Business information
Encyclopedia
Business information is one of the three main segments of the information industry
. The other two segments are scientific, technical and medical (“STM”) and educational and training content.
The business information industry is presently estimated to be a more than $358 billion market, according to industry analysts Outsell, Inc. Where much of the content industry
revenues are advertising-driven, the business information segment remains largely driven by paid content
, either via subscription or transaction (pay-per-view).
The primary forms of business information include:
The primary business information formats can be divided into the following categories:
While Wall Street's thirst for information traditionally drove the business information market, its use is much more widespread today. In addition to the financial markets, business information is used heavily for sales and marketing, competitive intelligence
, strategic planning
, human resources
and many other strategic business functions.
Today, there are more than 200 providers of business information. While the Internet has made it easier for business information publishers to deliver content directly to their users, there remains a strong market for aggregators of such content which package and customize business information.
Information industry
The information industry or information industries are industries that are information intensive in one way or the other. It is considered one of the most important economic sectors for a variety of reasons....
. The other two segments are scientific, technical and medical (“STM”) and educational and training content.
The business information industry is presently estimated to be a more than $358 billion market, according to industry analysts Outsell, Inc. Where much of the content industry
Content industry
The content industry is an umbrella term that encompasses companies owning and providing mass media and media metadata. This can include music and movies, text publications of any kind, ownership of standards, geographic data, and metadata about all and any of the above.In the Information Age, the...
revenues are advertising-driven, the business information segment remains largely driven by paid content
Paid content
Paid content is the non-free electronic commerce of digital content and information goods in digital media. Examples of digital media are, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web or mobile media...
, either via subscription or transaction (pay-per-view).
The primary forms of business information include:
- News
- Market researchMarket researchMarket research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
- Credit and financial information
- Company and executive profiles
- Industry, country and economic analysis
- IT research
The primary business information formats can be divided into the following categories:
- Basic reference sources such as guides, bibliographies, dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, yearbooks and internet resources
- Directories
- Periodicals and newspapers
- Loose-leaf services
- Government information and services
- Statistics
- Electronic business information
While Wall Street's thirst for information traditionally drove the business information market, its use is much more widespread today. In addition to the financial markets, business information is used heavily for sales and marketing, competitive intelligence
Competitive intelligence
A broad definition of competitive intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization.Key...
, strategic planning
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
, human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and many other strategic business functions.
Today, there are more than 200 providers of business information. While the Internet has made it easier for business information publishers to deliver content directly to their users, there remains a strong market for aggregators of such content which package and customize business information.