Business Case Competitions
Library Research Guide
Industry Reports
Industry reports can be a valuable source of information for a feasibility analysis or business plan. Reports typically present overviews of industry trends, industry revenue, and revenue projections in an easy to digest format. Though reports may cover an industry that is broader than the market you are researching (for example, Sporting Goods Stores instead of Bicycle Shops), they are still useful for understanding the environment in which a new company may be operating.
- IBISWorld
Paid for by K-State Libraries
K-State Libraries subscribes to IBISWorld US Industry Reports and US Specialized Industry Reports. The US Industry reports module covers 700 industries. Reports have statistics and analysis on market characteristics, operating conditions, current and forecast performance, major industry participants and more. The Specialized Industry Reports complement the Industry Reports module and can be useful when researching small or new industries.
- First Research Industry Profiles (available through ABI/INFORM)First Research provides industry profiles for over 1000 US industry segments. Profiles contain critical analysis, statistics and forecasts.
- Fitch Solutions Country Industry Reports (available through ABI/INFORM)Fitch covers 20 major industries for the US and other global markets.
MarketLine Industry Profiles
- Business Source PremierMarketLine company and industry profiles are available in Business Source Premier. Industry profiles include Porter's Five Forces Analyses. The Five Forces is a framework, developed by Michael Porter, for analyzing the forces that shape an industry.
Find MarketLine Industry Profiles in Business Source Premier.
- Enter MarketLine (one word) in the Ti Title field.
- Enter United States in the GE Geographic Terms. MarketLine also covers other countries.
- Enter the search terms for your industry in the TX All Text field.
- After running the search, use menu on left to limit by source type (industry profile) and date (last few years).
Tips for finding MarketLine Industry Profiles in Business Source Premier.
Technology Trends
- Gartner Technical ResearchPaid for by K-State ITS Office of the CIO
Gartner Technical Research provides access to over 1,900 Global Analysts and research, in which analysts are all Subject Matter Experts in their field (typically with 20+ years of experience), demonstrating how technology is being used in specific industries. Coverage includes research business strategy, new technology and how to use it, IT strategy, objective real-world examples, and emerging research and supporting data.
