1. Understand the structure of the industry. Suggested resources IBISWorld, Mergent Online, Industries at a Glance.
2. Build a base of understanding about trends, competitive environment, market forces, and hot-button issues. Suggested resources IBISWorld and Mergent Online.
3. Identify professional associations and mine their web sites for regulatory issues, legal matters, and (sometimes) marketing data. Potentially one of the richest sources of insider understanding. Suggested Resources Google, IbisWorld
4. Skim, scan, absorb issues using articles from scholarly journals, trade journals, and news articles in Business Source Premier, ABI/Inform, or Library's "OneSearch" box
5. Research government regulatory agencies and statistics using NAICS codes.
6. Research "major players" in the industry: Read SWOT analyses in Business Source Premier and IBIS World to find strengths and weaknesses about a model company in your industry.