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:
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive collection of Industry reports organized by NAICS code. Reports include competitive landscape, supply chain, statistics and key facts as well as information on key issues facing the industry. Includes U.S. Specialized Industry Reports and Global Industry Reports.
- MarketLine Industry Profiles This link opens in a new window
MarketLine (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.
- Mintel Academic This link opens in a new window
Mintel 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. For instructions see the Mintel Tutorial.
- 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.
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 window Frost & Sullivan reports cover technology and market trends in various technology, energy and manufacturing related fields. In-depth market research and strategy reports with an international scope. Includes the following industry sectors: healthcare; communication technologies; industrial automation and electronics; energy and power systems; aerospace and defense; environmental and building technologies. These reports can only be viewed in html format.
- 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.
For additional news sources, see Newspapers and News Media.
Data and Statistics
- Mintel Academic This link opens in a new window
Mintel 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. For instructions see the Mintel Tutorial.
Manufacturing & Distribution USA
Location: Pardee Reserve - Reference HD9723 .M365Industry information arranged by NAICS code, including competitors, materials, statistics, inputs and outputs. The latest copy is at the Pardee Services Desk on the Reserve-Reference (High Use) shelves.
ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United StatesLocation: Mugar Library HA202 .E78Provides a summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. The latest copy is at Mugar Library Reference.
Industry Financial Ratios
- eStatement studies This link opens in a new windowContains composite financial data from over 250,000 anonymous financial statements of manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, service, and contracting businesses operating in industries. Designed to be particularly useful to lending and credit risk professionals who want to compare one company's performance relative to other companies in the same line of business.
Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial RatiosLocation: Pardee Reserve- Reference HF5681.R25 T68Financial ratios for over 170 lines of business. Organized by NAICS code. Source of data is U.S. Federal tax returns. The latest copy is at the Pardee Services Desk on the Reserve-Reference (High Use) shelves.
Industry Norms and Key Business RatiosLocation: Pardee Reserve- Reference HD2771 .I53Published annually by Dun & Bradstreet. Financial ratios for over 600 lines of business. Organized by SIC code. Data is provided by D&B’s financial information sources. The latest copy is at the Pardee Services Desk on the Reserve-Reference (High Use) shelves.
IRS Corporate Financial RatiosLocation: Pardee Reserve- Reference HF5681.R25 I72The latest copy is at the Pardee Services Desk on the Reserve-Reference (High Use) shelves.
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.
For additional industry resources, see Industry Information Sources.
