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OUR FEATURED COUNTRY SITE -- SWEDEN. If I were a company looking for international markets I'd take a look at the Land of the Midnight Sun, otherwise known as Sweden. This small but prosperous country has a high standard of living, and is so dependent on trade that exports account for 30 percent of GDP. Germany and Great Britain are Sweden's two main trading partners, but there are opportunities here for everyone. If you're interested in entering the Swedish market, go to Sweden.SE (http://www.sweden.se). This official gateway to Sweden on the Web has everything you need to get started researching Sweden. There are links to statistics, news, economic data, trade contacts, government agencies, legal information, travel & tourism tips,technology industry reports, and much more. This is the site to bookmark if you want to learn about Sweden. The Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce http://www.sacc-usa.org/ are FITA member associations that promote trade with Sweden and have Web sites with extensive resources abouat doing business with Sweden.

SCHEDNET. Closing the sale isn't the end of the story in international trade -- you still have to get the product to the customer. Shipping is critically important, which is why a site like Schednet ( http://www.schednet.com/home/index.asp) is so useful. Schednet has a large variety of tools for people who need to transport their goods, including shipping and air freight schedules, cargo tracking, a list of ports worldwide, classified ads, information about tariffs, a logistics directory, and much more.

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM. Travelers from 21 countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program should be aware that by next year they will need a machine- readable passport (MRP) in order to enter the U.S. without a visa. These passports have biographical information about the traveler on a computer chip, and they are tamper-proof, which is why the Department of Homeland Security and State Department are requiring them. The date for compliance with this rule has been moved back to October 26, 2004. Hovever, there are six countries whose citizens are already required to use MRPs. To find out which countries are affected, and to learn more about the MRP requirement. go to the U.S. Department of State's Visa Waiver Program ( http://travel.state.gov/vwp.html)

OUR FEATURED COUNTRY SITE -- RUSSIA. People like me who grew up in the 1950s, and remember when the Russians seemed like an unstoppable force in everything from ice hockey to space exploration, are still in shock over the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today's Russia is a fraction of the size of the former Soviet Union, and it's gone through some tough economic times, but it's still one of the 20 largest economies in the world. That alone makes it worth a look for international traders, but when you read forecasts that the real income in Russia will grow by up to 28 percent in 2005 from 2002 levels, you realize there's great potential for business there. You'll find a useful gateway to Russia at the University of Texas' REENIC http://menic.utexas.edu/reenic/countries/russia.html#Economics site. Here you'll find links to Russia in categories like: Culture, Current Events, Economics, Education, Geography and Travel, Grants, Politics, Science and Technology, Statistics, and more. You could spend days exploring all the links at this site, and it's worth bookmarking if you're interested in Russia as a trading partner. Several of our member associations are devoted to trade relations with Russia and they have Web sites with extensive resources. Take a look at the sites of the U.S.-Russia Business Councilhttp://www.usrbc.org/Links.asp , the Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation http://www.fraec.org/Resources.htm, the Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council http://www.ma-rbc.org/relres.html, the U.S.-Russia Chamber of Commerce of Boston http://www.usrccne.org/ and the Canada Eurasia Energy and Industry Alliance http://www.ceeia.org.

FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT. Giving or accepting bribes is not an ethical way to do business, and American citizens who pay bribes to foreign government or political party officials can be prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The FCPA makes a strong and concerted effort to prevent bribery, and it's important to know what falls under the Act's guidelines - including any responsibilities of partners of American companies. There's a good explanation of the Act at the FCPA page of the BISNIS http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/fcp1.htm (Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States) site ( http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/fcp1.htm ). Also, you can test yourself on how well you know the Act by going to this PDF document ( http://sensor.northgrum.com/ethics/Documents/FCPA.pdf ) prepared by Northrop Grumman for its employees

OUR FEATURED COUNTRY SITE -- SPAIN. Although Spain is little more than twice the size of Oregon, it's a country worth looking into if you're interested in trade -- it's one of the five largest economies in the European Union, and has the tenth largest economy in the world. As a member of the EU, Spain's trade barriers are minimal, and its population enjoys a world-class standard of living, with money to spend on consumer and capital goods. If that sounds attractive to you, go to the Library of Congress Spain Portal ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/spain/spain.html ) to find out more. This is a gateway site, with links to information-rich Web sites about all aspects of Spanish life. There are sites about business, trade, the economy, culture, education, government, politics, law, travel, and much more. In the Business section, there are company directories, trade databases, articles about doing business in Spain, business news, a glossary of Spanish business terms, statistics, and stock research, among other items.

QUALITY ECONOMIC RESEARCH. There are fancy Web sites out there with a lot of bells and whistles, but sometimes the plain jane sites have more to offer. Take socialchange ( http://gsociology.icaap.org ). This site is basically just a set of links to sociological data on the Web, but the links are all high quality sites that have reliable information. You'll find links to world demographic studies, population statistics, country profiles, historical analyses, economic theory, organizations, and much more. Don't be put off by its academic tone -- if you check out the links, you'll find this site has a lot to offer the practical businessperson.

RADIO-LOCATOR. If you haven't listened to the radio on your computer yet, you don't know what you're missing. There's a world of information, talk, and music available, and it's just a mouse click away. If you have speakers and a reasonably fast connection, you can listen to talk radio from the UK, oldies from Australia, business news from Japan, alternative music from Poland -- and that's just for starters. To find what's available, go to Radio-Locator ( http://www.radio-locator.com ), a site that has a database of over 10,000 radio station Web sites, with 2500 of those offering daily audio streams over the Internet. You'll need a program to play the streaming audio, but most radio station sites have links to places where you can download these programs.

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