Accounting and Auditing Research and Databases: Practitioner's Desk Reference

Industry Research

After finding an industry code, read a few general overview articles or analyst reports on the industry in order to gain a big picture of the industry before going in-depth on a research topic in the industry. Try using industry and company databases or researching corporate news.

Among the common questions for an industry are identifying the leading companies in the industry, the market-leading products or services, the technologies that are impacting the industry, and the industry trends and areas of growth. Different databases will often provide different information on the various industries and companies.

Acquire general information about the industry and the companies within the industry, such as with Value Line Investment Surveys. These surveys evaluate the performance and economic outlook of industries and the major companies within them. The surveys are published weekly, tracking about 1,700 stocks in 90 industries.

For example, the Value Line website explains that “the Value Line Entertainment Industry is comprised of a set of diversified companies. They are mainly television network and station owners, and are typically involved in programming and production of content, including feature films. It is a constantly evolving group.” The industry surveys are available at Value Line's website. The company advertises itself as the “Gold Standard in Investment Research.”

Use websites that explain industry research, such as virtualpet.com. Such websites get ...