Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of over fifty databases on its homepage; see under Databases. For a complete list of Foster databases, see the List of All Business Databases. Access to these databases from off campus requires that you first go to the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. These resources may not be accessed from off campus except by those with a valid UW Net ID and password. For more information on Foster business databases, click Databases, A-Z. For information on which Foster business databases to use, see the Database Index. For information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, see Database Access. For guidelines on responsible database usage, see Database Usage.
• Gale Virtual Reference Library:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under List of All Business Databases.   The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research; go to Business for three major business sources:   the Encyclopedia of American Industries (4th ed., 2005), the Encyclopedia of Business and Finance (2001), and the Encyclopedia of Small Business (2nd ed., 2002).

• Gartner Research:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. The Gartner Research database provides in-depth analysis and market intelligence for the information technology industry. It covers the full range of products and technologies associated with computer hardware, software, communications products, financial services, electronic business, and healthcare application software worldwide. Ten industries are covered in depth:   banking, education, energy, government, healthcare providers, insurance, investment services, manufacturing, media, and retail. Access to this database, on campus or off, requires a valid UW Net ID.

• Hoovers Online:   Under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage. Hoovers Online offers information about 14,000 public and private companies worldwide, with links to company homepages and annual reports, charts, company capsule, competitors, divisions, earnings, financials, Fortune and Forbes rankings, history, industry information, insider trading, mission statements, news links, press releases, officers, patents, products, SEC filings, splits, subsidiaries, etc.

• Investext:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Investext contains indexing and the full text of company and industry research reports (for over fifty industries) prepared by leading Wall Street firms, as well as regional and international brokerage and financial firms. All reports are in PDF format. (This database is available widely on campus and may be accessed from home via the U.W. connectivity kit or via the Libraries' proxy server.)

• Kompass:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. Directory information for 1.6 million companies in 72 countries, with indexes for company products and services, containing 23 million product and service references, and 500,000 trademarks and brand names. (This database is available widely on campus and may be accessed from home via the U.W. connectivity kit or via the Libraries' proxy server.)

• Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe:   In this database, go to News, then to General News and do a keyword search for the industry of your choice, selecting the appropriate date range and type of publications for your search. For news from 29 industries, return to the Lexis-Nexis homepage (or from the left menu) and select Business. From the Business menu, select Industry to obtain news on any topic in one of 29 industries available from the Industry pulldown menu.

• MarketResearch.com Academic:   This database contains comprehensive full-text market research reports covering a broad range of markets, industries, and companies from reputable market intelligence sources such as Packaged Facts, Icon Group, and many others, for U.S. and global markets, covering over 2,000 industries and products. See the browse by industry menu, seven major industry categories, including service industries, consumer goods, food and beverage, heavy industry, life science, public sector, and technology and media.

• Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Databases. Full text for the following S&P publications:   Bond Guide; Corporation Records; Dividend Record; Earnings Guide; Industry Surveys; Mutual Fund Reports; The Outlook; Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives; Security Dealers of North America; Stock Guide; and Stock Reports.

Unlike library databases, Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources. For a subject index to web resources, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage.
• Alacra Industry Spotlights:   This Wiki site offers "reviews and commentary on the best web-based sources of industry specific content" for over sixty industries.

• Baker Library Industry Guides:   Excellent industry guides from the Harvard University Business School Baker Library on Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Computer Hardware & Components, Computer Software & Services, Consulting, Food & Grocery & Beverage & Tobacco, Healthcare, Investment Management & Investment Banking, Nonprofits, Governments & Education, Personal & Household Products, Publishing & Printing, Retail-Wholesale, Telecommunications & Communications, and Venture Capital & Private Equity.

• Micro/Industry Links:   This list, from the National Association for Business Economists, provides links to sources of industry data and statistics, for all U.S. industries, as well as for eleven major industry groupings, with data from the U.S. government and from trade and industry associations.

