A thorough industrial analysis should cover all the factors, both internal and external, which impact an industry.
1. External Factors Affecting Industries
1.1. Macroeconomic Influence
a. The macroeconomic factors such as structural economic trends, stage of the business cycle, longer-term growth pattern, etc. are some of the most important features of industrial analysis.
b. Under the top-down approach, this is the first factor that is considered in making an industry’s analysis.
c. The macroeconomic influence can either make the industry ‘cyclical’ or ‘structural’.
d. The ‘cyclical’ industry is one, which is business cycle-related.
e. Whereas ‘structural’ influence brings permanent changes to the industry.
f. External factors such as GDP, interest rates, credit availability, and inflation have an impact on the industries. Following are the major impacts noted due to rise and fall in such factors:
Factors |
Rise |
Fall |
GDP |
Positive |
Negative |
Interest |
Negative |
Positive |
Availability of Credit |
Positive |
Negative |
Inflation |
Negative |
Positive |
1.2. Governmental Influence
The tax structure, the jurisdictional restrictions, the government’s attitude, regulations, etc. towards any particular industry are important factors that help in industry analysis.
1.3. Technological Influence
a. Some industries are hugely impacted by technological changes and some are less affected. The impact of technology on the industry must be analyzed while making the industry analysis.
b. During the lifecycle of the industry, new products may replace older products. The new products may also change the way other industries operate.
c. The technological changes may bring about new ways of organizing and producing in an industry.
1.4. Social Influence
a. The impact of social factors on the industry should also be reviewed during the industry analysis.
b. Social factors such as how people value work/ leisure, money, health, and wellness, etc. have a huge impact on the industry.
1.5. Demographic Influence
a. The impact of the demographic structure should also be analyzed.
b. The size, age distribution, and gender distribution of the industry location do affect its functioning and profitability.
c. A young and growing population brings positive influence for the growth, profits, and risk capacity of the industry. And vice-a-versa for a stable and aging
2. Internal Factors Affecting Industry
Some of the ‘within the industry’ external factors that affect the companies in the industry are:
2.1. Threats of New Entrants
The ease with which any new entrant can enter an industry impacts the level of competition within an industry. This depends, to a large extent on the restrictions or entry barriers within an industry. These must be analyzed necessarily for complete industry analysis.
2.2. Supplier’s Bargaining Power
The supplier’s bargaining power is affected by a number of industries buying supplier’s product, the number of supply substitutes, switching cost of supplier’s customers, industry, and customer’s ability to enter an industry.
2.3. Customer’s Bargaining Power
This is affected by the number of suppliers, the number of purchasers, their size/power, switching cost to the other supplier, the number of contracted suppliers, customer’s ability to produce the product themselves.
2.4. Product/Service Substitution Threat
It is the threat that a product might get substituted by another product.
There are other economic and industry factors such as a group of complementary industries etc. that must be analyzed for thorough industry analysis.
Apart from these ‘within the industry’ external factors, some other internal factors that affect the industries directly are:
2.5. Internal Competitive Forces
These are affected by the economies of scale, cost advantages, other brand loyalty, customer’s switching cost, product government regulation, industry’s competitive structure, corporate rivalries, cost conditions, entry and exit barriers, etc.
2.6. Life Cycle Analysis
A complete analysis of different stages of the life cycle of a company and industry such as embryonic, growth, shakeout, nature, declining, etc., should be made.
2.7. Business Cycle Sensitivity
The degree of cyclicality, whether an industry/company is leading, lagging, or coincident, and whether it is a defensive or growth industry, etc. must also be analyzed.
The analyst must also make an analysis by the position on the experience curve of the industry.