Business information

Business law and standards

British Standards can be viewed online at any Hertfordshire Library via our web subscription.
The Customs and Excise tariff codes are available at the Central Resources Library plus guides to import, export and overseas business.

Key resources include:

British Standards
The British Standards Institute (BSI) formulates standards for building, engineering, chemical, textile and electrical products, ensuring that they maintain a specified quality. British Standards can be accessed at all Hertfordshire libraries, via a web subscription, although it is advisable to telephone in advance to check availability of a public computer. It is not possible to print or download any part of a British Standard via our subscription. The website also provides an index to world-wide standards, although these are not available to view. International standards can be purchased directly from BSI.

The CE Mark
One of the aims of the European Union (EU) is to have an open market for businesses in Europe and the free movement of goods. In order to achieve this “New Approach”, Directives have been introduced that eliminate differing national product regulations among members of the EU and the signatory states of the European Economic Area Agreement. More information is available from Hertfordshire Trading Standards.

Business law
A wide variety of books covering many aspects of business law can be consulted at the Central Resources Library and some are available for loan. For more information regarding regulations and legislation please read the UK Official Information and European Legislation pages.

Import and export information
In addition to the Customs and Excise tariff code documentation, we can provide information about trade between countries both inside and outside the European Union.