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 Industry Research



SIC and NAICS Codes

Industry overviews, trends, and projections

International

Market Share and Company Rankings

Current Activities

Identifying Companies within an Industry

Financial Ratios

Free Online Resources

Also visit the Business Statistics page

Keep in mind the questions to consider mentioned on the introductory page while doing your industry research.

Look for articles when searching for current activities in an industry.

Industry Overviews, Trends, and Projections

The amount of information will vary depending upon the industry and the resource used, though these resources might provide all the information you need. Be prepared to include alternate names for your industry as well as broader and/or more specific industry categories in your research.

  • Business Source Premier*: Some of this research is in the form of background information while other research will take a microscopic look at specific aspects of an industry.
  • Business and Company Resource Center*   Provides industry reports based on SIC and NAICS codes, as well as company info and articles. In the advanced search mode, you can search the full text of industry reports for mentions of products or  sub-industries.
  • Global Market Information Database*: Provides data for many countries on consumer market sizes, market data & forecasts, consumer lifestyles, companies and brands, and business information sources.
  • Market Insight (Standard & Poor’s)*: Provides extensive industry reports (from Standard and Poor's) with focus on current situation and outlook. Although the focus is on the United States, an international perspective is often included. Summary data on major companies and a section on how to analyze a company is included for each industry.

    New volumes are published quarterly with each industry being updated twice a year.

    Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys are also available in print:

    • BUSINESS LIBRARY - Journals
    HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference   (HC106.6 S74)

 

    Sports industry reports and market research

 
  • Value Line

    Evaluates on the performance and economic outlook of industries and the major public companies within them.
    HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk
    BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference / Circulation Desk

  • Mergent's Industry Review

    • A good source for comparing the key companies in an industry. It contains comparative financial statistics on 3,000 public companies arranged in 137 industry groups.
    BUSINESS LIBRARY - Journals

Background Information - International

In addition to the sources listed in the Industry overview section, also try the following:

  • National Trade Databank (NTDB)* (included in Stat-USA database)

    A valuable resource supporting the United States' international trade efforts. Of particular interest for industry research are comprehensive import/export statistics and market research/industry analysis reports for selected products and countries

  • Stat-USA* Globus & NTDB is useful for current and historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, country analysis, and the trade library, the National Trade Databank (NTDB).

Market Share and Company Rankings

Market Share is the percentage of sales that a brand or company has for a specific product or product category.

  • Search for articles using the term “market share” and the company name or product name. Articles may be the only way, if any, to find market share data for specific products. (Try this strategy in Business Source Premier* and Academic Lexis Nexis*)

Companies can be ranked in other ways as well. Industry overviews and articles may provide additional rankings. When using a list of rankings, be sure you know exactly what is being ranked. Categories range from specific products to extremely broad industries. Some resources provide rankings by SIC/NAICS codes; be sure of exactly what is included in the code you are using. Also, be alert that since companies are often only listed under their primary code, some rankings lists may be missing key performers that are more involved in another industry. Additionally, sales and employee figures provided may be for the overall corporation and not just for the segment represented by the given code.

Current Activities

Refer to the Business News Resources page to locate information regarding the current activities taking place in an industry. News articles can update the information obtained from the background resources. Articles, both current and historical, may also fill in any gaps in your industry profile.

If you were unable to find an industry profile, which may be especially true when researching a narrowly focused industry or a specific product, use the indexes listed to find articles which may provide a profile. If a profile is still not found, use news articles to develop your own profile.

Identifying Companies within an Industry

In some industries, a small number of companies may dominate the industry. Therefore, information on one or two of those companies may provide an indication of the state of the overall industry. Take a look at Company Profiles for help in locating information regarding these major companies.

If you need to find a list of companies in a particular industry, most of the resources on the Company Profiles page include listings by industry. It will be helpful to know the NAICS code or the SIC code when identifying companies within an industry. If you want a list of top companies in rank order, check the Market Share and Company Rankings section above.  

To generate a spreadsheet with 100’s of companies within an industry, use the advanced search feature of Mergent Online* or the “Dossier, create company list” feature of Academic Lexis Nexis.* For help, contact us.

Financial Ratios

Financial ratios such as earnings per share are figured by comparing two different elements of a company's financial statement. They are a common means of determining a company's performance and strength by comparing that company's ratios with those of the industry overall. The following resources provide financial ratios for industries. Each of these titles will cover different industries, include different companies in those industries, provide different data and ratios, and present the results differently. Use all three resources to determine which ones best meet your needs.

  • Mergent Online*  ratios available under “company financials” tab.
 
  • Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios: Often referred to as the Troy Almanac.
    HILLMAN LIBRARY – Reference Desk (HF5681 R25 A45)

    BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5681 R25 A45)

 
  • RMA Annual Statement Studies: Published by Robert Morris Associates.
    HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 B2 R6)

    BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5681 B2 R63)

 
  • Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios: Published by Dun & Bradstreet.
    HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 R25 I53)

    BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5681 R25 I53)

Free Online Resources

Sites for Specific Industries

  • APPAREL

(*Please note: research databases are restricted to current students, staff, and faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. If you are using an off-campus computer, you must log in here in order to access these licensed resources.)
 
 
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