• Industry Information:   This U.S. government site, maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, provides useful information and links to information on 17 industries, including consumer goods, environmental technologies, tourism, technology and aerospace, and textiles and apparel. The orientation is towards international trade and imports and exports but the links to sources of information and statistics are well organized and extensive. See also their Trade and Economy, Data and Analysis site for extensive foreign trade data, for the nation, for states, and for metropolitan areas. The International Trade Administration for many years published U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook (the last edition, for 2000, is in the Foster Business Library reference collection); see their list of links for more information on the 54 industries in this reference book. The book itself is being replaced by a web edition sometime in 2003 or 2004.

• Ernst & Young--Industries:   This Ernst & Young site, while trying to sell their products and services, also provides some free information about seven industry sectors:   Energy/Chemicals/Utilities; Financial Services; Health Sciences; Industrial Products; Real Estate/Hospitality/Construction; Retail & Consumer Products; and Technology/Communications & Entertainment.

• Career Guide to Industries:   This U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics site, part of the online Occupational Outlook Handbook, offers career-oriented descriptions of more than forty industries, with information on the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training, earnings and outlook, as well as sources of additional information.

• Competia Express:   This site, provided free by a Montreal-based strategic planning and competitive intelligence firm, is an excellent source for industry links for over forty industries. For each industry, Competia provides annotated links to relevant industry associations, online magazines, company information, regulatory agencies, consultants, technical intelligence, and daily industry news.

• Industry Overviews:   These 35 industry overviews, provided free by the company IndustryPro, are in PDF format, drawn from the year 2000 edition of the U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook, a copy of which is in the Foster Business Library reference collection (noted in that section below). They are grouped under the heading Free Industry Overviews.

• Industry Profiles (Wetfeet.Com):   This job hunting site from Wetfeet.Com, offers profiles of 31 industries, with an industry overview, trends, industry organization, job prospects, what's great and what's to hate in the industry, from the viewpoint of a jobseeker, major companies in the industry, and example job descriptions and tips on how to get hired in the industry. There are also links to industry associations and a profile of an individual working in the industry. The amount of industry information makes up for annoying popups.

• Gary Price's List of Lists:   This site, developed by a librarian, is devoted to lists of the largest or top or leading companies or individuals in a wide variety of industries, culled from an enormous number of magazines.

• Business Full Coverage (Yahoo! Daily News):   Yahoo! Daily News for business includes Business Full Coverage webpages for four dozen important business topics of high interest, including many industries. These full coverage reports collect articles, webpages, and links to relevant organizations, audio, video, and recent news stories.

• Industries Statistics:   This U.S. Census Bureau site provides access to its wealth of statistical data on U.S. industries, including information from such sources as the Economic Census, the Census of Manufactures, the Census of Retail Trade, etc. See also the Bureau's links to various industry sectors including Construction, Foreign Trade, Governments, Manufacturing and Mining, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Services, and Transportation and Warehousing. See also the Bureau's Overview of the industry sectors that it covers. This site also offers offers, at the bottom of the page, an A to Z index, by subject, to a wider range of statistical data. There is a also a search feature at the bottom of the page.

• Trade associations:   Among the best sources for information about an industry are its trade associations. Often these trade associations are the only source or the best source of in-depth information on the current state, history, trends and statistics about an industry. To identify trade associations, go to Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys in the Foster Business Library reference collection (call number HC106.6 .S74) and look up the industry chapter. At the end of each industry chapter are Industry References including a section on Trade Associations, often with web site addresses.

• Washington State Labor Market Information:   This state office website offers a wealth of information about industries and employment in Washington including projections for industry growth for 1998 to 2003 and 2003 to 2008. Industry Profiles use "tables, figures and narratives to highlight the characteristics, employment changes and outlook for 34 major industries in Washington State. The profiles include wage distribution information and occupational staffing patterns." This site also includes data on the number of firms, employment and average salaries by industry by county, including King County.

The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in Foster, arranged by call number. Reference materials cannot be checked out; they may only be used in the library.
• Statistical abstract of the United States.
  Information about many industries as well as demographic information; check index for references to tables. The sources for each table are often a valuable source of additional information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA202 .U56 (Annual)

• World industry & market outlook.
  This large paperback provides data on over 120 world industries, in 45 major countries, with data on estimated sizes of establishments, employment, and sales, as well as local sales. This reference lacks an index.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC10 .W69 2007.

