Fortune Global 500 leaders look to Oxford Business Group for data

2015 index provides new boost for publishing firm

Dubai: 23 July 2015: Over half of the companies on the newly-released 2015 Fortune Global 500 Index use the international publishing, research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) as a source of reference for their operations.

Figures show that in total, representatives from 293, or 59% of all Fortune Global 500 companies also feature on OBG’s subscriber database, up from 246, or 49% in 2014. Of these, 141, or 70% of the top 200 firms subscribe to OBG’s reports. 

Stephanie Parker, OBG’s Director of Digital, Marketing and PR, said she was delighted that more of the world’s top companies were drawing on data featured in the Group’s investment guides and economic updates.

Nine out of the top 10 companies in the 2015 index hold subscriptions with OBG, including representatives from top five companies Walmart, Sinopec, Royal Dutch Shell, China National Petroleum and Exxon Mobil.

The Fortune Global 500 Index is an annually-produced list of the world’s 500 largest corporations, ranked by revenue for the fiscal year ended on or before March 31st. Fortune’s latest list was published on July 22nd this year.

Ms. Parker said that the data reflected OBG’s reputation as a trusted provider of foreign direct investment (FDI) insight on emerging markets around the world, while its ongoing expansion into regions such as Asia-Pacific and East Africa had brought new interest from global businesses.

“Oxford Business Group is currently celebrating its 21th year of operations and I’m pleased that we can mark this milestone by announcing that 293 of the Fortune Global 500 now use our data,” she said. “The largest corporations in the world are known to contain a significant investor base and it makes sense to track our readership against the Fortune Global 500. I’m sure these companies, and many others, will continue to use our business intelligence on emerging economies, where information can sometimes be lacking, when making investment decisions.”

OBG has been producing reports on emerging economies since 1994. Today, the Group operates in many of the world's fastest-growing markets, offering key data on regions that are shaping the future balance of economic power.  The firm has a significant presence in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean, with teams in 32 countries.

OBG’s subscribers and readers include heads of state, CEOs, institutional investors, analysts and academics who are looking for macro information on emerging markets. The firm’s subscriber database consists of individuals and companies who have either purchased a single report, a collection of reports or who have access to the Group’s complete database of reports. 

OBG’s reports are a vital guide to the economies of the countries they cover, including macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The publications are available in print or online.