MARK 4040: Industry information

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About industry classification

In order to understand why you'll find data or profiles of some industries but not others, it is useful to know something about industry classification! Here's why:

Governments and commercial publishers use these classification systems to define, collect and organize the data that they collect.
There are many classification systems "out there", produced by different governments and organizations, for different purposes. The core principle or purpose of the classification system can explains why some industry sectors are seemingly ignored, or split into odd sub-categories. Two common core principles are:
- Production
- Trade

For more information about industry classification, see the links below.

All about industry classification systems
Read this for background only.
All about NAICS and SIC
These are the two big classification systems used in the US. NAICS is the current code, and officially replaced SIC in 1997. However, SIC is still used by some commercial publishers, and also by some publishers in the financial/investing sector.

Databases for Industry Profiles

Below are links to industry reports from individual publishers, and to databases that contain industry reports. Many of these reports are available in general business databases: where possible, the links go directly to that content, not to a general search screen. But where such direct linking is not possible, the links go to the main database search screen (e.g. Passport).

Two notes about MarketLine reports:

MarketLine reports are available in two different databases, Ebsco's Business Source Premier, and Workspace's After Market Research module (aka AMR or Investext). Each has advantages and disadvantages.

For slightly easier searching, use Business Source Premier
For the most complete collection of MarketLine industry and company reports, use the AMR Research collection in Workspace; Ebsco does not always receive the current reports in a timely way. Notice that Workspace requires registration for an individual account.
Instructions for searching in the Workspace AMR collection are available here.

Links to reports from individual publishers or vendors:

These reports are pulled from large aggregator databases (ABI-Inform Trade & Industry, Business Source Premier, and Business Insights Essentials). The interfaces of these large databases allow me to create these individual links, which is not possible in other interfaces.

Encyclopedia of American Industries (in Gale Business Insights )
Look for the 'Search Within' box (upper right corner) to search within these reports.
Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries (in Gale Business Insights )
Look for the 'Search Within' box (upper right corner) to search within these reports.
Encyclopedia of Global Industries (in Gale Business Insights)
Look for the 'Search Within' box (upper right corner) to search within these reports.
First Research Industry Reports (in ABI/Inform Collection)
Primarily focused on the US market, but given the global nature of many industries, this means that they often still provide a good picture of the larger industry. Organized by NAICS codes.
Fitch Solutions Country Industry Reports (in ABI-Inform Collection)
The content available in ABI-Inform Collection includes the quarterly reports which focus on individual countries and industries, and also monthly Monitor reports and others which focus on broader regions and sectors. Dates of coverage: 2018 - present.
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Formerly titled "BMI Industry Reports". This content is also available in the database, but requires searching with that title. (BMI = Business Monitor International.)
Fitch Solutions Industry Insights Reports, via ABI-Inform Collection
London: Fitch Solutions Group Limited.
Global Industry Snapshots (Acquisdata)
October 2017 - present, via ABI/Inform Collection.
Newer, niche industries, e.g.: robotics, cybersecurity, fintech, AI, crypto, IoT, UAVs; but also marine-related such as high-tech shipbuilding and deep-sea mining.
MarketLine Industry Profiles (in Business Source Premier)
Add your keywords in the bottom text box, and use the 'Select a Field' drop-down menu to change the default search location to 'TX All Text'.
Plunkett Analytics Reports (in ABI/Inform Collection)
Click on Modify Search (to the right) to search within these reports: add the word AND to the search, then your keywords or a NAICS code.
In-depth reports, but only for the US. Organized by NAICS codes.

Links to databases:

ABI/Inform Collection from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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Provides in-depth coverage of business conditions, trends, corporate strategies & tactics, management techniques, competitive and product information, plus a variety of other topics. Full text provided for 7,000+ publications. Mostly 1971 to present.
Includes: ABI/Inform Dateline, ABI/Inform Global, and ABI/Inform Trade & Industry.
Gale Business Insights from Gale This link opens in a new window
Formerly: Business Insights: Essentials
Searches business journals and magazines, industry reports and encyclopedia articles focusing on company and business information. Indexing 1980-present. Full-text mostly 1990-present.
Formerly: Business Company Resource Center.
Business Source Premier from EBSCO This link opens in a new window
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Searches business publications; includes company, country, and industry reports. Good coverage of scholarly business publications. Mostly 1984 - present.
In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for nearly 1,570 journals. This database contains popular business publications such as Business Week, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review, and hundreds of scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. Also included is Wall Street Words, a dictionary of financial terms, linked directly to words within the citations and full text. Full text backfiles go as far back as January of 1990, while indexing and abstract backfiles go as far back as January of 1984.
Gartner This link opens in a new window
Marquette students, faculty and staff have access to Gartner, a leading source for analysis of information technology trends, suppliers, products and technologies.
Login with your Marquette email and password.
IBISWorld from IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
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If on campus and on MU-Secure wifi, use this link.
Collection of industry market research. Modules available: US Industry Reports (organized by NAICS codes), US Industry iExpert Summaries, and US Business Environment Profiles.
Keyword searching doesn't always work well; try browsing the NAICS menu tree also.
Mergent Archives from Mergent This link opens in a new window
See especially the CRB Commodity Yearbooks; a classic source for info on raw materials.
This is an archival platform: PDF versions of the resources only.
Formerly called Mergent WebReports.
Mergent Online from Mergent This link opens in a new window
Provides information and data on U.S and international companies, including annual reports and SEC filings, institutional holdings, FactSheets, Supply Chain reports, etc.
To get to the Industry Reports: Click on "Industry Analysis" in the top menu bar, then click on "Reports".
Supply Chain reports cover US public companies primarily in the tech, biotech, and financial sectors. They include information on competitors (by product), customers, market structure, and more. The information is drawn from SEC filings, trade articles, and more. Formerly called Horizon Reports.
Passport This link opens in a new window
On first use only, acknowledgement of privacy and security policy required.
Data, reports and analysis about countries, industries, companies and consumers. Includes: economic and social data for ~200 countries; market research reports for ~80 countries; company and consumer profiles. We do NOT subscribe to the Sustainability module.
Video demo on how to search in Passport.
Economic and social indicator data redistributed from IMF, UN, World Bank, OECD. Annual data only.
Value Line from Value Line This link opens in a new window
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Although Value Line primarily provides company information, they also do brief profiles and short-term forecasts for industries.
For each company this includes: year-ahead and three- to five-year probable relative price performance; projections of key financial measures; and concise, objective commentary on current operations and future prospects. It also provides short-term industry reviews, and a stock screening feature.