Professor: Jill Giles
Course: Financial Accounting, BACC 2103

Goals:

1. To determine which industry a company belongs in.
2. To find financial information for the industry.
3. To identify a company’s competitors.
4. To find financial information for the competitors.
5. To identify and retrieve news and current events information on the company from trade journals.

Guidance:

1. To determine which industry a company belongs in by searching on type of business and obtaining an industrial classification code.
   1. By company name:
      i.      Lexis Nexis—Business--Company Financial--[search by company name]--
             Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations or US Business Directory.
2. Two industrial classification systems
   i.      NAICS: search by keyword: http://www.naics.com/
   ii.     SIC: Correspondence between NAICS & SIC: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naicstab.htm
           SIC: Search by keyword: http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
   .

2. To find financial information for the industry.
   1. Ratios
      i.      Annual Statement Studies (RMA) Ref. HG4055 R6
                      Go to table of contents “SIC Numbers Appearing in the Statement Studies”.  Use tables to find correct page.
      ii.     Industry Norms & Key Business Ratios  Ref. HF5681.R25 I525
                      Scan the book for the pages with the correct SIC number.  Ratios are listed in three categories.
      .

3. To identify a company’s competitors.
   1. Lexis Nexis—Business—Company Financial Information--Hoover’s
   2. Use SIC or NAICS to find the names of  competitor companies:
      i.      Directory of Corporate Affiliations—print—Ref. HG4057 A217. (largest listing)
      ii.     Mergent (database): 10,000 public U.S. companies.
      .

4. To find financial information for the competitors.
   1. Directory of Corporate Affiliations—print—Ref. HG4057 A217. (Largest listing; brief information.)
   2. Mergent (database): 10,000 public U.S. companies.
   3. Value Line: 1700 companies.
      http://library.shu.edu/business-databases-shu.htm#Value.
      .

5. To identify and retrieve news and current events information on the company from trade journals.
   1. ABI/INFORM Global for Business (ProQuest)  (database)
   2. Lexis Nexis (Academic Universe) (database)
   3. Wall Street Journal (database)

Richard E. Stern, Ph.D.
sternric@shu.edu
(973) 275-2046
10.28.02

Updated: 01/09/06                                                    since 11/13/02