO) and their domestic and international activities. US focused but do not miss their "International Top 20 ". -Canada: "Community Futures" Community Futures is a canadian community economic development (CED) program introduced in 1986. The program helps rural communities to develop and implement a long term Community Strategic Plan leading to the sustainable development of their local economy. The program is administered by Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC) at the local community level. Although primarily focused on Canada, it is an interesting site. Do not miss their related links. **************************************************************** Jean-Claude Lorin ENTER-L owner ENTERWeb Webmaster jlorin@synapse.net http://www.enterweb.org/whatnew.htmntsDirect =20