NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System) or SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) are systems of classification that organize all industries by specific numbers. Identify the exact codes of the industry you are researching & use them to search in databases to find companies & competitors.
Use the search box on the library's website to find books and videos on major industries such as pharmaceuticals or large companies such as Wal-Mart and MacDonalds.
DATABASES
(Best viewed in Firefox or Google Chrome)
Most of these databases may also be accessed off campus unless indicated otherwise: input your BU Username and Password if off-campus.
Business Market Research Collection (Formerly Hoover's) (ProQuest)
Global company profiles; competitors, financials, etc.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
Company Profiles are in the "More" tab (top); profiles have company reports with competitors, SWOT analyses etc. Search results will suggest Industry Reports etc. (left). Tip: Find best subject terms to search under "Thesaurus". Also includes newspaper & scholarly journal articles.
CANSIM (Statistics Canada)
Canadian statistical data including historical industry information, etc.; easiest to search by category to find data tables which you can manipulate to create different display formats such as pie-charts.
Entrepreneurial Studies Source (EBSCO)
Provides full text of approx.125 periodicals, 135 reference books, case studies, company profiles and videos with transcripts and related articles from the Harvard Faculty Seminar Series and Vator.TV, one of the world's largest social network sites for high-tech entrepreneurs.
Find industry market research, including Canadian content; data on market share, financial ratios, supply chain, key players, industry outlooks and operating conditions.
International Directory of Company Histories
Detailed chapters on over 11,000 global companies. Includes acquisitions & mergers, sales & marketing campaigns and effectiveness of executive leadership.
Mergent Online (On-campus access only)
Global company profiles; competitors, detailed financial & historical info., news etc.; related industrial reports for Canada & the US. Financial or competitor reports can be created & exported to Excel.
Statista (On or off campus)
Statista integrates statistical data from over 80,000 topics in areas such as business, education, finance, media, politics, society, and technology. Downloadable files in Excel, PDF, PNG, PowerPoint, or embedded in web pages.
WEBSITES
(See also Journal & News Articles tab above for more resources)
Includes historical information on Canadian industries.
Public securities documents from the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission.
Encyclopedia of American Industries
Brief descriptions of industries arranged by SIC codes.
iCRIQ : Quebec manufacturers and wholesalers
30,000 Quebec company profiles; search by products and services; company name, or trademarks.
Industry Canada: Canadian Industry Statistics
Industry data with analysis: no. of establishments, GDP & labour productivity for industry sectors.
Industry Canada: Financial Performance Data (formerly called SME Benchmarking Tool)
Provides detailed financial and employment data on more than 600 business sectors across Canada; find more than 30 performance benchmarks such as number of employees, inventory, wages and rental costs to help small businesses determine how they measure up against their competitors.
Public securities documents from Canadian Securities Administrators.
U.S. Census Bureau: Business and Economy
Economic statistics by industry sector & geography.
Industry index with market performance updated daily.
In the Reference Room:
HD 2328 .H36 Ref.
Handbook of industry profiles
HD 9720.5 .E53 2008 Ref.
Encyclopedia of products & industries: manufacturing
HF 5410 .M235 Ref.
Market share reporter
HD 62.7 .E63 2007 Ref.
The Rauch guide to the U.S. and Canadian pulp and paper industry
HF 5681 .R25 A45 Ref.
Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios
