Select the industry you want to write about. Think about an industry that has a current impact on the global marketplace. If you choose a defunct or dying industry, it's unlikely you'll be able to find enough current research for your paper. Choose an industry with a particular interest to you -- perhaps an industry you hope to work in -- to increase your interest in the assignment. Mix library and Internet-based research for the best array of results.
Conduct research about your chosen industry. Look at trade publications for your industry for insight into what's taking place in the industry today. Read newspaper and magazine articles, both present and past, about the financial status of the industry. Learn everything you can about the industry, and take detailed notes on your research. These notes will help you as you begin to write your industry paper.
Compose an executive summary, which will serve as the introduction for your industry paper. This brief (one- to two-page) summary gives an overview of the industry. Briefly discuss the industry's history, what the industry does and what individuals or businesses are key players in the industry. The rest of your paper will build on this content in more detail.
Write a section on the key players in the industry. If one corporation has dominated the industry's landscape for years, focus on that industry. If the dominant corporation has changed with the times, discuss that, and analyze why. Assess why the major players succeeded and why other corporations did not.
Write a section about the economics of the industry. Talk about the size of the market, the demographic groups that the industry targets and competition within the industry. Discuss economic strategies that successful corporations within the industry have used. Look at how the industry's key players use advertising to their advantage.
Analyze the industry's long-term projections. Based on your research, assess the future of the industry. Will the key players continue to dominate, or will new corporations emerge in the industry? Consider how changes in consumer choices and expansion in the global marketplace will impact the industry.