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Industry Research

Contents:
Overviews | SIC & NAICS | Competitors, Market Share, & Rankings | Statistics | Ratios | Trade Associations | Articles

Industry Overviews

Print Sources

Blume Library Online Catalog
http://regina.stmarytx.edu/
Search the catalog for books about a specific industry.

Encyclopedia of American Industries
Reference HC 102 .E53
Vol. 1 - Manufacturing; Vol. 2 - Service and Non-Manufacturing

Encyclopedia of Global Industries 
Reference HD 2324 .E528

Value Line Investment Survey
On Reserve at the Circulation Desk

Business Subscription Databases

All library databases are linked from the library website at http://library.stmarytx.edu/acadlib/indexes/dblist.htm.

NetAdvantage (Standard & Poor's)
Online access detailed industry information. Provides full-text access to Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys and the Sub-industry Reviews.

Industry Classification - SIC and NAICS Codes

It is important to be able to compare companies against similar company in their industry. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system allows researchers to make these comparisons. SIC codes are 4 digit codes, designed by the Federal government, the classify business by industry type. For example, SIC 3571 Electronic Computers is the classification for companies that manufacture computers. Many business research sources are arranged by SIC. When beginning your research on an industry, it is important to determine your SIC code.

In 1997 the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS, pronounced "nakes") was adopted jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to replace the SIC. These codes were designed to be more descriptive than the SIC system and include emerging industries. However, some sources have yet to migrate to the NAICS system.

The library has print manuals for both systems:

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual
Reference HF 1042 .S73 1987

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), United States
U.S. Docs. PREX 2.6/4: 2007

Free Online Sources

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System Search
http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
Search for SIC codes and descriptions by keyword.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
http://www.census.gov/pub/epcd/www/naics.html
A U.S. Census page that provides access to the NAICS codes and correspondence tables between NAICS and SIC.

Competitors, Market Share, and Rankings

Print Sources

Market Share Reporter 
Reference HF 5410 .M3

World Market Share Reporter 
Reference HF 5410 .W67

Industry Statistics

Print Sources

Information, Finance & Services USA 
Reference HD999. I493 U625

Infrastructure Industries USA 
Reference HD 9506 .U5 A64

Manufacturing and Distribution USA 
Reference HD 9721 .M364

Statistical Abstract of the United States 
Reference Desk

Employment, Hours and Earnings 
U.S. Docs. L 2.3 : 24__ and higher

Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics 
Reference HD 8051 .H36

Survey of Current Business 
First Floor Periodicals

Free Online Sources

Economic Census
http://www.census.gov/econ/census/
The Economic census provides detailed data on business activity at the national and local level such as: number of establishments; sales, receipts, revenues, shipments; annual payroll; number of employees. Industry snapshots and industry ratios are also provided.

County Business Patterns
http://www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html
Published by the Census Bureau, this annual publication provides economic data by industry for the United States. It is primarily used for studying industry activity at the county level.

Current Industrial Reports
http://www.census.gov/cir/www/
The Current Industrial Reports provide "monthly, quarterly, and annual measures of industrial activity." These reports include "data on production and shipments of selected products."

Statistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Statistical Abstract is a compendium of statistics on a variety of topics, including statistics on industries.

Statistical Resources on the Web
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
This website, produced by the University of Michigan Library Documents Center, is a portal to statistics, most of which are available for free on the Internet. The "Business and Industry" section links to many sources of interest to students researching an industry.

Financial Ratios

Print Sources

Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios 
Reference HF 5681 .R25 A45

Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios 
Reference HF 5681 .R25 I53

RMA Annual Statement Studies 
Reference HF 5681 .B2 R58

Financial Studies of the Small Business 
Reference HD62.7 .F55

Business Subscription Databases

All library databases are linked from the library website at http://library.stmarytx.edu/acadlib/indexes/dblist.htm.

Compustat (Research Insight) (restricted to on-campus use, School of Business database)
This numerical databases provides detailed financial information on publicly-traded companies in the U.S. and Canada. Students who are researching an industry can generate financial statistics on an industry by using SIC or NAICS codes.

Trade Associations

Print Sources

The Directory of Business Information Resources
Reference HF54.52.U5 D567

Encyclopedia of Associations 
Reference HS 17 .G332

Encyclopedia of Associations - International Organizations 
Reference HS 17 .G335

Free Online Sources

Associations on the Net
http://www.ipl.org/div/aon/
An annotated "guide to web sites of prominent organizations and associations." Produced by the Internet Public Library project.

Articles about Industries

Business Subscription Databases

All library databases are linked from the library website at http://library.stmarytx.edu/acadlib/indexes/dblist.htm.

Business Source Complete
Provides access to articles on industries from scholarly journals, trade magazines, and business newspapers. Business Source Complete is the first place to start when looking for articles for an industry research paper.

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe
The Lexis/Nexis "Business" subfile may be searched for articles on industry-related topics. The "Business News" and "Industry and Market" searches will retrieve articles from business magazines and newspapers.

Wall Street Journal Database
Fulltext articles from the Wall Street Journal published from 1984 to the present. The Wall Street Journal is one of the primary resources for information on industries.


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