In this step, you will refine your ability to conduct research for information in academic, public, and web domains.

First, you will perform a brief industry analysis to become more knowledgeable about your industry and how it is classified in national databases.

From this initial research, you will learn the codes associated with your industry and you will learn where to find and use business research resources. This should enable you to find more specific search terms to help you find the resources that will help you identify the top trends in your industry.

Once you have identified the top trends, you will choose an issue in one of the THREE top trends and conduct more research to provide an analysis of the issue, its effect on the industry, and how an organization would address this issue - whether to mitigate or to promote - to its own advantage.

Once you have reviewed NAICS and SOC codes and UMUC library resources for conducting research and business research, you will do some in-depth searching for industry trends.

A trend could be something that you, as an industry insider is aware of, an emerging trend, or it could be a trend that you think is unrecognized or disputed.