MKTG 381: Group Assignment #1: Using Secondary Data  

Select an industry (e.g., beer, computers, soft drinks) and a specific product/brand from a publicly-traded company (e.g., Budweiser).

Questions to ask before choosing a brand:

1a. Who owns the Brand? Your brand is probably made by a much larger company. Find out who that is. How? Google the brand—it will often take you to the corporate site.

1b. Is it a publicly-traded company? If it has a ticker, it is public. This may come up in the initial Google search. When on the corporate web site, look for a link that says something like, “Information for Investors” or “About Us.” These links will usually tell you whether the company is public or private.

Determine the following information for the company that makes the product/brand: (Note: Use the sources listed below and under Competitive Analysis (Question 4) to find the following information):

• Name
• Ticker
• Total revenue and net income for the last 3 years. Please put this information in Table format.
• Current market share and the trends for the last three years.
• CEO (or equivalent) and compensation

Identify the primary SIC and NAICS classification assigned to your industry, and report it. Provide a brief description or identification of the industry (what products/services does it consist of?).

What are industry classification codes? They are codes created by the US government used to collect industry-wide statistics. Many reference sources use them as a way to organize industry and company information. NAICS replaced SIC in 1997, but some sources use both, some still use SIC only

North American Industry Classification (NAICS)
Created by the Census Bureau in 1997, NAICS replaced the SIC. NAICS includes many newer industries in addition to being a uniform classification system for Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Like the SIC, it is hierarchical and classifies each industry by broad group and then subdivides each into smaller, more specific classification. Each industry is assigned a unique number. The NAICS is updated every five years and was last done in 2007 (updates: 1997, 2002, 2007); the most current version is online. Most changes happen in the technology sector. NAICS and SIC codes can be found in both print and online—the online version of NAICS is more up-to-date.

Print: North American Industry Classification System, 2002
Reference HF1042 .N6 2002 (Haggard 2)

Online: North American Industry Classification (NAICS)
There is a table that bridges NAICS with SIC, but only for 1997. It is useful, but be aware of changes to any NAICS codes between 1997 and 2007. Tip: Search for the 2007 NAICS and then search the Bridge for the SIC.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
Standard Industrial classification system used to describe the structure of American industries. A hierarchical system, industries are organized into broad industry groups and then subdivided into smaller groups. Each industry carries a unique four-digit classification code ranging from 0100 to 9999. The SIC was replaced in 1997 with the North American Industrial Classification System but many sources still use the SIC.

Print: Standard industrial classification manual
Reference HF1042 .A55 1987 (Haggard 2)

Online: Standard industrial classification (SIC) / United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration
Database allows you to search by keyword.