Since 1990, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s
Industry Studies program has been founded on the belief that industries
are sufficiently different from one another that they individually
deserve rigorous and deep academic study. The industry studies community
is composed of scholars who deeply understand industries by taking
a direct approach to the companies and people of each industry for
data and observations.
The multidisciplinary research conducted by industry studies scholars generally employs a wide range of both quantitative and qualitative research methods (including direct observation and primary data collection), often conducted across multiple firms within a particular industry. This leads to a contextually rich picture of business phenomena and a depth of understanding and insight that can uniquely complement both more theoretical academic research and individual, firm-level studies.
The Foundation's support of industry studies
is organized in several ways. The program's original elements
are the Sloan Industry Centers, each of which consists of a group
of faculty and students from a variety of disciplines, such as
business, engineering, economics, etc., who study many aspects
of a single industry. The
program also supports cross-sharing of ideas through the Industry
Studies Affiliates, membership in which is available to any scholar
– regardless of any prior association with the Foundation – who
seeks to ground his or her research in a deep knowledge of particular
industries. Dynamic opportunities
for information-sharing across industries
are provided through the Industry
Studies Annual Conference and Workshops.
A community of young scholars is
fostered through the Industry Studies Fellowships program and,
finally, the program on Globalization offers an opportunity to
address a broad array of individual research projects as they
apply to specific industries.
Each of these areas can be explored
further throughout this Web site.
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