This page guides you to resources providing information on industries. It
includes sections on:
When performing basic industry research, begin with the
Background Information, Trends, and Projections section. Then
proceed to other sections as appropriate. Keep in mind the
questions to consider mentioned on the introductory page while doing
your industry research.
Background Information, Trends, and Projections
These are the resources with which to begin your industry research. They
provide narrative background and/or statistical data on the current
condition, history, and future projections of many industries.
Although the amount of information will vary
depending upon the industry and the resource used, 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.
Research Databases*:
(*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.)
Business Source Premier: Provides access to scholarly journals, trade journals, and reports concerning industries. 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. For United Kingdom, Germany, United States, and France it provides full-text market research reports for specific products/industries.
Market Insight: 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.
Print Resources:
Standard & Poor's Industry
Surveys: Profiles for 52 industries.
Coverage is extensive 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.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HC106.6 S74)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk (HC106.6 S74)
Please Note: The research database, Market Insight, provides current and some prior editions of S & P's stock reports and industry surveys.
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- Encyclopedia of American
Industries: Provides comprehensive information on a wide range of
industries. Individual essays for each industry may include
industry snapshot, organization and structure, background and
development, current conditions, industry leaders, work force
information, global marketplace, research and technology, and suggestions
for further reading. Volume 1 covers manufacturing, and Volume 2 covers
service and non-manufacturing industries.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HC102 E53)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HC102 E53)
- Encyclopedia of Emerging
Industries: Provides essays on business sectors that have shown
evidence of recent, or potential, significant growth.
Individual essays for each industry may include
industry snapshot, organization and structure, background and
development, current conditions, industry leaders, work force
information, global marketplace, research and technology, and suggestions
for further reading.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HD2324 E527)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HD2324 E527)
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- Value Line: Comments 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 - Reference
- D&B Census of American
Business: By using number of establishments data, you can
obtain an idea of the size of an industry (by SIC Code) in the U.S. or any
state.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5343 D8a)
Background Information - International
Several of the resources in the Background
section above include information on industries globally and should be
consulted. These are some additional resources to check when looking at an
industry in a foreign country or worldwide as well as when trying to put a
U.S. industry in a global perspective.
Research Databases*:
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).
Print Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Global
Industries: Provides essays similar to the Encyclopedia of American Industries on a
global scale for 125 selected industries.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HD2324 E53)HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HD2324 E53)
GSPIA/ECONOMICS LIBRARY - Reference (HD2324 E53)
- Manufacturing Worldwide:
Basic manufacturing statistics for 190 countries.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HD9720.4 M36)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HD9720.4 M36)
World Business Rankings
Annual: Top ten lists of international companies, products,
services, and activities compiled from a variety of published sources.
Includes many subject headings related to industries.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF54.U5 W67)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HF54 U5W67)
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. Start with these resources when
looking for market share data. You can also find some market share
information in the general industry surveys listed with
the background resources above. You may also want to
refer to available specialized industry resources. The
final step is to search for articles which mention
market share. Articles may be the only way, if any, to find market share
data for specific products.
Market share is a specific type of company ranking. Companies can be
ranked in other ways as well. These resources are ones that focus on
company rankings.
Background resources 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.
Research Databases*:
Business and Company Resource Center: Provides market share information from Market Share Reporter. This information is available in the "rankings" tab at the top of the screen.
Print Resources:
Market Share Reporter:
A compilation of reported market share data on companies, products, and
services.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5410 M35)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk (HF5410 M35)
- World Market Share
Reporter: A compilation of reported world market share data on
companies, products, and services.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF5410 W67)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk (HF5410 W67)
- Business Rankings
Annual: The top ten companies in various industries are
included in the many lists. Includes some rankings at the city or
state level.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HG4057 A1558)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HG4057 A1558)
GSPIA/ECONOMICS LIBRARY - Reference (HG4057 A1558)
- World Business Rankings
Annual: The top ten companies in various industries are
included in the many lists. Includes a mixture of worldwide, continental,
and country rankings.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HF54.U5 W67)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HF54 U5W67)
- D&B Business Rankings:
Ranks over 25,000 of the nation's leading private and public businesses,
allowing you to find the leading companies by sales, by employee size, by
state, by SIC code, nationally, and by public or private/foreign-owned
designation. This source uses SIC codes to the two digit level which means
industry categories are quite broad. Each list ranges from 50 to 500
companies.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HG4057 A237)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference (HG4057 A237)
- Ward's Business Directory of US
Private & Public Companies: Special volumes rank the 112,000
companies profiled in the main volumes. Volumes 5 and 8 provide rankings
by sales within SIC and NAICS codes.
Volumes 6 and 7 provide rankings by state within SIC code.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference (HG4009 W373)
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk (HG4009 W373)
- Mergent's Industry Review:
3000 PUBLIC companies are ranked within 137 industry groups by eight
standard size, profitability, and stock characteristics. Additional
rankings relevant to specific industries are provided.
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference
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
Steps in Company Research 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 indexes by industry. A specialized
directory covering your industry may also be available. If you want a
list of top companies in rank order, check the Market Share
and Company Rankings section above.
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. So use all three resources to determine
which ones best meet your needs.
- Almanac of Business and Industrial
Financial Ratios: Often referred to as the Troy Almanac.
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 R25A45)
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 R25A45)
- RMA Annual Statement
Studies: Published by Robert Morris Associates.
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 B2R63)
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 B2R63)
- Industry Norms and Key Business
Ratios: Published by Dun & Bradstreet.
HILLMAN LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 R25I53)
BUSINESS LIBRARY - Reference Desk. (HF5681 R25I53)
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(*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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