Industry Surveys
Get an overview of how an industry operates, the trends, and more. The most notable industry surveys are the S&P Industry Surveys through NetAdvantage.
Go to: the Industry Survey Locator - A database of industry surveys that appear in databases and other reference materials. A good first place to check for industry surveys and overviews.
Many Online Databases are included in the Locator:
- MarketLine Industry Profiles This link opens in a new windowMarketLine (Formerly Datamonitor) Industry Profiles provide profiles on industries worldwide and are available through the Business Source Complete database. Each industry profile includes a market overview, market share, market size, leading companies in the industry and market forecasts. To locate an industry survey, type the industry name in the search box, select title from the drop-down menu and click on the Search button.
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowIndustry snapshots include statistics and key facts as well as information on key issues facing the industry. Report Examples: Movie & Video Production in the US (July 2020),
Performers & Creative Artists in the US (January 2021), Arts, Entertainment and Recreation in the US (February 2021) - Mintel Academic This link opens in a new windowMintel reports provide information on markets for consumer products, travel, lifestyles, and leisure. Our subscription predominately covers products and markets in the United States. Each report combines data & analysis of the competitive landscape and consumer profiles.
- Hoover's Industry Snapshots This link opens in a new windowProvides more than 600 industry snapshots from Hoovers Company and Industry Reports via Nexis Uni. The snapshots include the following industry information or links to relevant information: Description; Terminology; Associations & Organizations and Selected Resources.
- First Research Industry Reports This link opens in a new windowIndustry reports with Career focus. Includes overview, sales & marketing, finance & regulation, regional & international issues, human resources, and statistics for over 100 industries. Additionally, contains quarterly industry updates, business challenges, trends & opportunities, call preparation questions, and ratios. Report Example: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Sector (February 2021)
The databases listed below are not available in the Industry Survey Locator, but will be very helpful for finding information on technology and healthcare industries:
- Frost & Sullivan This link opens in a new windowFrost & Sullivan is a well known information technology research and advisory company. Frost & Sullivan reports cover technology and market trends in various technology, energy and manufacturing related fields. Please note that most reports can only be viewed in html form. If you would like access to a report in PDF format and you are unable to access it, please send an email to pardstf@bu.edu.
- Gartner Research This link opens in a new window
Gartner, Inc. is a well-known information technology research and advisory company that provides insights to help clients make informed decisions related to information technology. Reports contain research findings and advice on technology markets, topics, and industries. Follow instructions at the BU IS&T site to register for an account to gain access.
Industry Articles
Use the databases below to search for articles about companies and industries.
- ProQuest One Business This link opens in a new window ProQuest One Business combines multiple ProQuest business information databases including ABI-Inform, Accounting, Tax & Banking and Entrepreneurship and contains more than 130 million documents. Content in this database also covers over 2,400 journals and magazines, several hundred news sources, thousands of ebooks, videos and company, industry and country reports.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window Provides bibliographic and full text content, including indexing and abstracts for scholarly business journals back to 1886 and full text journal articles in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, accounting, finance and economics. The database full text content includes investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses. Sources covered by this database include Economist Intelligence Unit country reports.
- Factiva This link opens in a new window Provides worldwide full text access to local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich websites, investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Nexis Uni is a source for newspapers and magazines, trade journals, wire services and transcripts, as well as legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790, and information on U.S. and international companies and executives.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window CMMC indexes journals covering communication, mass media, linguistics, discourse, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, communication theory, language, logic, organizational communication and other closely related fields of study.
For additional news sources, see Newspapers and News Media.
SIC/NAICS Codes - Industry Classification
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window In-depth company information and financials for international public companies. Allows you to export financials into Excel and create company comparisons using ratios and other financial metrics. Good source for annual reports and company 10K’s. Provides access to research reports written by analysts at leading investment banks, brokerage houses and consulting firms. Click on the Investext tab to access the analyst reports.
Help in searching for SIC/NAICS codes:
- Census DataAccess data about the nation's people and economy including demographic data and the Economic Census.
- U.S. Census NAICS-SIC Concordance TablesFind your NAICS code, and you will find the corresponding SIC code. Click on Concordances located under Reference Files.
- North American Industry Classification Search (NAICS)Search by keyword to find the NAICS code for the industry you are researching. Includes 2022, 2017 and 2012 NAICS codes.
- Standard Industrial Classification Manual (SIC) SearchSearch by keyword to find the SIC code for the industry you are researching.
Trade Associations
For additional industry resources, see Industry Information Sources.
