We have a trial to Plunkett Research Online or PRO. I have attached information on the product.
It will run until 12/16/09 and is available on campus only.
Login URL: http://www.plunkettresearch.com/login.aspx
Plunkett Research Online provides industry analysis on 33 different industry sectors, including manufacturing.
Comments are appreciated. I am looking both for information on whether this fills a gap in our collection as well as its ease of use.
Plunkett does an excellent job of aggregating statistical information from a multitude of sources (both governmental and non-governmental) for industries. This source would save students/researchers much time usually spent going to a multitude of sources for this information. It’s also as up to date as one can access. I also like the list of companies in the industries with their revenues, addresses, employees easily comparable in table format. The number of companies surpasses Hoover’s coverage. Industry information is often requested at the reference desk. Plunkett does seem to fill a hole in the collection by providing easy access to industry statistics and industry trends, covered in quite a bit of detail here. Interesting that the database seems to be geared toward people looking for work in certain industries. Certainly helpful for building reports that students can contact for possible employment, in addition to providing excellent statistical, and trend information for the covered industries.