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BUAD 293 Entrepreneurship

This guide will help you with the research project for this course

One of the first things to do is figure out your NAICS code.

The North American Industry Classification System was designed to provide common definitions of industries. Figuring out your NAICS code(s) can help you:

  • find government statistics about your industry
  • find information about your competitors
  • search in some business databases 

TIP: Many companies do not fit neatly into one category, and will use more than one code! Try several codes during your research

Step 1: Find your code

Step 2: Use your code to find government statistics about your industry!


Find an Industry Profile from a Library database to help you determine:

  • market overviews
  • industry forecasts and trends
  • market shares
  • leading companies

Find industry profiles by market research companies in these library databases: 

IBISWorld: Canadian Industry reports by NAICS

ABI/Inform: In your search results use the Document Type limiter on the left side of the page to pick "Industry Reports"

Business Source Complete: Limit search to "Industry Profile" or browse "Industry Profile" category

TIP: Search these databases for articles as well, using words that describe the industry and other terms that describe the type of information that you are looking for (examples: market research, statistics, etc.)


Organizations and associations

Business-related organizations and associations may publish information trelated to your research. Here are some examples of associations:

TIP:  Search for industry associations in Google- example: tourism associations Canada

Chamber of Commerce or Business Improvement Associations:

Industry/Trade associations:

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