Publishing Your Schools Engagement Experiences as a Report
Original article by Michael R. Lewis for Wikihow – https://m.wikihow.com/Write-an-Industry-Analysis-Report
An industry analysis report is a document that evaluates a given industry and the companies involved in it. Often included as part of a business plan, an industry analysis report seeks to establish how your company can gain an advantage in an industry by understanding the industry’s history, trends, competitors, products, and customer bases. In addition, this type of report allows investors, bankers, customers to understand the makeup of an industry. After conducting research and establishing an organizational framework for your report, you’ll be prepared to write.
1
Begin your report with a broad description of the industry. Open with a paragraph about the industry’s history. Write one or two paragraphs about the size, products, and geographic scope of the industry, including both manufacturing centers and consumer centers. Next, introduce your own company’s position within the larger industry context, and foreground how industry trends make the implementation of your business proposal desirable.
Determine what lifecycle stage the industry is in. Is it:[5]
- Emerging? (very new industry growing at less than 5% per year)
- Growing? (a state of steady growth a bit over 5% per year)
- Shaking out? (a state in which companies are merging or consolidating, and/or other companies are failing)
- Maturing? (growth is slowing to less than 5% per year)
- Declining? (a state in which there has been no growth for a prolonged period)
2
Provide a market analysis. Indicate expected growth in the industry, trends in products and technology, and factors influencing competition. Describe the competitive landscape in a general way. The rest of the business plan will elaborate on the state of the competition.
Healthy industries are high-growth and generally profitable, with a stable customer base and few barriers to entry. Industries that should be avoided are those that are declining, generally unprofitable, highly competitive and regulated, or difficult to enter.
3
Describe customers’ outlook and demographic info. The analysis should describe who the major customer groups are and the unique properties of each. What is the age of your target customer? What is their race and ethnicity? Their needs and wants?
Put yourself in the customer’s place. Think about what they see and experience when they first hear about or encounter your product or service. Consider how they think about their choices.
In addition to considering your current customer base, think about how you can expand your product or service to attract new customers or pull customers away from your competitors.
4
Use the analysis to prescribe a strategy for the near future. Lay the strategy out in greater detail in the rest of your business proposal. Include a detailed timeline and specific goals, like revenues and market share, that you hope to attain. Address marketing strategies, product development ideas, and workforce issues which could position your company for growth within the industry.
You could close with a call to action. A statement like “Given the current state of the market, it is advisable to implement the following business proposal” followed by a rough outline of your proposal can function as a smooth transition into the rest of the plan.
5
Edit the report. Pare the report down to an appropriate and manageable size. An industry analysis report typically runs two to three pages. Tweak the length of your report based on how it will be presented. If it is part of a business plan, it is better to keep the analysis short and to the point. If your report will be presented independently, you have more freedom to devote lots of space to raw data and detailed descriptions.