• U.S. market & industry outlook.
  This large paperback provides data on over 100 U.S. industries, and over 500 minor industries, on current and projected estimated sizes of establishments, employment, and sales, as well as sales per employee and per establishment. This reference lacks an index.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC101 .U56 2007.

• Encyclopedia of American industries.
  This heavy two-volume set provides essays on over 1,000 industries, with manufacturing industries largely in volume one and service and other non-manufacturing industries in volume two, arranged by Standard Industrial Code, with an index at the back of volume two.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC102 .E53 2005.

• Standard & Poor's industry surveys.
  This three-volume set provides 30-page profiles on 52 industries with a focus on the current economic environment, trends, regulation and outlook for each industry. Major companies in each industry are profiled, with references to sources of additional industry information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.6 .S74 (Quarterly)

• Industry studies.
  This excellent reference work provides essays, mostly by professors of economics, about 14 significant industries:  automobiles, beer, broilers, pharmaceuticals, steel, airline service, retail commercial banking, casino gambling, electric power, health insurance, motion pictures, nursing homes, microcomputer platforms, and telecommunications.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.8 .I53 2002.

• Business: the ultimate resource.
  This 2,200-page single volume is "designed to offer a wide range of insights, information, and practical guidance on every aspect of management" via 2.5 million words of text from 200 contributors, with 700 illustrations and 150 maps, in seven major sections including best practice, a management library, business thinkers and management giants, a business dictionary, a world business almanac, and a guide to business sources. See the brief three- to four-page Industry Profiles, for two dozen industries, on pages 1824 to 1896, usually covering companies in the industry, structure, markets, new products, future prospects, technology, and the impact of the internet.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD38.15 .B878 2002.

• Encyclopedia of global industries.
  Twelve-page descriptions of 125 global industries, with background and development information, current conditions, industry leaders and further reading.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2324 .E53 2003.

• Encyclopedia of emerging industries.
  Five page descriptions of over 100 new industries, with an industry snapshot, organization and structure, background and development, pioneers in the field, current conditions, industry leaders and references to further reading.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2324 .E528 2001.

• International directory of company histories.
  Studying the history of leading companies in an industry is a good way to learn more about the history of an industry. This 30+ volume set covers over 3,700 company histories worldwide, with each history running just two to four pages; check the company index in the latest volume to locate a specific company history or update as well as any other references to that company in other company histories. There is also an index by industry.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2721 .I57

• Marketing guidebook.
  Supermarket industry and distribution information, arranged by market region, with demographics.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD9321.3 .P75 (Annual)

• Manufacturing worldwide: industry analyses, statistics, products, and leading companies and countries.
  Comprehensive guide to manufacturing industries in 190 countries, with analyses of government statistics and details on industry activity in 37 ISIC categories and with coverage of more than 500 products. Food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, apparel, footwear, chemicals, drugs, petroleum, machinery and electronic equipment are included.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD9720.1 .M33 1999.

• Manufacturing & distribution U.S.A.: industry analyses, statistics, and leading companies.
  This large three-volume set is a guide to manufacturers and distributors in the U.S., in the manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sectors, with data from a variety of governmental and other sources.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER:  HD9721 .M3495 2004.

• Service industries USA: industry analyses, statistics, and leading organizations.
  Comprehensive guide to 151 service industries, with analyses of government statistics and details on industry activity in 370 metropolitan areas. SIC code coverage is from 7011 through 8999.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD9981.3 .S47 1999.

• Transportation and public utilities USA: industry analyses, statistics, and leading companies.
  Comprehensive guide to 124 industries, with analyses of government statistics and details on industry activity in 370 metropolitan areas. SIC code coverage is from 4000 through 4970.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HE203 .T7235 1998.

• Plunkett's almanacs.
  These almanacs offer information about major industry trends, industry statistics, industry information, major companies in the industry, with indexes by state, country, region, etc. The major part of each almanac provides one-page profiles of companies in the industry, with directory information, growth plans and special features, contacts, brief financials, brief salary and benefits data, and women officer-director and advancement information. Unfortunately, these almanacs lack a general index.
  For a complete list of these almanacs, with call numbers, click here.

