1. How big is your industry? Growth rates? Projected growth rates?

2. Who are the major companies? What are their assets? What are their market shares? What are their growth rates?

3. What kinds of problems is the industry facing?

4. What kinds of opportunities is the industry pursuing?

5. What kind of social, political or economic issues have been important to this industry over the last few years?

6. Find a technological change that has been important to this industry over the last few years.

7.What competitive changes have been important in the past several years?

8.Find a forecast of something that will be important to the future of this industry

Top of Page

1. Where to find How to evaluate a company: Standard & Poors Industry Surveys - at the end of each industry section

2. Contact the industry associations (Do they have a web site?).

• Industry surveys list industry associations  (See: Industry Surveys on the Business Web page).
• Hoover's Online  gives links to associations (Companies and Industries/Industries/Industry Snapshots).
• You can also find Associations resources on the Business Research Web Guide.

3. Find one or two companies in the industry and begin researching the companies.
For example, if you obtain a Financial Profile from Hoovers Online on a publicly held company, their key competitors will also be given.   You can also search ReferenceUSA for U.S. and Canadian competitors. 
(See Company Information for more information).

4. Search for journal articles and reports (from trade journals, general business magazines, etc.)UW restricted databases

5. Search for newspaper articles. UW restricted databases

6. Search for newswires in databases such as:

• Lexis-Nexis (News)
• Factiva  UW restricted databases

7. Look for Analyst Reports such as:

• Thomson research. [Investext] UW restricted
  - To Search For Company:
  Select:Content Profiles. Then type in "Company Name" or "Ticker symbol"
  Select: Company with a "Quote/Ticker" symbol
  - To Search For Industry:
  Select: Full Search. Then Select: "text".
  Type in industry
  Can also Select: "SIC" or "NAICS". Then type in code
  
• Plunkett Research Online  (On Campus Access Only)
• Forrester  UW restricted
• Encyclopedia of American Industries (e-book version is UW restricted )
• Standard & Poor's netAdvantage UW restricted

8. If information is older than what you would like to use:

• Note the source of the information and see if you can locate more current information from them.
• Make reasonable projections from reliable data you find if the information you need is not current enough or is not readily available.

9. Follow database search rules:

• Do you know what fields you can search? 
• Do you know the defaults?
  • How does the database search your terms if you don't connect them with AND, OR, NOT?  What time period is searched if you don't set one?
    Database Guides    Search Engine Guides  Also check database help screens.
  • Does the database/search engine have an advanced search feature that will allow greater search capability?
    (For example, some advanced search features provide drop down menus for search fields and use of Boolean logic)

10. Be creative in using  terminology when searching databases. 

• What are your concepts? 
• Think of different synonyms to use.
• Business Source Complete databases have a thesaurus

11. Use Boolean Logic strategically if allowed (and, or, not)

AND   used to narrow a search. Documents must have all terms.
           Example: photofinishing and market share
           Result: finds documents with the words "photofinishing" and "market share"

OR     used to broaden a search. Documents may have any one or more terms.
          Example: photoprocessing or photofinishing
          Result:  finds documents with one or more of these terms

NOT  used to narrow a search. Eliminates documents with these words.
          Example: photprocessing not photographic
          Result: finds documents with "photoprocessing" in them but not "photographc" 

12. Use Parenthesis (to group words together for a more complete search)

Example: (photoprocessing or photofinishing) and industry
Result: documents contain "industry" and one or both of the words "photoprocessing" "photofinishing"

13. Know  Database Features.
- What can you find in this database?

14. Evaluate information you find: 
- How was it derived?  Does it fit your need?  Is it reliable?
- What do you know about the author or publisher?  What's their reputation?
- How does it compare with other information you found?

15. Citing Information you use.

16. Keep a record of  your search history     SEARCH STRATEGY FORM 
- so you know where you've been and where you're going
- to keep your teem members apprised
- to be able to answer your client's questions