Skip to Main Content
George Mason University Infoguides | University Libraries
See Updates and FAQss for the latest library services updates.

Resources for Business and Economics Graduate Students

Research tools and resources for graduate students

Industry Research Resources

These databases provide extensive industry reports, and are a great place to start your industry research.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

NAICS was developed under the auspices of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and adopted in 1997 to replace the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.

Here's a helpful site from the Census Bureau- North American Industry Classification System: FAQ. The page answers frequently asked questions about NAICS codes, provides a NAICS code look-up search feature, and an email contact for further questions and help with identifying codes.

Need help understanding ratios? Here's a good article from Inc on Financial Ratios.

These are useful resources from Gale:


IndustryWeek 1000 is IW's exclusive annual ranking of the world's 1000 largest public manufacturers, based on revenue.  It also includes Industry 1000 lists back to 1999.

2017- IndustryWeek 1000 list

2016- IndustryWeek 1000 list

2015- IndustryWeek 1000 list

2014- IndustryWeek 1000 list

2013- IndustryWeek 1000 list

Market Research

Recommended resources:

Library of Congress has excellent research guides:

A Dictionary of Marketing (Reference eBook from Oxford Press) Provides "over 2,600 entries on topics spanning terms for traditional marketing techniques (from strategy, positioning, segmentation, and branding, to all aspects of marketing planning, research, and analysis), as well as leading marketing theories and concepts."

Brands and Their Companies From the Gale Directory Library, find the companies behind the brand.

Census Reporter-  An easy to quickly check local demographics

The following databases are recommended for doing market research:

Market share is sometimes included in industry profiles. Search the Libraries databases by entering a keyword that describes the industry or use the SIC Code.  

Use NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System) codes to find market size, develop lists of competitors, suppliers or customers, find industry ratios, and more.

Try these great resources-

In addition to the subscription databases below, see the Census & Demographic Data guide

  • Consumer Expenditure Survey
  • American Time Use Survey
  • American Factfinder Find popular facts (population, income, etc.) and frequently requested data about your community.
  • U.S. Census Foreign Trade Stats  is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States. If you're searching for import or export statistics, information on export regulations, commodity classifications, or a host of other trade related topics, this is the place to get the information you need.

 

American Consumer Satisfaction Index- The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) "is the only national cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction in the United States". Some free information- requires registering to receive PDFs.

Consumer Reports   provides "evidence-based product testing and ratings."

CRM (Customer relationship management) "Designed to serve leaders engaged in the development of customer-centric business initiatives & ventures."

Twice: This week in consumer electronics   "The business-trade newspaper for retailers of consumer electronics, computers, software, video, telephones, blank media & major appliances."

Consumer Complaint Database  From the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  (CFPB) is a U.S. governmental federal agency that regulates the offering and provision of consumer financial products or services, launched in 2011 as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection law. Fully searchable, this is a great resource for researching consumer interest in products.

Mintel Newsletter- Mason subscribes to Mintel, and it is a very popular and valuable resource. You may also consider the newsletter, which provides white papers, news, and data from a selection of the company’s fee-based collections and databases. These include insights on what consumers are buying, trends, demographic segments, and other consumer research topics.

New collection of eBooks from Richard K. Miller and Associates

- Business-to-Business Marketing 2018-2019  resources for B2B marketing
- Consumer Marketing 2018-2019  understanding the consumer
- Consumer Use Of The Internet & Mobile Web 2018-2019  Information on how consumers access information online
- International Consumer Markets 2018-2019  Research help for international markets
- Restaurant, Food & Beverage Market Research Handbook 2018-2019 everything related to the food industry
- Sports Marketing 2018-2019 A great handbook for sports marketing research