• Business Week industry outlook.
  Each year, usually in mid-January, Business Week magazine offers its Special Report on the new year's Industry Outlook, with feature articles about major industries. The Industry Outlook for 2003 may be found in the January 13th issue, starting on page 94, followed by the outlook for Construction, Commercial Building, Energy, Autos, Defense & Aerospace, Metals & Machinery, Banking & Securities, Insurance, Software, Startups, Computers, Chips, Telecom, Consumer Electronics, Retail, Transportation, Media, Advertising, Travel, Professional Services, Drugs, Biotechnology, and Health Care.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF 5001 .B89 2003.
  (The content of issues of Business Week is also available online in ABI/Inform Global.)

• Market share reporter.
  Annual two-volume compilation of U.S. and world market share data for companies, products and services, arranged by SIC code, and with indexes by product, company and topic.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5410 .M35 2005.

• U.S. market trends & forecasts.
  This large volume provides an overview and projections for 400 significant industries and their component products or services, arranged alphabetically by industry name. For each product or service, there is a brief indication of the value of the U.S. market in 1998 and the compound U.S. market growth rate from 1993 to 1998 as well as a graph depicting market value in dollars and the growth rate. There is also a brief analysis of the market sectors for the product or service and a description of the market segmentation by volume for 1997, plus U.S. market share and market forecast information.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.1 .U8 2001.

• Wholesale and retail trade USA: industry analyses, statistics, and leading organizations.
  Comprehensive guide to 69 wholesale and 64 retail industries, with analyses of government statistics and details on industry activity in 370 metropolitan areas. SIC code coverage is from 5012 through 5199 (wholesale) and from 5200 through 5999 (retail).
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5421 .W497 1999.

• RMA annual statement studies.
  Norms and ratios for many industries and sizes of business, itemized by asset size, and categorized by four digit SIC code.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .B2 .R6 (Annual)

• Industry norms and key business ratios.
  Key business ratios for 800 S.I.C industry categories, a publication of Dun & Bradstreet.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681 .R25 .I525 (Annual)

• Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios.
  This annual publication, edited by Leo Troy, offers a different take on ratios than the title above. The arrangement of industries is by SIC code.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5681. R25. .T68 (Annual)

• Business rankings annual.
  This annual volume provides 5,000 rankings of companies, products, services and business activities, with data culled from thousands of sources.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4050 .B88 2004.

• Mergent's industry review.
  Statistical data on 3,000 companies in 137 industries, with ranking, key financial information, operating data and ratios.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4961 .M68 (Quarterly)

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of over 70,000 books on all business topics. To search for materials on all three campuses of the University of Washington, go to the UW Libraries Catalog, in the upper left corner of the Foster Business Library homepage. Search by keyword, title, author, series, etc.

To limit the results of your search just to materials in the Foster Business Library collection, use the Modify or Limit options at the top of the search results and change the library location to Foster Business Library. Availablity is indicated on the right of each online catalog record. First, note in which collection, within Foster, your materials are in, since the library has ten different Collections, each in a different location and often with differing arrangements. "Available" indicates that the book should be on the shelves under that call number and available for you to check out. "Due" and a date indicates that the book is already checked out to someone and is due back on the date indicated; you can have the "Request/Place Hold" feature to recall the book for your use.

If the material you want is not in the collections of the University of Washington, you can use the "Search Summit" feature to repeat your search in the combined holdings of over thirty cooperating libraries in Washington and Oregon. Use the "Request This Item" feature in Summit to have books in those library sent here to Foster for you to check out.

