Library Guides: International Business: Industry Research

Industry Profiles

Many tools for industry research use industry designation codes to organize information. Industry designation codes describe the industry or industries in which a business operates. They are commonly used in business research, and include:

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): the standard used by governments and businesses in the US, Canada, and Mexico. It is a multi-tiered system of aggregation describing a business's main operations.
The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS): a standard used by many investors. It is a 4-tiered system applied to companies globally based on their principle business activities.
The Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB): a standard used by global stock exchanges to categorize listed companies. Similar to the GICS, companies are allocated to a code using a 4-tiered system.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from thousands of business publications. Search by industry code or keyword and filter by Industry Profile in publication types.
Access full-text articles from thousands of scholarly business journals, magazines, and trade journals from the fields of marketing, management, accounting, finance, and economics. Plus company and industry profiles, SWOT analyses, country economic reports, financial data, and investment reports. This database includes rigorous curation and indexing of open access (OA) journals. Full-text non-journal content includes company profiles, informational records, case studies, industry reports, business executive interviews, working papers, and over 75,000 videos from the Associated Press.
IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
In-depth reports and analysis for industries are searchable by NAICS Code and keyword. Global Industry Reports can be found in the Industries dropdown menu.
This industry research database contains reports on industries in the China, Global, and U.S. markets. The U.S. content is further subdivided into: Industry Reports classified by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Specialized Industry Reports for industries not adequately covered by NAICS, US Industry State Reports, US State Economic Profiles, US Industry iExpert Summaries, US Specialized Industry iExpert Summaries, US Business Environment Profiles, and US Business Environment State Profiles. Global industry reports are strong in the manufacturing sector. Each report contains an “at a glance” overview (including SWOT analysis), performance data, outlook data, products & markets analysis, competitive landscape analysis, lists of major companies, operating conditions, and key statistics. Statistics include financial ratios and industry averages from the Risk Management Association.
Mergent Market Atlas This link opens in a new window
Open the Industry tab to find industry overviews and performance data. Click on Reports to download ICB industry reports.
Comprehensive profiles for publicly traded companies including financial data, ratios, business segments, descriptions, sustainability and ESG information, SEC and annual filings, officers, directors, and analyst reports. Also provides country risk profiles and ICB Industry Reports. Quickly access a multitude of company, industry, index, ESG, and economic data views and reports. Search the following industries: technology, telecommunications, healthcare, financials, real estate, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, industrials, basic materials, energy, and utilities. Mergent Market Atlas will replace Mergent Online in 2025.
NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
Industry reports are comprehensive and include references and detailed analysis. Find them in the Industry Surveys tab.
Updated daily. Provides a comprehensive, professional source of investment information and analysis on industries and companies. Full text coverage includes stock, bond, and mutual fund guides and reports; earnings and dividends reports; comprehensive company information; industry surveys for 52 major U.S. industries; and directories of companies, executives and security dealers

Market and Industry Analysis

International Trade Association - Research by Industry
Industry reports and insights from the International Trade Administration. Includes featured trade events in domestic and international locales.

Mintel Academic Access This link opens in a new window
Provides market research data and reports, including trends in global consumer markets. Focused on US and European marketplaces.
Search reports, industry trends, expert insights, and national & international news to analyze market drivers, sizes & trends, market segmentation, and consumer attitudes & purchasing habits for the United States and European marketplaces. Filter searches by global regions, trend drivers (experiences, identity, rights, etc.), demographics (ex. age range / generation, marital status), or category (health & nutrition, retail & apparel, travel, leisure & entertainment, and more). Each report combines data and analysis of the competitive landscape, supply chain, market-share size and trends, and consumer profiles.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Provides statistics, industry and market research reports, and data for over 170 industries and 50 countries.
At statista.com, access statistical data for more than 170 industries from over 80,000 topics in areas such as business, education, finance, media, politics, society, and technology. Statista gathers data from over 20,000 sources, including market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases, and the reports, charts, infographics, and statistics can be viewed online or downloaded.
globalEDGE This link opens in a new window
Find insights on international business by industry.
A knowledge web-portal that connects international business professionals worldwide to a wealth of information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities. Features include trade statistics, rankings of corporations by country/region, and indices for a range of factors such as Ease of Doing Business and Global Competitiveness. This platform was created by the International Business Center and the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University (IBC), and is partially funded by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI B grant (CIBE program).

International Trade Administration Market Intelligence
Articles, reports, and data on markets, agreements, and industries.