MGT 499 (Prof. Jiang) Final Project Research Guide

• Industry Structure: In-depth industry analysis reports are often behind the paywall. Library provides access to First Research Industry Profile from Mergent Archive database and MarketLine Industry Report from Business Source Complete. Industry associations and consulting agencies would also provide industry-level analysis that can be found via an online search. In Form 10-K (Item 1 "Business"; Item 7 MD&A), the company often discusses the competitive environment in the industry and how the company handles competition.
• Direct Competitors: The company may identify some of its direct competitors in its Form 10-K (Item 1 "Business"; Item 7 MD&A), Mergent Online provides competitor information based on broad industry classifications. The First Research Industry Profile provides the competitors at a global scale.
• Strategic Challenges: For industry-level challenges, you can refer to the industry profiles from MarketLine and First Research. For company-level challenges, you can refer to MarketLine SWOT analysis, 10-K Form Item 7 MD&A, and search for news and magazine articles.

To find First Research Industry Profile, conduct Keyword searches at the public website of First Research Industry Profile, and retrieve the NAICS industry code of the report. Navigate Mergent Archive->D&B Manuals--> First Research, and copy/paste the NAICS code from the website. Scroll to the right and see the PDF document for downloading. The Industry Report follows the following structure:

• Industry Overview
  • Competitive Landscape (competitive advantages)
  • Products, Operations & Technology
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Finance & Regulation
  • International Insights
• Quarterly Industry Update
• Industry Indicators
• Industry Forecast
• Industry Drivers
• Critical Issues
• Business Challenges
• Business Trends
• Industry Opportunities
• Executive Insight
• Call Prep Questions
• Financial Information
  • Company Benchmark Trends (Quick ratio, working capital turnover etc.)
  • Company Benchmark Information (income statement, balance sheet, financial ratios)
• Industry Website

Search the company's name in the search box, use the filter functions in the left column to

1) limit to full-text

2) change the time period to recent 2-3 years

3) change Source Types to Industry Profile (or to SWOT analysis)

4) select Publisher -> MarketLine

If it is difficult to find the MarketLine Report, you can consult the excel file with the full list of the Business Source Complete industry report below.