Welcome to the guide for Business Industry Research! 
You'll find information on the best databases and library resources to assist you in your research. Many of these resources are freely available online; however, only WSU students, staff and faculty may access resources with the
icon. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your librarian via the contact information to the right.
For additional information and research sources, try these guides:
You'll find information on the best databases and library resources to assist you in your research. Many of these resources are freely available online; however, only WSU students, staff and faculty may access resources with the
icon. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your librarian via the contact information to the right. For additional information and research sources, try these guides:
The amount of information you find will vary depending upon the industry and the resource used. One way to find additional information is to use alternate names for your industry as well as broader and/or more specific industry categories in your research.
- Business Insights 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.
- Business Source Complete Narrow your search to the document type "Industry Overview" and/or the publication type "Industry Profile."
- Mergent Online Click on the "Report Search" tab to look for specific industry reports.
- ABI/INFORM Complete Narrow your search to document type "Industry Reports".
- Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys (July 1984-April 2003) HG 4965 .S83
Arranged in 33 surveys, this work provides continuous economic and investment analysis of 65 leading U.S. industries. A "Basic Analysis" provides a complete investment picture of the industry, outlines the industry's place in the total economy and examines its operating environment. A "Current Survey" reports the latest developments within an industry and estimates results for the period immediately ahead for each industry. Available in S&P's NetAdvantage - Industry Snapshots
from the US Census Bureau - ValueLine Investment Survey Evaluates on the performance and economic outlook of industries and the major public companies within them.
- Business Week Per HF 5001 B89
This periodical presents information useful in all areas of investment analysis. Of special interest are its special issues. These include the issues "Industrial Outlook" (Jan.), "Corporate Scoreboard" (March), and the "R&D Scoreboard" (July). - Forbes Per HF 5001 F6 - Special features of the online version of Forbes include searchable databases: Forbes 500 Annual Directory, Forbes International 500.
- Fortune Per HF 5001 F7
Special issues of this periodical include the "18 Month Economic Forecast: (Jan. and July), "Fortune 500" (May), and "Largest Non-Industrials" (July). Fortune 500 information is included in the Web site. - Encyclopedia of American Industries (ebook)
Market Share is the percentage of sales that a brand or company has for a specific product or product category.
- Market Share Reporter HF5410 .M35 *Most recent edition in the Reference section. Also available in Business Insights - search for a company, then click on "Market Share Reports" on the menu on the right side of the page.
- ABI/INFORM Complete - Narrow your search to document type "Market Report" and/or "Market Research"
- 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 ABI/INFORM and LexisNexis Academic).
The video below shows step-by-step instructions on using LexisNexis Academic to create a list of companies in a certain industry, geographic area, of a certain size, etc. (NOTE: LexisNexis Academic is only available to WSU faculty, staff, and students).
- BizStats - Industry Statistics and financial ratios
- Census of Manufactures - From the U.S. Census Bureau, provides comprehensive statistics about manufacturing establishments, activities and production. Includes data on type of business, geographic location, type of ownership, total revenue, annual and first quarter payroll and employees in the pay period
- County Business Patterns - County Business Patterns is an annual series that provides economic data by industry, and is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas. The site also provides information on Metro Business Patterns (MBP) and ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP)
- Current Industrial Reports - The Current Industrial Report (CIR) program provides monthly, quarterly, and annual measures of industrial activity, including data on production and shipments of selected products
- 2007 Economic Census - The 2007 Economic Census provides a detailed portrait of the United States economy, from the national to the local level, and covers most of the U.S. economy in its basic collection of establishment statistics. Business establishments in the economic census are grouped into industries based on the similarity of their production processes
- International Trade Administration including the Office of Industry Analysis - Provides information including international statistics, industry analysis, competitiveness, trade data as well as recent reports and news about a number of different industries
- Plunkett Research Online - Includes videos, statistics, company profiles, associations/professional organizations, market research/trends and glossary of definitions
- Industry Outlooks -Deloitte offers industry prediction reports for state government, banking and securities, commercial real estate, energy and resources, insurance, payments, process and industrial products, renewable energy, retail and talent strategies industries
- Standard and Poors Industry Scorecard (.pdf) - Standard and Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) is an industry taxonomy developed for use by the global financial community.This PDF includes financials for the 10 sectors, 24 industry groups, 68 industries and 154 sub-industries into which S&P has categorized all major public companies
- Yahoo Industry Center with browsable Industry Index - Find financial market data by industry, compare performance of top companies within an industry, and find news and top-ranked analysts
Sites for Specific Industries
- APPAREL
- American Apparel and Footwear Association - American Apparel and Footwear Association provides annual compilation of statistics on apparel and footwear industries from 2001-2008
- AUTOMOTIVE
- Automotive Industries - Provides current news about automotive industry
- National Automobile Dealers Association - Professional association for car and truck dealers. Contains industry news and consumer used car guides
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Includes research reports on various aspects of vehicle safety such as efficacy of certain safety features, driver behavior, and risk factors
- BEVERAGES (including alcoholic)
- Beer Institute - Check out the Brewer's Almanac for beer manufacturing statistics and Annual Report for latest news and industry trends
- Beverage Digest: Data & Statistics - Non-alcoholic beverage industry. Ranks companies by market share once a year
- International Coffee Organization - Inter-governmental organization for coffee offers statistics on coffee prices and trade, as well as country profiles, monthly market reports and employment and consumption data
- CONSTRUCTION AND HOUSING
- Manufactured Housing Institute - MHI is the national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry
- National Association of Home Builders - NAHB is a trade association for home builders and includes information on home building practices, research, and news
- FOOD
- Food Marketing Institute - FMI is an organization representing food retailers and wholesalers
- National Cattlemen's Beef Association - Resource for cattle producers and the beef industry
- National Restaurant Association - Trade association for restaurants and affiliated organizations (suppliers, etc.)
