Essential steps in doing an Industry Analysis

Locate an Industry Overview

Industry Survey, Market Research and Analysts’ Reports.

Go to: Industry Survey Locator

The Industry Survey Locator, our in-house database by topic, is the simplest way of locating an industry survey either online through our databases or in print. These answer many of your questions: market segmentation, competitive landscape, forecasts and professional associations.
The Industry Survey Locator includes the following surveys:
Datamonitor Industry Profiles
Encyclopedia of American Industries
Hoover’s Industry Snapshots
Mergent Industry Reports
Mintel
Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys
Value Line Investment Surveys

Industry News

Trade Journals and Trade Associations

Every industry has a variety of Trade Journals that write about that industry, as well as Trade Associations that operate for the benefit of industry members.

Both are good sources for industry trends and statistics.

Trade Journals are good sources of Industry News. The following databases index thousand of Business Magazines and Trade Journals:

Go to: General Business File ASAP

Industry Associations

Most industries are represented by one or more Trade Associations.  Sometimes the Association website can contain industry reports, news,  and statistics on your industry. To locate a Trade Association for your industry:

- Check at the end of an industry survey for your industry. You’ll often find relevant trade associations listed.

- Trade Associations can be found on ‘Selected Industry Web Sites’ on the Industry Survey Locator.

- The third best way is to do a search in:

List Companies and Compare

Many of the Industry Overviews above include lists of Industry leaders and rankings. To find a more comprehensive list of companies by industry, use the following databases:

Go to: Company Dossier through LexisNexis Academic

Click on “Create a Company List” tab to create list of international or U.S. companies by industry, geographic areaand revenue. Rank U.S. companies by sales.

Reminder: Locate the appropriate NAICS code and/or SIC code for your industry.

Annual Reports and 10Ks -

For public company information a great source for company financials and strategy is the Company Annual Report and 10K filing. Both are available on Mergent online.

Locate a SWOT analysis in a Datamonitor Company Profile

-Go to Datamonitor Company Profiles through Business Source Complete  SWOT analyses often included in reports (see index at left of report).

- To look only for a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), go to Business Source Complete, and select SWOT Analyses on the navigation bar on the right. Enter your company name.

Read a VAULT INDUSTRY GUIDE -

Vault Online Career Library
Available to SMG majors, minors and alums only. For access, see the BU Career link (for undergraduates) or the MBA Career Link. See‘Download Guides’ tab for premium Industry & Company Guides. See‘Industries’ tab for information on a broad range of industries:
Accounting
Advertising
Biotechnology
Book Publishing
Capitol Hill
Consulting
Energy
Fashion
Human Resources
Investment Banking
Marketing & Brand Management
Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing
Real Estate
Sales & Trading
Supply Chain Management
Technology
Venture Capital