The Foster general stacks collection is located south of the main part of the Foster Business Library, through the two pass-throughs into the basement of Balmer. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

As an example for one industry, a search for the subject Biotechnology Industries retrieved over 160 records in the UW Libraries, with over 40 records are in the Foster Business Libraries' collections, including:

• Biotech industry: a global, economic, and financing overview   (2004)
• The biotech investor: how to profit from the coming boom in biotechnology   (2003)
• Building global biobrands: taking biotechnology to market   (2003)
• Hungry corporations: transnational biotech companies colonise the food chain   (2003)
• Leading biotechnology alliances: right from the start   (2001)
• International strategy and market performance in new biotechnology firms   (1999)

The collection includes books on many other industries, including these examples:

• Deregulation and competition: lessons from the airline industry   (2007)
• The sustainability of air transportation: a quantitative analysis and assessment   (2007)

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of several thousand annual reports for hundreds of U.S. and foreign companies. These reports are filed in lateral filing cabinets near the Foster Reference desk under the sign Corporate Annual Reports. Annual reports for companies in an industry can be a valuable source of information about the industry itself. For a list of all the companies in the collection, see the library's Corporate Annual Reports Collection. For an index to corporate annual reports in the collection by industry sector, see the Annual Reports Industry Sector Index. For an index to companies in the collection with headquarters outside the U.S., see Corporate Annual Reports Headquarters Index.

Foster Business Library Articles:

In addition to the 800 journals in the Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection, the Foster Business Library offers access to over 100 million full text articles in over 10,000 periodicals through its full text article databases such as EBSCO Business Source Premier, Factiva, LexisNexis Academic, and ProQuest Databases. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Databases.

All four of these databases are available from any computer on the campus network as well as from home (via the UW Connectivity Kit or the Libraries' Off-Campus Access link, using your UW Net ID and password). The easiest of these databases to use is ProQuest Databases. For more information about accessing Foster Business Library databases from off campus, see Database Access. For more information about business databases, see the research guide entitled Databases, A to Z.

• ProQuest Databases:

  This database--actually, a family of over two dozen databases--offers full text articles for over 10,000 publications, including scholarly journals, magazines, trade and industry periodicals, newspapers, and reports on a very wide range of topics. To find articles on specific topics, search by word or phrase by keying your search phrase into the search box--or search for your topic in the Topic Guide. Article full text is often available in several formats, including text, text plus graphics, and PDF. This database also offers a very useful subject structure, to narrow search results, as well as article citation information.

  Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article. For tips on searching this database, see About ProQuest Databases.

  As an example, a subject search for SUB(Biotechnology Industry) produced over 7,000 articles, including over 270 articles in scholarly journals, over 300 magazine articles, over 3,000 articles in trade and industry periodicals, and over 1,400 newspaper articles (including over 130 articles in the New York Times).

  Examples of articles, from the searches above, include:

  • "A Period Study of Short-Term Performance Pressures: Case of the British Biotechnology Industry"   (The Business Review, Cambridge. Hollywood: Summer 2006. Vol. 5, Iss. 2;  pg. 327, 6 pgs)
  • "Profitless prosperity; Pharmaceuticals"   (The Economist. London: Apr 22, 2006. Vol. 379, Iss. 8474;  pg. 76)
  • "Biotech's Boon Or Bane?"   (Business Week. New York: Apr 10, 2006. , Iss. 3979;  pg. 52)
  • "Advanced Technology Incubators: Growing Biotechnology Startups"   (St. Louis Commerce Magazine. St. Louis: Apr 01, 2006.  pg. 62)
  • "A Cancer Treatment You Can't Get Here"   (Business Week. New York: Mar 6, 2006. , Iss. 3974;  pg. 88)
  • "New Drugs For Cancer Could Soon Flood Market"   (New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Jun 5, 2006.  pg. C.1)

The Foster Business Library Reference Desk is staffed nearly all the hours that the library is open. The staff at the desk will be happy to help you find research tools on any business subject. For e-mail questions, direct your query to balib@u.washington.edu. For assistance by telephone, dial (206) 543-8012 during library hours.

See also the Foster Business Library's Business & Economics FAQ, and, in particular, the section for Company and Industry.

For research guides on a wide variety of industries, products, companies, issues and topics, see the Team Librarian Consultation archives.

• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by industry)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by title of assignment)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by class or program)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by academic quarter)
• Index to all Team Consultations and Research Guides

See also the list of industry-specific research guides prepared by other libraries:   Industry Research Guides.