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The term industry loosely refers to any group of businesses that share a particular type of commercial enterprise. This grouping of firms is also likely to generate profits in a similar manner, or at least share related activities. In the business world, it is common to hear managers discuss particular industries as a whole, for example, ‘the automobile industry’ or ‘the magazine industry’.
In a more formal sense, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) defines hundreds of different industries. The NAICS is
a commonly used system to group businesses. The NAICS typically identifies an industry with a six digit code, with each additional digit narrowing the definition of the industry. Similar
classification systems include the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) from the United Nations and the
General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities with the European Communities (NACE). Data is gathered and reported for the
industry based on the six digit code. Data typically reported includes demographic measures for the industry including employment, number of business, and total sales. Data is not reported for
individual firms. Many different agencies and businesses use these categories for statistical studies, business comparisons, and benchmarks. Locating the industry for a business through the
NAICS or similar classification scheme can be a useful exercise in gathering competitive intelligence. For example, the average number of employees and sales of firms in the industry can be
found and from this information critical benchmarks like sales per employee may be calculated.
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