Market Research: Industry Reports
Helps entrepreneurs or product developers build their own market research reports if they cannot afford commercial reports.
Industry Reports
Need to know prospects for your industry? To get the big picture start with industry surveys or analysis reports. Use news from industry and trade associations to learn more about product lines. Find benchmarks for firms within your industry by looking at financial ratios compiled by accountants and economists.
Industry & Trade News
- ABI Inform Collection (ABI/INFORM)Use the Advance Search function and input terms. Covers magazines, journals, trade publications and newspapers. ***Tip: At the side of each search box there is a pull down menu where you can tell the system where to search for your terms. Select Abstract.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowUse the Advance Search function and input terms into search box. Covers magazines, journals, trade publications, and newspapers. Search Abstract (see Tip in above section)
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowCovers journals, magazines, trade publications, and over 600 newspapers. Newspaper can be a wealth of information on industries and small companies.
Industry Surveys and Analysis
- Bizminer This link opens in a new windowOffers industry financial analysis benchmarks for over 5,000 lines of business and industry market trends on thousands more. Their market analysis reports are available at the national and local levels down to the zip code.
Types of reports: Industry Financial Profiles, U.S. & Local Market Research Reports, Area Demographic Profiles, Sole Proprietor/Startup Profit & Loss and Local Market Vitality Profile. - Business Insights: Essentials This link opens in a new windowCovers US and global industries. Information includes news, market share, market research, and ratings.
- FAITS: Faulkner Advisory for IT Studies This link opens in a new windowIncludes reports on events and trends shaping the computer and communications market place.
- IBIS World - Industry Reports This link opens in a new windowContains one of the most comprehensive industry/market reports, including Chinese Industry reports. Service offers industry reports and for many industries a risk report (think SWOT report for an industry). ****Under Competitive Landscape it includes a section on "Barrier to Entrant".
- Marketline Advantage This link opens in a new windowGives access to industry reports done by country. There are global or regional industry reports. The industries covered are the larger industries in which many of the companies in that industry are public.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowAlthough not the main focus of this service it does offer good industry reports. Search for a company and one of the tabs for that company will be REPORT and Industry is one of the reports offered. The Horizon tab gives access to major industries and segments. It will also list companies in each. Covers major industries where many of the companies are public.
- Plunkett Research Online This link opens in a new windowCovers 35 industries. Many of these are made up mostly of private companies. The Market Research & Trends and Statistics sections will be of particular interest. Information comes from government and professional associations.
- Standard & Poor's Global NetAdvantage This link opens in a new windowStandard & Poor's Industry Reports are considered the gold standard of industry reports. They cover 59 major industry groups with 300+ sectors. Gives what is happening in the industry, trends, what the future looks like, what government actions will influence the industry, and international influences. While discussing the industry they also discuss companies in that industry (public companies). At the end of each report they give ratios for the companies they discuss.
Trade Associations
Trade Associations are a wealth of information on their industry. Some associations have a great deal of information on their websites. Other associations will sell information to you. To find the appropriate trade associations use the online directory below:
Ratios
Ratios can be used to evaluate a company, compare it to other companies, or measure its performance against its industry norms.
- Bizminer This link opens in a new windowGives industry financial ratios used data from public and private companies. One excellent feature is that it gives local industry data. *** Tip: Look at Micro firm Profit & Loss
- D & B Key Business Ratios This link opens in a new windowGives industry financial ratios for over 800 industry groups. Has 14 key business ratios.
Books in Reference Collection:
Almanac of Business & Industrial Financial Ratios--(HF5681 .R25 A45)--Industrial financial ratios
RMA Annual Statement Studies--(HF5681 .B2 R6)--Industrial financial ratios by asset size.
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