- Grocery Manufacturers Association - Trade association for grocery manufacturers providing news, research, and industry trends
- HEALTH CARE
- American Hospital Association - Trade association for hospitals and health care facilities providing research, news, and other resources
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - US Department of Health and Human Services office for Medicare and Medicaid services. Includes policies and regulations as well as analytical and technical data
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Product of the US Department of Health and Human Services providing comprehensive data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage
- National Center for Health Statistics - US Centers for Disease Control website for US health statistics
- State Health Facts - Kaiser Family Foundation site with information and statistics about health at the state level
- World Health Organization - including World Health Report and health data - WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations. Provides health data and statistics, publications, and health-related country information
- MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
- Burrelles Top Media Outlets -Ranks media outlets by circulation, English language blogs by traffic, and social media websites by percentage of the market share
- Entertainment Software Association - Provides data about the video game industry according to economic figures, sales and genre, game player information, and reports on games and violence
- Federal Communications Commission Wireline Competition Bureau - The Wireline Competition Bureau develops and recommends policy goals, objectives, programs and plans for the FCC on matters concerning wireline telecommunications
- International Federation of the Phonographic Industry - Some free statistics on the music market, including Digital Music Report, chart providers by territory, and artists and repertoire (A&R) investment
- Measuring the Electronic Economy - E-Stats is the U.S. Census Bureau's Internet site devoted exclusively to measuring e-commerce
- National Cable and Telecommunications Association - Includes annual industry overview reports, an interactive map showing cable industry's impact on the US economy, a brief history of cable, and cable glossary
- Newspaper Association of America - NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Their website includes trends and numbers in advertising, audience demographics and circulation
- Pew Internet and American Life Project - This Pew Research Center's project produces reports exploring the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life
- Recording Industry Association of America - The RIAA collects and compiles information on both shipment and purchasing trends of recorded music in the United States
- METALS AND MINERALS
- Aluminum Association - The Association represents U.S. and foreign-based primary producers of aluminum, aluminum recyclers and producers of fabricated products, as well as industry suppliers. Website includes industry overview as well as news and statistics
- American Iron and Steel Institute - Look up policy news,steel making facts, and industry trends
- USGS Minerals Information - Find information and statistics about minerals production, demand, and usage by commodity, country, and state
- RETAIL
- Food Marketing Institute - Provides data about supermarkets, including top retailers, industry reports, top food processors and regulatory affairs
- International Council of Shopping Centers - International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Research information is for members only, but periodicals listed under "publications" are free
- National Association of Convenience Stores - Includes fact sheets about scope of the convenience store industry, motor fuels, industry issues and merchandise and services
- National Automobile Dealers Association - Auto industry news, product information, and sales reports from professional association of American car and truck dealers
- National Retail Federation - NRF represents retailers throughout the globe, publishes STORES magazine, and provides limited research information (some for members only)
- Toy Industry Association - Find economic data, corporate social responsibility initiatives, international trade regulations, reports and studies, and toy industry trends
- TRAVEL AND TOURISM
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics Airline and Airport Data - Find air traffic hubs, aircraft information, employment data, fares, financial statistics and on-time performances.
- National Restaurant Association - Locate restaurant industry statistics by state, CSR company rankings and industry news
- Travel Industry Association of America -Industry association for U.S. travel and tourism. Provides industry research, news, and advocacy for the industry
- World Tourism Organization - The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT) is a specialized agency of the United Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. Check out the Elibrary for free books, journals and statistics
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