NAICS and SIC codes are important elements of industry research. Finding your industry's NAICS and SIC codes is a good starting point for your research, and will help you find materials in other resources as well. Many sources provide industry information based on these codes. Also, most directories that index companies by industry use SIC and/or NAICS codes.
SIC codes are 4-digits long, and are being largely phased out in favor of the NAICS codes- but are still used by some government agencies.
NAICS codesare 6-digits and classify industries according to type of economic activity (process of production) in Mexico, Canada, and the US. This allows for easier comparability across companies within the same industry.
Other Industry Information
Associations Associations can be useful sources of information from organizations involved in a business or activity. Many associations do research on their industry, and some provide that on their website often listed under "Research" or "Publications". To find an association try searching Google:
[keyword] association OR society (OR must be in upper case)
Free service allows users to review an annual report in an easy and convenient manner.
Allows search by industry.
Industry Ratios
Yahoo! Finance Locate an industry by company, or browse all industries from a list. Click on "View Industry Browser" to see sector and industry averages, plus performances by individual companies.
Factiva Search for a company in the Company/Markets tab, then select Reports - Ratio Comparison Report
Classifies U.S. economy into 52 industries, with detailed essays on each. Includes statistics on major companies in each industry. Includes index by named company.
Standard and Poor's 500 Guide, 2012 Edition by Standard & Poor's
A comprehensive and practical collection of data that reflects the nation’s economic performance. It provides over 80 years of annual data in regional, demographic and industrial detail for key indicators.
Industry & Company Reports - Industry Bibliography and Overview
Provides access to Industry Reports—full-text, fully searchable U.S. industry analyses, covering over 790 industries at the 5-digit NAICS level.
Search or browse by industry (by NAICS code number classifications), or search by keyword or company name. Updates range from quarterly to annual. UCSB's subscription also includes access to the U.S. Specialized Industry Reports; Industry Data Wizard; State Industry Reports; and the U.S. Business Environment Profiles (these are found under the tab "Industry Risk Ratings").
Materials Indexed: Business Data, Factual Information, Reports, Statistics
The index and full-text of trade and scholarly publications in business, economics, and related fields. Search your business or industry, or search the NAICS code.
Always look at the options in the column on the left, for example:
SWOT Analysis (Strength Weaknesses Opportunities Threats)
Industry profiles
Market research reports
Also try searching these terms with the company or industry term:
Product reviews
interview
ethic* or sustainab*
trends or overview
innovation* or technolog* or environment*
marketing or accounting or law/legal or public relations
statistics
Provides access to global news and business information from nearly 9,000 sources, including U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, wire services, websites, photographs, and trade and industry publications.
Also provides company information including market data, competitors, company profiles, financial comparisons, stock price data, and stock charting. Includes full-text of the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. (Use the Companies/Markets tab)
To search an industry, click on the Business option under "Discover Topics". Then choose the Company Dossier option.
Next, click on the Industry tab. Here you can search by keyword, or you can search by SIC code. This search will provide you with an Industry Overview, Recent News, Industry Reports (if available), top companies by sales, ratios, and merger information.
In addition to the industry search described above, Nexis Uni is also a vast aggregator of news and other business information. Full-text resources are available from thousands of US and international newspapers, as well as magazines, industry and trade journals, SEC filings, and company directories.
Standard and Poor's 500 Guide, 2012 Edition by 