GSU Library Research Guides: ENI 3102: Product-Service Design for New Ventures.: Industry Research

Identifying the Industry

Industries are classified into one or more classification systems. The two main classification systems are SIC and NAICS. Many business databases allow you to search by these codes, so it can be very helpful if you know how to find them.

North American Industry Classicication System (NAICS) this system is a newer expanded version of SIC that uses up to 6 digits.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 4 digit classifcation standard that is used to classify industry areas. While it's older than NAICS, many agencies and databases still use this system.

Companies will be assigned more than one industry code if they are operating in more than one line of business.

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IBISWorld - Try this first!

IBISWorld is our most comprehensive source of industry level data. You can search for industry information by classification code, industry description or company name.

It also includes "Business Environment Reports" that offer short summaries of data and analysis on over 250 economic drivers, categorized in seven “environments” that surround the economy.

IBISWorld U.S. Industry Research
Provides economic, demographic, and government data on American and global industries. Reports include information industry performance outlooks, products, markets, the competitive landscape, and key statistics.
Passport
Euromonitor International's Passport is a global market research database that provides statistics, analysis, reports, surveys, and breaking news on industries, countries, and consumers worldwide.

Key Business Article Databases

Look for articles on your industry in some of our key business article databases.

Discover - As a high-concept pitch, Discover is the "Google search for library databases." You will get a lot background articles about your business start-ups from databases with different disciplines.

ABI/INFORM Collection
This database includes international coverage and provides researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world from 1923 to the present.
Factiva
A business research tool for finding information on politics, current events, and government data. Warning: Use is restricted to reader access for research & education purposes only. Text mining prohibited. Analytics of the content is also not permitted..
Provides limited access to Atlanta Business Chronicle. Login information is belowTO LOGIN TO FACTIVA
Go to: https://my.openathens.net/
Enter and select “Georgia State University Library” in the “Find My Institution” search box
The login information for Factiva will be displayed. If prompted, use the username and password provided.
NOTES:
- The Factiva link will not work if bookmarked. You must access via MyAthens each time.
- Our Factiva license is limited to 10 simultaneous users. If you see an error message indicating “username and password is already in use,” it means the maximum number of simultaneous users has been reached.
- When you have finished your research, please log out so that other users may access the system.
Business Source Complete
This database provides full text for scholarly business journals and other sources, covering all areas related to business. Direct Opt Out Link.

IbisWorld Overview

Research Tip

The amount of information that's available on any given industry will vary depending on the age and size of the industry, among other factors.

If you can't find information on your industry consider the following strategies:

Try looking for a broader industry category. Sofware publishing instead of smartphone apps, for example.
Look for information on related, or similar industries.
Find out who the main companies are in your industry and base your analysis on that information.
Combine information from multiple industries. This can be particularly helpful for younger, emerging industries such as e-book publishing.