How do I find a complete 5 Forces industry analysis?

Answer

What are the 5 Forces?

Michael Porter's 5 Competitive Forces is a framework for assessing the competitive environment within a given industry. The strength of these factors - the threat of new entrants; the bargaining power of customers; the threat of substitute products or services; the bargaining power of suppliers; and the battle of industry players for position among current competitors - determine profitability and inform strategic planning.

 

How do I find this information?

5 Forces analyses may be found within industry reports in a database called Business Source Complete. To navigate to this resource, go to the Library's homepage, and click the Databases tab, located in the main search area.

Click the letter B, then click the link to Business Source Complete on the next page.

 

Library search box with Databases tab selected and letter B highlighted among the A to Z list

 

The Industry Profile reports that contain 5 Forces analysis are titled in a consistent format e.g., Industry Profile: Biotechnology in the United States

Therefore, an efficient way to locate these reports is to change the search term parameter from "Select a Field" to "Title" and enter the term industry profile in the first keyword field, the country in the next field, and the industry in the last field as shown below.

 

Ebsco search box with all three keyword fields changed to Title. Terms entered in each box: industry profile, then united states, then biotechnology

You can also change the parameter to IC NAICS CODE and search the NAISC code number as shown here, however we suggest the prior method because this strategy may yield incomplete results.

 

Ebsco search box same as before but the third keyword box type was changed to IC NAICS Code and 541711 was entered as the search term

The most recent Industry Profile is usually at the top of the search results. Check the date to be sure, then click the PDF Full Text button to open the report.

 

A result entitled MarketLine Industry Profile: Biotechnology in United States, with the publish date of Dec2019 found below the title, and PDF full text button under all title information

 

Note: Depending on your browser, Ebsco may open the PDF displaying full text wihtin a frame in the next window or you may only see a gray screen without text. If this happens, the PDF is in your Downloads listed as "ContentServer.asp."

Search the Table of Contents for "Five Forces Analysis." This usually starts on page 12 or so. Here is a sample of what you will find:

 

Example showing a graphic representation of the five forces and an industry summary in text below

 

Need to find the data to build your own 5 Forces analysis? See Where can I find industry information to build a 5 Forces analysis?

 

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  • Last Updated Apr 14, 2022
  • Views 51
  • Answered By Matt Young

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