Another step in researching a company is to find out information on your company's industry. The web sites below are the major sources of data on industries (both U.S. and international) including statistics, industry profiles, news and the industry codes.

Industry Codes (SIC/NAICS)

SIC and NAICS Codes are numerical codes assigned by the U.S. government to business establishments to identify the primary business in which they are engaged.

• Standard Industrial Classification Manual - The SIC Manual provides descriptions of 4-digit SIC codes for American industry that is assigned by the federal government. Search by keyword or view the table of contents. Many sources use this as an additional index to locate information.
• North American Industry Classification System - Developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide new comparability in statistics about business activity across North America, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is replacing the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.

General Industry Information and Guides

The U.S. Census Bureau's Economic Census profiles the US economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level. The latest is the 1997 Economic Census, which was released last year. The Economic Census provides information by NAICS for the U.S., states, counties, and metro areas. It also has data for the U.S. and states by SIC code. This is a great source of information for determining the size of an industry for a given area by the number of establishments, revenue, employees, and payroll. Here is a link to a Guide to the 97 Economic Census.

U. S. Census Bureau Industrial Reports provides information on industrial products by subject. Includes statistics on production, shipments, inventories, etc…

The Internet Public Library Business & Industry Ready Reference section has links to websites of interest for various industries.

Hoover's Industry Snapshots surveys over forty five industries. Historical information, current developments, financial data, and more are included. Each Snapshot may cover one or more industries or sectors.

Hoover's Sector Analyses has overviews of 28 sectors which encompass more than 300 industries. This site provides descriptions, analyses, news, industries, snapshots, and company lists.

The Fuld & Company Internet Intelligence Index is designed to help you gather competitive intelligence information. It contains links to over 600 intelligence-related Internet sites, covering everything from macro-economic data to individual patent and stock quote information.

STAT-USA is a web-accessible database that includes the national trade databank, various economic indicators, as well as import/export information. Choose the Globus & NTDB section to access market research reports for various countries and industries.

Other sources of industry information:

• News Alert - A comprehensive source for real-time industry and business news. News articles are divided by industry.
• Yahoo! Business to Business Section - Provides a listing of websites divided by industry category.
• Industry Research Desk - Has links to U.S. and international industry home pages in over 30 areas.
• Price's List of Lists - Contains links to hundreds of business lists covering dozens of sectors, industries and business categories.
• The Internet Public Library's Business & Economics Associations - A valuable source of information for particular industries and occupations, this site links to over 2,000 professional, trade, academic, and research organizations.