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Overviews | Industry Ratios | SIC/NAICS | Market Share/Rankings | Associations|Industry Information for Countries

Overviews/Forecasts
Includes brief reports on virtually all industries within the SIC system--- manufacturing industries as well as service and non-manufacturing industries in the United States. Each report includes a brief snapshot of the industry (recent developments, key players, etc.), as well as details on the structure and history of the industry and a short list of references for further reading. Also available in hardcover REF HC 102 .E53 2005
Encyclopedia of
Emerging Industries
REF HC 102 .E54 2007
This companion to the Encyclopedia of American Industries (see above) highlights new industries. Examples include alternative energy sources, blogging, global information systems, life planning, weight loss, and RFID.
Provides annual, quarterly or monthly shipments and production data of industrial and consumer products and parts and materials.
The Economic Census (from the U.S. Census Bureau) profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Industry reports include: number of establishments sales, receipts, revenue, shipments, or business done, annual payroll, and number of employees. Drill-down menu for U.S. and for individual states. See also 'Geographic Area Series' for industry information at the metropolitan area, county, and city level.
Use the 'Subject Guide' search feature and then search by industry name. Narrow results by subdivision to find articles in categories such as 'Industry Forecasts,' 'Forecasts and Trends,' 'market share,' 'market size,' and much more.
Use 'Locate Industry by Company' search box on top right. From company page scroll down to 'Industry Profile'.
See Industry Surveys. Provides basic analyses of 30-40 major industries with many subject breakdowns within each industry. Each survey is divided into 2 sections; statistics and discussions on the industry. Analysis includes prospects, trends, problems, statistics, tables and charts, and comparisons. Statistical information includes sales, profit margin, P/E ratios, and capital expenditures. Indexed by industry and company name.
ValueLine Investment
Survey
Available at Circulation Desk
In the blue binder, see Part I, the weekly Index is used to locate the page number of industry reports. Part II, Ratings and Reports (red binders) examines companies by industry. The industry page that precedes reports on the stocks in that industry highlights current trends and offers forecasts. (Statistics in italics are estimates or forecasts.)

 

 

Ratios
Almanac of Business & Industrial Financial Ratios
REF HF 5681 .R25 A45 2006
50 performance indicators for 192 industries. Provides competetive norms in actual dollar amounts, average operating costs in percent of net sales, and ratios (including quick and current)on an industry-wide basis. (Accompanying CD-ROM is available at Circulation Desk.)
Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
REF HF 5681 .R25 I521
Arranged by SIC code, this reports 14 ratios for more than 800 SIC categories. Includes balance sheets and income statement ratios based on a sample of Dun & Bradstreet credit reports. Coverage includes previous year.

 

 

SIC/NAICS
SIC codes are numerical codes designed by the U.S. Government in order to create uniform descriptions of business establishments. SIC codes can be used to bring together companies that produce similar products or services. Some databases (such as General Business File) allow you to search for articles about companies and industries by SIC numbers.
Similar to the SIC system, the NAICS was designed by a joint agreement between USA, Canada and Mexico. This 6 digit system lends itself towards more uniform definitions and makes it easier to compare US industrial statistics with economic data from other countries. Some databases (such as Business Source Elite) allow you to search for articles about companies and industries by NAICS numbers.



Market Share/Rankings
Market Share Reporter
REF HF 5410 .M35
Collects market share data published in journals, magazines and newspapers. Find your industry by either SIC code or the 'Table of Topics' in front of each volume, or by company, brand, or products using the indexes at the back of each volume.
Try a keyword search for "market share" combined with the product, service, brand, or company name. Most of the articles are available in full text.
Researching industries in Massachusetts? The Boston Globe's list of the top 100 companies based on financial performance including revenue and return on equity. Also rankings by stock price, dividend, profit, loss, employment, sales and more.

 

Associations
Encyclopedia of Associations
REF HS 17 .G334 2004
Detailed information on thousands of associations and non-profit organizations organized in separate national (U.S.), international and regional/state/local volumes. Includes Web addresses when possible.

 

For More Resources, see Industry Research Guide.

Industry Information for Countries

Suggestions for finding information about a specific industry in a specific country. (For government regulations, 'doing business' summaries, etc. see the Library's Industries guide.)

  • You can try searching the World Wide Web using your country and industry as keywords and sometimes find an industry association, foreign government agency site with useful information (be sure to check the source!).
  • Similarly, you can search our business-related article databases (Business Source Elite, General Business File, Lexisnexis).
  • Use some of the recommended Library (and beyond) resources below.
Overviews/Forecasts
Search by country. Click on 'Factfile' link. Sample demographic, economic, lifestyle and market size statistics; what can be extremely useful are the 'Business Information Sources' links at the bottom of each page.
Provides reports on country political structure, resources and infrastructure (including population, education, health, natural resources), economy and economic sectors.
To see if your country of interest is available:
1. Find the search box to limit search "to the following journals" and click on the Browse link
2. Find the title Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: [your country of interest]. Check off that box
3. Click on 'Submit Selection' link on left-side menu. This will return you to the orignal search screen
4. Click on the 'Search' button.
5. Scroll through results.
Country information, commercial guides (including excellent market analysis), tariff and tax information, industry-specific market reports and more.


LexisNexis
Click on the Business tab at top, then click on Country Profiles link on left side navigation menu. Choose country, source type (Risk Reports) and sources: PRS Group International Country Risk Guide which "provides in-depth analyses of every factor that could affect business, trade or investments in countries around the world."
Use pull down menu to search for specific country. Every country page is somewhat different in terms of layout and content. Some may not come up in English; in such cases look for the 'English' link. Also, in some cases an initial link on a country page may not be in English but you can figure out the appropriate link for your topic/industry; try it because some of the resources on the next page may be in English.

 

For More Resources, see the International Business Guide.



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