Depending on the industry, the amount of information available will vary, As you research, consider:
Industries are often identified using numeric codes - Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. NAICS codes are newer and are replacing the SIC system.
SIC and NAICS codes are very useful when researching industries in databases - many business databases allow you to search by the SIC and NAICS codes.
Websites that provide information on SIC and NAICS codes:
Business, management and trade journal articles, dissertations, market reports, industry reports, business cases and global and trade news. Coverage: 1971 – present.
Trade, industry-focused information from journal articles, market reports, industry reports and news. Coverage: 1971 – present.
The Business Market Research Collection provides company, industry, and geopolitical macroeconomic market research from three sources: Hoover's Company Profiles, which offers information on 40,000 global public and non-public companies including location, summary financials, competitors, officers, and more; OxResearch, which features succinct articles covering significant economic and political developments of major significance from a network of over 1,000 faculty at Oxford and beyond; and, Snapshots Series, which includes market research overviews on over 40 industries and 40 countries to 2008. Coverage: 1986 – present.
Scholarly/peer reviewed journal, magazine, and newspaper articles for all business subjects, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Includes full-text for 3,000+ and indexing for 4,000+ titles. Also includes financial data, books, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more. Coverage: as early as 1965.