Research Guides: Business Administration: Industry Research

Before You Begin

Prior to initiating research on an assigned industry consider the following points:

Identify types of information required for your assignment or project
Industry growth: increasing, declining or stagnate?
Products or services (current and new)
Companies that lead the market in revenue and products and services
Current trends (economic or technical)
Future forecast, factors and threats that may affect the industry, such as: natural disaster and political strife
Major consumers
Major competitors
Structure of the industry
Compare industry and market data

Use the industrial classification and research boxes on this page. Contact a librarian for assistance.

Industry Research Tutorial

Learn how to conduct Industry research using some of our business databases. Learn how to navigate to these databases and how to search each to get industry reports, articles, and financial information

IBISWorld
US and global industry reports, including overviews, industry performance, and outlook, key companies and statistics, operating conditions, and useful infographics.
Business environment profiles, including consumer behavior, demographics, economics, commodities, and financial markets.
Search by NAICS code or keywords.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
Index, abstracts, and full text covering scholarly business journals on management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and much more.
Mergent Market Atlas
Formerly known as Mergent.

Mergent Market Atlas contains the corporate information of over 50,000 US and foreign public companies, current and historical (past 15 years). Also included are firm descriptions, statistics, financial information and ratios, annual reports, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, long-term debt, capital stock, and insider trading.
Statista
Provides statistics, forecasts, and reports for 170 industries, and over 150 countries around the globe.

Country Data

Global Road Warrior
Provides information about 175 countries, including "culture, customs, history and language."
Mergent Market Atlas
Formerly known as Mergent.

Mergent Market Atlas contains the corporate information of over 50,000 US and foreign public companies, current and historical (past 15 years). Also included are firm descriptions, statistics, financial information and ratios, annual reports, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, long-term debt, capital stock, and insider trading.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
Index, abstracts, and full text covering scholarly business journals on management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and much more.

Classification systems are utilized by economists and statisticians to organize company and industry information.

Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC)
Provides industry description and sub-classifications.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
The standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
SIC to NAICS Crosswalk
Beginning in the 1930s, the industry coding system used to assign industry codes was the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC). Due to changes in economic conditions the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was established in 1997.

Standard and Poor's Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS)
The GICS structure consists of 10 sectors, 24 industry groups, 68 industries and 154 sub-industries. Their methodology has been widely accepted as an industry analysis framework for investment research, portfolio management and asset allocation.
Standard International Trade Classification
The United Nations Statistics Commission created this system for use in the analysis of international merchandise trade by interested countries and international organizations.

Industry News

Market Watch
U.S. Industry News

Global and international industry news from The Wall Street Journal.