Information about the Industry Environment, including Driving Forces and Strategic Groups will often be found in industry profiles. Additional information may be gleaned from newspaper, magazine, and trade journal publications.

Finding Industry Profiles

Industry profiles can be found in a number of research databases:

Information on driving forces is often contained in the text and analysis of an industry report. IBISWorld industry reports often explicitly report on key drivers of the industry in the Industry at a Glance and Industry Performance sections. First Research industry profiles feature an industry driver section.

Newspaper, magazine, and trade publications may also offer some hints about the driving forces in the industry. Search Business Source Complete for news articles about your industry. To search Business Source Complete for articles about your industry, select "IC NAICS Code or Description" in the search drop-down box. Use the limiters at the top of the page to find newspaper, magazine, or trade publications discussing your industry.

Industry reports usually list a set of Major Companies or Industry Leaders, which can be a good starting point for understanding the strategic groups in the industry. IBISWorld industry reports also have discussion of the Competitive Landscape of the industry, which may help with analyzing strategic groups or in strategic group mapping.