Guide to Finding
Industry Information
Industry classification | Industry profiles | Analyst reports
Industry ratios | Articles | Other sources
Companies that manufacture similar products fall within a certain industry; for example, companies within the tire manufacturing industry include such names as: Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, Cooper, etc. The U.S. Government began an organizational system known as the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) that has now changed (but is still being used in some resources) as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to include Canada and Mexico. The new system is known as NAICS, or the North American Industry Classification System. The systems both use numerical coding to organize the industries.
Print: Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual
Available in Bruno Library reference area, REF. HA 40 .I6 U63 1987
Print: North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
Available in Bruno Library reference area, REF. HF 1041.5 N674 2002
Web: North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
Web: Bridge Between NAICS and SIC
http://www.census.gov/epcd/ec97brdg/
Use the bridge format at this website to connect SIC codes to NAICS and vice versa.
The Business Library has several excellent resources to get an overview of a particular industry.
Print: Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
Available in Bruno Library reference area, REF. HC 106.6 .S74
For individual U.S. industries, describes conditions in the industry during the previous year and names the major competitors. Selected statistics are provided. Twenty major industry groupings and a thousand companies are covered. This is a great first place to start.
Print: Encyclopedia of American Industries
Available in Bruno Library reference area, REF. HC 102 .E54
Vol. 1. Manufacturing; Vol. 2. Non-Manufacturing. These two volumes contain comprehensive and detailed information on a wide range of industries of American business. Included are historical events, relevant trends and statistics. Vol. 1 covers 461 industries and Vol. 2 presents approximately 544 essays covering service and non-manufacturing industries. Both volumes are arranged numerically by SIC code, making them very easy to use.
Database: Business & Company Resource Center
Database with on-campus and remote access
Type in an industry, e.g. "Retail" and click on the drop-down menu until "Industry Description Search" is displayed. Click on the search button. A list of SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes will appear along with the corresponding industry name; select the closest match to your industry. Use the tabs across the top of the screen to select different types of information on your industry.
Database: Business Source Premier
Database with on-campus and remote access
There is great deal of industry information included in this database. In "Advanced Search" click on "Industry Report" under "Publication Type." You can then retrieve a variety of excellent industry reports by entering an industry into the search box, e.g. airlines.
Database: Investext
Database available only on campus
Includes industry research reports from investment banks and trade associations.
An industry's financial and profitability ratios can be used when comparing a company's performance with that of the industry. Data within each industry is usually arranged according to asset size.
Print: RMA Annual Statement Studies
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HF 5681 .B2 R62
Print: Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HF 5681 .R25 I53x
Print: Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HF 6581 .R25 A44x
Database: ABI/Inform
Database with on-campus and remote access
Click on the green Topic Guide tab for a quick and easy search; e.g., to search for articles on the airline industry simply type, "airline industry" and either "view the articles" or "narrow by related topic."
Database: Business Source Premier
Database with on-campus and remote access
There is great industry information included in this database. In "Advanced Search" click on "Industry Overview" under "Document Type." You can then retrieve a variety of excellent articles by entering an industry, e.g. airlines, in the search box.
Database: Factiva
Database with availability in Bruno Library only
Allows searching for Industry sources with "Factiva Intelligent Indexing." Click the plus sign beside "Industry" for expanded menu options. Enter your keywords and search criteria.
The Bruno Library has an excellent print reference collection for specific industries. A small selection of some of the specific industry sources are listed below. Included in this list are sourcebooks to find trade publications and trade associations that gather useful industry information.
Print: Adams Beer Handbook
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HD 9397 .U5 A45
Print: Adams Liquor Handbook
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HD 9352 .L5
Print: Beverage World Databank
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF HD 9348 .U5 B92x
Sourcebook for the global beverage marketplace.
Print: Ward's Automotive Yearbook
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF HD 9710 .U5 W3
Covers the global automotive industry with numerous tables and statistics.
Print: Electronic Market Data Book
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HD 9696 .A3 U539
Covers the global electronics industry with such data as unit and dollar sales figures plus related data.
Print: Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. Z 7164 .C81 E93
not only serves as an annotated bibliography or a "sourcebook of sourcebooks," but also identifies many trade magazines published for particular industries.
Trade associations for a particular industry often gather and report statistics for that industry. Use one of the following sources to identify the trade association for your industry, and visit their website. Look for sections of the site called "Facts & Figures" or "Research" or "Statistics."
Print: National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States
Available in the Bruno Library reference area, REF. HD 2425 .D53
Lists trade associations alphabetically and includes several indexes. Gives address, phone number, number of members, publications, etc. for each association.
Database: Associations Unlimited
Database with on-campus and remote access
Click on "Subject/Any Word Search" to look for an association for your industry. For best results, on the next screen set the "Subject Category" dropdown box to "Trade, Business and Commercial Organizations." If you know your industry's SIC code, you can put it in the box labelled "Industry-Served SIC Code." If that doesn't work, or if you don't know your industry's SIC code, just put a word or two describing your industry into the "Free Text" box to do your search. The entries in your results list will contain links to the associations' websites.
Need more help? Use our Ask a Librarian service to get further assistance.