Grant Thornton International launch the International Business Report

Grant Thornton International, one of the world’s leading organisations of accounting and consulting firms, has announced it is to publish the initial findings of the International Business Report (IBR) in January 2007. The report, previously known as the International Business Owners Survey (IBOS), is a comprehensive study of medium to large privately held businesses in 32 countries around the world, covering 81% of global GDP. This year’s report will contain the fifth consecutive year of international data and the 15th year of European data, providing an unparalleled source of information about the global privately held marketplace.

The first findings from the Grant Thornton International sponsored survey will cover global optimism and pessimism and will be released on Wednesday 10 January.

Further findings from the survey will be published throughout the first half of 2007.

• Wednesday 7 February 2007 - Emerging Markets - BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China)
• Thursday 8 March 2007 - Women in Business
• Wednesday 28 March 2007 - Super Growth Index
• Wednesday 25 April 2007 - Energy and Environment
• Wednesday 16 May 2007 - Business Stress
• Wednesday 13 June 2007 - Global Report.

IBR began life 15 years ago as the European Business Survey (EBS) and is the only survey to hold year-on-year analysis of business owners’ opinions since the creation of the European Union in 1992. This year Armenia and Brazil join the 32 countries participating in the survey, increasing the total respondents to 7,200.

Ends

Notes to editors

Grant Thornton International started a major annual survey of the attitudes and expectations of small and medium-sized businesses in 1992 called the European Business Survey (EBS). In 2003 the research project was widened to an international perspective covering medium-sized businesses and renamed the International Business Owners Survey (IBOS).

In 2007, the survey’s name was changed from IBOS to the International Business Report (IBR). The IBR survey draws upon 15 years of trend data for original EBS participants and 5 years for original IBOS countries. 15 year trend data is available for: France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK, while 5 year trend data is available for Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa and the US.

Grant Thornton International will donate US$5 to UNICEF for every completed IBR questionnaire. In 2007 this will result in a donation of over US$35,000.

The research was conducted by Experian Business Strategies Limited and Harris Interactive. All figures were correct at time of going to press.

About Grant Thornton International

Grant Thornton International is an international membership organisation, with each member firm independently owned and operated. Services are delivered nationally by the member and correspondent firms of Grant Thornton International, a network of independent firms throughout the world.

Grant Thornton International is a non-practising international umbrella organisation and does not deliver services in its own name. Each member and correspondent firm in Grant Thornton International is a separate national firm. These firms are not members of one international partnership or otherwise legal partners with each other (with the exception of certain limited instances), nor is any one firm responsible for the services or activities of any other. Each firm governs itself and handles its administrative matters on a local basis.

Although many of the firms now carry the Grant Thornton name, either exclusively or in their national practice names, there is no common ownership among the firms or by Grant Thornton International (with the exception of certain limited instances).

For further information please contact:

Nan Williams, Paul Donlon or Greg Moore,
Grant Thornton International Press Office.
Tel: 44 (0)870 420 3256 / 07774 741 518 or gti@fourcommunications.com

Neil Bird
IBR project manager
Grant Thornton International
Tel: 44 (0)870 991 2706