1. Locate an Industry Survey.
Go
to: Industry Survey Locator [ About
]
The Industry Survey Locator, our in-house database
by topic, is the simplest way of locating an industry
survey either online through our databases,
or in print, such as the S&P Industry Survey.
These answer many of your questions: market segmentation,
competitive landscape, forecasts and professional
associations.
2.
Read fulltext Market Research Reports and or Analysts'
Reports.
Go to:
Mintel [ About
]
Covers consumer industries, B to C, market drivers,
market segmentation, consumer
Need to open an account using only your BU email
address and a created password.
Must be used ONLY for academic purposes.
Go
to: InvestextPlus [
About ]
Select the Industry dropdown menu or use a
keyword. Using the term "initiating coverage"
in the keyword box can help to limit to longer
reports.
3.
Search through Trade Journals Online.
Go
to: ABI Inform/Global [ About
]
ABI also has full text articles from the Wall
Street Journal.
Go
to: Business
Source Complete [About]
You are taken to the Advanced Search screen after
you put in your terms, select the type of publications
you are looking for, i.e. trade journals, to limit
your search.
Go
to: LexisNexis Academic [About
]
1. Choose "Business" from the left side
navigation and then open "Industry and Market"
for Industry news.
2. Do a more general search in the top page search
box if your industry is obscure.
Go
to: General Business File ASAP [About
]
4.
Develop a custom list of companies (location,
sic/naics code, company size...)
Go
to: Reference USA [ About
]
13 million US public and private companies and
government offices in the US. Create a custom
search by company size, number of employees, industry,
geographical areas...Use the yellow page function
to narrow down to the industry you want.
Go
to: Mergent Online [ About
]
Works best with Internet Explorer.
Build a custom list of public companies and create
a comparison report with financials.
Reminder: Locate the appropriate
NAICS code and/or SIC code
for your industry.
5.
Read an Annual Report or 10K for a public company.
Go
to: Mergent Online [ About
] Works best with Internet Explorer.
Get company financials or access Edgar information
through Mergent.
6
. Locate a SWOT analysis in a Datamonitor Company
Profile.
Go to Datamonitor Company Profiles through Business
Source Complete [About
]
To look only for a SWOT Analysis, select SWOT
Analyses on the green navigation bar on the right.
Enter your company name.
7.
Locate recent legal news.
Go
to: LexisNexis Academic [ About
]
Choose "Legal Research" from the left
side navigation. Then choose "Legal
News" on the next page to search for articles
from legal newspapers, legal magazines and legal
newsletters. Includes some state publications
like Massachusetts Environmental Compliance
Update.
8.
Look at Government regulatory agency websites.
Go
to: Regulations.gov
Topical guide to regulations
Go
to: FirstGov.gov
Laws and Regulations: General Reference Sources
Federal, State and Local Laws and Regulations
Business.gov
Go to: Code of
Federal Regulations
Go to: Google
US Government
By limiting your search to the. gov and .mil domain
you have better chances of finding what you want.
9.
Know about Trade Associations.
To locate a trade association for your industry:
1. Check at the end of an industry survey
for your industry. You'll always find relevant
trade associations listed.
2. The second best way is to do a search in:
Go
to: Associations Unlimited [About
]
(BU Online)
10.
Read a Vault Industry Guide.
The Vault
Online Career Library [About]
is available through the School of Management's
Feld Career Center. Scroll down and select Vault
Access under Quick Links. Available to SMG majors,
minors and alums only.
These guides cover these industries
and all have information on the industry trends
and what is happening in the industry today:
| Accounting |
Investment Banking |
| Advertising |
Investment Management |
| Biotechnology |
Marketing & Brand Management |
| Book Publishing |
Pharmaceuticals Sales and Marketing |
| Capitol Hill |
Real Estate |
| Consulting |
Sales & Trading |
| Energy |
Supply Chain Management |
| Fashion |
Technology |
| Human Resources |
Venture Capital |
|