LibGuides: Business: A Guide to McFarlin Library Resources: Industry Research Strategy

Industry Research Strategy

This is a selected guide for research on Industry Information in the McFarlin Library Collection.

Search Strategies
Finding Background Information
- Industry statistics
Economic Indicators & Statistics

Search Strategies

Industry research is important for strategic planning. Designing marketing plans, tracking company performance, assessing competitors, and evaluating capital investment all depend on good industry intelligence.

Also information is often not provided exactly as you may be seeking it. Many general resources provide background on a broad level which still contribute to a good business analysis. Once you've spent some time evaluating the industry, related research such as company assessment will be easier.

Industry analysis

Elements to analyze

Definition of the industry

Structure of the industry

Historical development

Growth patterns

identify the industry classification code
identify the broader industry group

identify the major divisions of the industry

established or newly developed

rate of growth
seasonal or steady

Elements to analyze, cont.

Present trends

Competition

Customer characteristics

Environmental factors

identify current patterns

identify the names and market share of the major companies in the industry

buying and selling patterns

economic climate
technological developments
social & demographics characteristics

Industry data is often reported in broad or aggregated form. Use it to provide background for your analysis. The following steps will help organize the research process:

define the industry
determine the SIC or NAICS code for the industry
develop an overview - use multi-industry publications
use guides to the literature to find relevant publications
identify trade associations for the industry
look for relevant statistical sources such as sales data and production figures
browse periodical and newspaper indexes to find articles on recent developments
search Internet sources

Finding Background Information

To find articles about a particular industry, search the following electronic indexes:

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
"Business Source Complete is the world's definitive scholarly business database, providing the leading collection of bibliographic and full text content. As part of the comprehensive coverage offered by this database, indexing and abstracts for the most important scholarly business journals back as far as 1886 are included. In addition to the searchable cited references provided for more than 1,300 journals, Business Source Complete contains detailed author profiles for the 40,000 most-cited authors in the database. Journal ranking studies reveal that Business Source Complete is the overwhelmingly superior database for full text journals in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics." Additional full text content includes:
Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
"This state-of-the-art product provides Internet-based access to the most detailed, accurate and comprehensive global company database available, with the latest in features and functions. Rich textual descriptions - the hallmark of all Mergent publications - offer a wealth of detail on items including business description, history, property, subsidiaries, officers and directors, long-term debt and capital stock. Financial statements are presented in 'as-reported' form and in native currencies, maintaining the full integrity of this critical information." -- Mergent
Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
"Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage is a comprehensive source of business and investment information, offering on-line access to Standard & Poor’s independent research, data and commentary on stocks, bonds, funds, and industries." -- S&P
NetAdvantage provides access to these popular S&P research products:
- Industry Surveys
- Stock Reports
- Mutual Fund Reports
- Bond Reports
- Corporation Records
- Register of Corporations
- Directors and Executives
- Outlook
ValueLine Investment Survey - Plus This link opens in a new window
"The Value Line Investment Survey is one of the most widely used independent investment information services in the world. Its up-to-date, weekly issues are also a comprehensive reference that has something useful for virtually every investor. In breadth of coverage it is encyclopedic, covering some 1,700 equity issues. -- website
"The Value Line Investment Survey, however, provides more than just descriptive information. For each stock in its universe it offers year-ahead and three- to five-year probable relative price performance, projections of key financial measures, and concise, objective commentary on current operations and future prospects." -- website

These databases require a Tulsa City-County Library card. This is free for TU students.

First Research (via TCCL) This link opens in a new window
Not licensed for classroom usage, only licensed for personal usage
"Get the latest news, trends and hottest companies in over 250 industries and 750 industry segments. The industry prospector also includes HR metrics, industry growth forecasts and industry drivers." -- TCCL
This resource is provided by the Tulsa City-County Library. In order to access it you must have a valid public library card. Your TU login will not work. If you do not have a library card you may apply online for one by clicking here.
Gale Directory Library (via TCCL) This link opens in a new window
Not licensed for classroom usage, only licensed for personal usage
"As the global leader in reference publishing for more than 50 years, Gale is the trusted source for authoritative directories on companies, publishers, associations and more. These directories are now available online in the new Gale Directory Library. This new online resource takes these references off the shelf and makes them available at the click of a mouse 24/7." -- Gale
This resource is provided by the Tulsa City-County Library. In order to access it you must have a valid public library card. Your TU login will not work. If you do not have a library card you may apply online for one by clicking here.
Plunkett Research (via TCCL) This link opens in a new window
Not licensed for classroom usage, only licensed for personal usage
"Plunkett Research Online offers a powerful business database for market research, industry trends analysis, statistics, and profiles of public and private companies, U.S. and International. Also corporate financials and executives. Build mailing lists. Choose from over 500 industries, updated regularly." -- website
This resource is provided by the Tulsa City-County Library. In order to access it you must have a valid public library card. Your TU login will not work. If you do not have a library card you may apply online for one by clicking here.

Industry statistics

Statistics such as average industry production levels, annual sales, and market size can contribute to your understanding of the industry.

The following sources are helpful in finding information on industry statistics:

Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
International Trade Administration (ITS) Research Center
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - Data and statistics collected by OSHA.
- Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
U.S. Census Bureau

Economic Indicators & Statistics

Sources of economic statistics assess the overall direction of the economy. They are typically collections of data from a variety of originating agencies. They may also provide a useful historical pattern.

The following sources are helpful in finding information on economic data:

Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Producer Price Indexes (PPI)
Statistical Abstracts Series - by the U.S. Census Bureau
Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB)

Budget of the United States Government This link opens in a new window
"The Budget contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications issued throughout the fiscal year." -- GPO
Economic Indicators This link opens in a new window
"Available from April 1995 forward, this monthly publication is prepared by the Council of Economic Advisers for the Joint Economic Committee. It provides economic information on gross domestic product, income, employment, production, business activity, prices, money, credit, security markets, Federal finance, and international statistics." -- GPO