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LIBRARY RESEARCH
BA 453 Business Policy and Strategy
Industry Analysis
To look for industry overviews or survey, industry norms and key business ratios, or other financial information, you need to find the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code(s) first because many sources arrange or organize financial information by these codes.
Industry Classification Systems: SIC and NAICS
Standard Industry Classification System
What is SIC?
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is a system of 4-digit codes that attempts to classify all business establishments by the types of products or services they make available. Establishments engaged in the same economic activity, whatever their size or type of ownership, are assigned the same SIC code. Most business directories and directory databases use the SIC codes to classify companies or businesses. The SIC codes are also used to gather and analyze information on U.S. businesses and industries.
SIC Structure
The Standard Industrial Classification system uses a hierarchical structure, getting more specific at lower levels. This system is divided into 11 broad divisions (Division A-K) and these divisions are subdivided into 99 two-digit major groups. There are four levels in the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC):
- Division -- broad types of activity.
- Major Group -- a recognizable sector of the economy.
- Industry Group -- relatively broad families of outputs.
- Industry Class (an Industry) -- a group of establishments who produce a similar set of goods or services, or who are engaged in a similar kind of activity. For example:
| 1987 SIC | Name | Classification Level |
|---|---|---|
| D | Manufacturing | Division (Letter designation) |
| 39 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries | Major Group |
| 394 | Tools, Toys, Games and Sporting and Athletic Goods | Industry Group |
| 3949 | Sporting and Athletic Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified (e.g. Golfing equipment: caddy carts and bags, clubs, tees, balls) |
Industry |
Where Do You Find the SIC Codes?
- Standard Industrial Classification Manual
- DOCS REF HF 1042 .A55 (1987 is the latest edition)
- Directory of Corporate Affiliations
- DOCS REF HG 4057.A217
Search the SIC on the Web
- Standard Industrial Classification Search
- This is the 1987 SIC manual available at OSHA site. Searchable by keyword(s) or code number.
North American Industry Classification System
What is NAICS?
NAICS is an industry classification system that groups establishments into industries based on the activities in which they are primarily engaged. It is a comprehensive system which covers the entire field of economic activities, producing and nonproducing. There are 20 sectors in NAICS and 1,170 industries in NAICS United States.
NAICS Structure
NAICS uses a six-digit coding system to identify particular industries and their placement in this hierarchical structure of the classification system. The first two digits of code designate the sector, the third designates the subsector, the fourth digit designates the industry group, the fifth digit designates the NAICS industry, and sixth digit designates the U.S. detail industry. For example:
| 2002 NAICS | Name | Classification Level |
|---|---|---|
| 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector |
| 316 | Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | Subsector |
| 3162 | Footwear Manufacturing | Industry Group |
| 31621 | Footwear Manufacturing | Industry |
| 316211 | Rubber and Plastics Footwear Manufacturing (e.g. Athletic shoes, plastics/rubber or plastics/rubber soled fabric upper manufacturing) |
U.S. Detail Industry |
Where Do You Find NAICS?
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
- DOCS REF HF 1041.5 .N674 1997 [On Business Index Table]
Users should note that effective with the 1997 Economic Census, the NACIS is replacing the SIC system. However, it has not yet come into wide use among commercial providers of business data. Consult the U.S. Bureau of Census NAICS site for a list of NAICS codes, tables showing correspondence between NAICS and the SIC system, and other information on how NAICS differs from the SIC System
Search NAICS on the Web
- 2002 NAICS Search -- Searchable by keywords.
Industry Overviews / Surveys
- Encyclopedia of American Industries
- DOCS REF HC 102.E53 2001 [On Business Index Table]
Brief (1-10 pages) descriptions of industry groups, by SIC, with lists of recent articles.
- DOCS REF HC 102.E53 2001 [On Business Index Table]
- Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries
- DOCS REF HD 2324 .E528 [On Business Index Table]
Details the inception, emergence, and current status of 108 newly flourishing U.S. industries and industry segments.
- DOCS REF HD 2324 .E528 [On Business Index Table]
- IBISworld
- IBISWorld covers thousands of industries in the United States
economy at the 5-digit NAICS code level. Reports include market
characteristics, segmentation, industry conditions, industry
performance, key competitors, key success factors, and outlook.
IBISWorld also has extensive coverage of industries in the Asia/Pacific
region with reports covering China, Australia and Indonesia.
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage brings together a dozen financial and investment publications that provide information for corporate research and for industry, competitive, and investment analysis. Among the publications included are such familiar titles as S&P's Corporation Records, Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Stock Guide, Bond Guide, Dividend Record, Earnings Guide, Mutual Fund Reports, and the Outlook. Also included are S&P's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives and the Security Dealers Directory.
Industry Norms and Financial Ratios
The following reference sources provide a "typical" balance sheet and income statement for a company in each industry with ratios. Usually arranged by SIC.
- Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
DOCS REF HF5681.R25 T68 2001 [On Business Index Table] - Annual Statement Studies. Robert Morris Associates
DOCS REF HF 5681 .B2 R6 [On Business Index Table] - Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
DOCS REF HF 5681 .R25 I53 [On Business Index Table]
Company Analysis
Company Information / History
Databases
- Directory of Corporate Affiliations
- The Directory of Corporate Affiliations covers U.S. and non-U.S. public and private companies, their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and divisions. Data includes leadership, financial and ownership information for each company.
- Lexis-Nexis Academic
- Provides comprehensive coverage of current news, business and company information, government and legal information, and more.
- ReferenceUSA
- Contains directory data for over 12 million US firms and business establishments of all sizes.
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
Reference Source
- International Directory of Company Histories
DOCS REF HD 2721 .I63
-- A valuable source to find company information and histories..
Company's home page
Search the company's home page by typing the company's name plus .com. For example: nike.com. You can also use a web search engine such as Yahoo to find a company's home page.
Useful Web Sites
- Companies Online -- Information on over 900,000 public and private companies.
- Hoover's Online -- Provides information on companies (public, private, global). The library does not subscribe to this database but users can access some data free.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission -- Access to EDGAR Database.
- Webster's Business Guide --Search by product, industry, company, SIC or NAICS code, and region.
Mission Statement / Objectives
- Reference Sources:
Mission Statement Book
DOCS REF HD 30.285 .A27
Contains 301 corporate mission statements from America's top companies. - Missionstatements.com -- Largest collection of mission statements from companies (Fortune 500, Inc. 500, Manufacturing, Marketing/Public Relations...), non-profit organizations and more
- Corporate Annual Reports
Company mission statement and objectives for the forthcoming years are often stated in the corporate annual report. - Search the company's web page. If the mission statement is not a section of an annual report, check the section of Corporate Statement or Chairman's Statement. Look for words such as "our vision", "looking forward", "our objective" etc. You may also look at the sections such as "responsibility", "social responsibility", "our commitment", etc.
Company Rankings
- Business Rankings Annual
- DOCS REF HG 4050 .B88 [On Business Index Table]
- D&B Business Rankings
- DOCS REF HG 4057 .A237 [On Business Index Table]
- Web100: Big Business on the Web -- Ranks the largest American and international companies by revenues.
Company Financial Information
To find the most recent financial results of a company, use the following resources:
- 10K Wizard -- Provides a search engine allowing users to search SEC filings by words, phrases and names.
- Lexis-Nexis - Academic -- Go to the Business section and use the "Company Financial" to search for company financial information. Use "SEC Filing and Reports" to find corporate reports.
- EDGAR Database -- A database of corporate filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission electronically. The database includes annual reports, proxy statements, and forms.
- FreeEDGAR -- Search the SEC filings with EDGAR ONLINE.com.
- Public Register's Annual Report Service (PRARS) -- Largest annual report service with free annual reports on over 3,600 public companies.
- Report Gallery -- Lists approximately 2,200 annual reports.
Finding Company Competitors
- Directory of Corporate Affiliations
- Hoover Company Reports -- Access company reports via Lexis-Nexis Academic
- Market Share Reporter
DOCS REF HF 5415.2 .M37 [On Business Index Table] - ReferenceUSA
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
**To find information on Oregon business rankings, use
- Oregon Business
- HF 5001 .B873 (Located in Special Collections)
This magazine provides annual rankings on Oregon's public companies, statistics on employment in addition to information on Oregon businesses.
Country Analysis
- Global Insight: Country Intelligence -- Provides economic, political and legal analysis for 186 countries, including comprehensive country reports, five-year forecasts, risk ratings and same-day analysis of events and trends.
The following Internet sources include information on country studies and trade information:
- CIA World Factbook - Country profiles: introduction, geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military and transnational issues.
Document Center has the hard copy: DOCS REF PrEx 3.15: General reference also has a copy: KNIGHT REF G122 .U56a
- Trade Information Center
- Links to country and regional market information.
Finding Articles
To find journal or magazine or newspaper articles on your topic, search the following databases:
- Academic Search Premier
- Full text for over 1,250 academic, social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for nearly 2,880 journals.
- Business Source Premier
- Full text from nearly 930 journals covering business, management, economics, banking, finance, accounting and much more. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for nearly 1,570 journals.
- Lexis Nexis Academic
- Provides comprehensive coverage of current news, business and company information, government and legal information and more.
- Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition)
- The Wall Street Journal, the financial newspaper of record, is an indispensable source for business professionals, providing business and financial news coverage, personal and company profiles, feature reporting, special reports, and regular columns. The database provides the full-text articles from the Wall Street Journal going back to at least 1986, with some material from earlier years. It includes the entire text of written articles, but no graphs or data, such as stock prices.
Once you find the citation of an article, you need to search he library's online catalog, to find the call number of a journal or magazine. Current periodicals are on the second floor, Current Periodical Room, arranged by call numbers.
To evaluate information found, please check the following pages:
Maintained by: Kaiping Zhang, kzhang@uoregon.eduLast Modified: 04/16/2008