Analyzing External and Competitive Environments
Trends in the external environment and the competitive structure of an industry are important factors in identifying opportunities for new businesses, products, and services. The resources on this page will help you understand and quantify political, legal, economic, environmental, social, and technological trends relevant to your company and analyze competitors and competitive rivalry within the industry.
When using any information, especially from media or web sources, it is important to assess its quality before including it in any scholarly research or professional recommendations. Use SIFT or the CRAAP test to analyze information you use in this class.
Best Bet Resources
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
IBISWorld Industry Reports are excellent overviews of broad trends to guide further research
- Find detailed information about the competitive environment in the Competitive Forces and Companies sections
- Use the External Environment section to identify key factors impacting the industry
- NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
NetAdvantage Industry Surveys are key resources for external and competitive analysis
- Identify important external forces in the Key Industry Drivers section
- Use the Porter's Five Forces and Comparative Company Analysis sections in your competitive analysis
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from thousands of business publications.
- Combine industry keywords with topics from IBISWorld or NetAdvantage reports to find additional articles and information
- Limit search results to Trade Publication to view industry-specific articles and insights
Additional Library Resources
Competitive Analysis
- Bizminer This link opens in a new window
Use the Industry Market Profile section to generate reports with information about the competitive market within a broad or specific industry and geographic region. - NetAdvantage This link opens in a new windowProfiles of publicly-traded companies provide comprehensive professional analyses and easy access to 10-K reports with detailed insights into competitors' operations and the competitive environment.
- Reference Solutions This link opens in a new window
Directory information for over 80 million businesses in the U.S. and Canada, searchable by type of business, geographic location, size of business, and sales.
External Trends & Forces
- Mintel Academic Access This link opens in a new window
Identify key socio-cultural and economic trends within industries in the Market and Consumer sections of reports - Statista This link opens in a new window
Search by keyword or topic to find statistics and reports about external trends and industry concerns.
Trade Associations & Media Sources
- Directory of Associations
Almost every industry has a trade association. Trade associations often provide valuable insights on industry trends, including business activity and important external forces. Use this directory to locate associations that may be relevant to your company.
- Regional Business News This link opens in a new window
Regional Business News provides full-text to more than 290 regional business publications for the United States and Canadian provinces. Users can search newspapers, magazines and other resources from trusted news sources. More than 7000,000 TV and radio transcripts are available. - Wall Street Journal Online This link opens in a new window
Requires individual login and password set up. Access for UD faculty, staff, and students only. Business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City.
