The Enterprise Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) coding scheme, a published classification of firms into separate industries, is commonly used in practice. SIC codes permit identification of company activities on three levels of detail. Two-digit codes designate a "major group," three-digit codes designate an "industry group," and four-digit codes identify a specific "industry."
(1) Golfing equipment-manufacturing.
(2) Worm farms.
(3) Felt tip markers-manufacturing.
(4) Household appliance stores, electric or gas-retail.
(5) Advertising agencies.
(d) You are interested in examining several companies in the passenger airline industry. Determine the appropriate two-, three-, and four-digit SIC codes. Use Wards Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies (Vol. 5) to compile a list of the five largest parent companies (by total sales) in the industry. Note: If Wards is not available, alternative sources include Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives, Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys, and the Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory.