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Company & Industry Information

A University of Lethbridge Library guide to finding Company & Industry information.

Commercial Services

There are several commercial services which provide analysis of industry; some cover all industries and some a sub-set of all industries.

Industry & Trade Associations

Entertainment Industry Data

This can be a bit of a different thing to find, so here are some places to get started:

Industry Classification Codes

Industrial classification systems classify economic activities in countries and regions. There are several different classification systems applied to industries and products, and different information sources will use different classification systems to define industries and compile statistics about it.

In North America, the most common systems are Standard Industrial Classification, which has a US version and a Canadian version, and North American Industrial Classification System which also has some variations for Canadian application. In Canada and the US, the NAICS has succeeded the SIC, but the SIC is in use in other countries (for example, the UK)

Classification manuals provide a description of the industry/products for each classification number. This can be helpful in finding information in various sources that use the classification systems for compiling and publishing industry data. You can find industry classification manuals in the Library Catalogue by doing a Keyword search for industries and classification in the Subject field.

The Federal Reserve economist Alison Weingarden has created a crosswalk/conversion file to go between GICS and NAICS -- see https://sites.google.com/site/alisonweingarden/links/industries

Then the researcher can go from NAICS to ISIC. See for example – https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/concordances/concordances.html

It seems there are no conversion charts that go directly from GICS to ISIC, but use the above workaround.

Finding Industry Information

In this guide, we use the term "industry" in its broadest sense, to include the production or supply of all goods and services.

You may need industry information for a number of different purposes, such as: to develop a marketing strategy for a company, or a product; to gather competitive intelligence; or to evaluate investment opportunities. Some things you may want to know about an industry include its: current structure and performance, history, trends and forecasts, standards and technology, and key companies.

There are several challenges in finding industry information. For one, the definition of "industry" may vary across different information sources. As well, emerging industries may be difficult to research, and smaller industries may be reported as part of a larger industry group. You may also notice varying quality of information across sources (government, commercial, or individual providers). Finally, obtaining quality information can be prohibitively expensive.

University of Lethbridge Library subscribes to IBISWorld for quality, up-to-date industry information.

Industry Reports in ULethbridge Library

Finding Industry Information Online

Try looking for professional organizations related to the industry you are researching; many of them have great information. As well, some of the sites listed below may be helpful to you:

Government Sources