Skip to Content

Industry and market analysis


Checklist of publication types

Researching an industry or market for a product or service involves looking at a variety of information sources. You need a variety of sources to give a balanced view and also to give a more complete explanation of the industry. This checklist is not in any particular order, and you might find further categories to add to it.

Make yourself a worksheet to list the sources you might think you'll use and others you find along the way. Then list as many keywords and phrases that describe the information you are trying to find.

You could also make a "wishlist" of information that you'd like. For example;
How many people aged 65 and over are there in Boroondara, and how does this compare to the national percentage? (Source ABS Census)
What was the global volume of sales of low/no alcohol beer for 2008 and how does this compare to the total sales of regular strength beer (Source Passport GMID)
What is the market share for "Twisties" as part of the extruded snack segment of the Snack Food Manufacturing Industry in Australia (Source IBISWorld Industry Reports)

1. Newspaper and business press articles

Everyday, articles about industries, markets, consumer behaviour and the economy are written and published in all sorts of news sources, both online and in print, formal (such as newpapers) and informal (such as blogs). So this is a rich source for you to search for industry information.
Factiva is a database that archives millions of press articles from thousands of reputable sources, and you can search by keywords, industry categories and company names. See also the Newspapers and Current Events subject guide.

2. Trade and Industry Publications

Industry and trade associations can be a very useful source of information when researching an industry. Publications from trade and industry associations are indexed specifically in databases such as Business & Industry, Business Source Complete and Factiva.

Consult the Directory of Australian Associations to find out if the Industry you are researching has an association in Australia or to look for associations that are in your target market groups. For overseas industries, try the World directory of trade and business associations. London : Euromonitor, c2007, (Hawthorn) Reference 382 WOR-E5, or search the Internet for one.
Passport GMID can also be used to identify industry and trade associations.

 

3. Statistics

Some statistics on Australian industries and markets can be found from the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) see the Themes page and also the current Yearbook.
International statistics can be found in Passport GMID.
see also the Statistics Subject Starter Guide.

4. Company information

Company information is a key component of your research, see the Subject Starter Guide on Companies.

5. Industry and market overviews and swot analyses

Industry overviews are a ready made source of information. One example of a source of these are the IBISWorld Industry Reports. Swinburne subcribes to approximately 100 Australian industry reports through IBISWorld. The complete database of IBIS industry reports can be viewed (in person, no printing or downloading) at one of the Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development Business Centres.
Mergent Industry Reports (Click on the Enter Mergent Online button) You have access to the Industry Reports for North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.
PassportGMID also has industry overviews, list of Australian industries covered is here.
You can browse a list of Industry Profiles for different countries in Business Source Complete, also.
Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry
includes links to state based, industry based and bilateral business councils, and industry associations.
Australian Industry Group
represents employers in manufacturing, construction, automotive, telecommunications, IT, transport, labour hire and other industries

 

6.Government information

Government information is an important component of industry research. Try to think of the regulatory bodies that might be involved in helping or limiting your industry. There will be many different sources for government information, here are a few starting points below..

Government sites (Australian) see also Government Subject Starter Guide

ABARE Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries And Forestry - link to publications list
AusIndustry
Business in Victoria
The Productivity Commission
Australian Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources - Media and Publications - related links
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
AusTrade Industry and Country Information

Rankings and Ratios

  • Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
    Hawthorn Reference R 658.15 TRO-A39
  • Rankings and supplementsis a service produced by the McLennan staff at Melbourne Business School. It  tracks thousands of rankings and special supplements conducted by firms such as KPMG and Fortune, as well as advertising and survey agencies.

Author: Jane O'Donnell (jodonnell@swin.edu.au)