Matching Exercise

QUESTION 1

Company information is also available in many of our databases. Some provide history and financials, others give market share, SWOT analysis, and still others provide newspaper and magazine articles. Although there may be some duplication of information between databases, each database may provide information in a way the others do not. Mergent Intellect, formerly Hoover’s, includes information on both public and private U.S. companies, Canadian companies, and international companies. It also contains a residential database, company executive biographies, industry information, and a job search database of U.S. and Canadian employers.The Mergent Intellect interface enables users to look-up specific companies or people and to build lists of companies that meet certain criteria (location, size, annual sales, number of employees, industry code). Use the Help guide to discover all the features Mergent Intellect provides for business researchers, job seekers and working professionals. When doing business research, it is useful to obtain the NAICS codes and SIC codes. For this question you are asked to identify the NAICS code for the local company, W. L. Gore.
Click on the link for Mergent Intellect and search for the Newark, DE – based private company, W.L. Gore. Identify this company’s primary NAICS code from the list of possible answers.

a. 33570100 : Communication wire

b. 335921 : Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing

c. Surgical and medical instruments 3841

QUESTION 2

Now perform a search in Mergent Intellect for another local company – Under Armour. This company is based in Baltimore, MD and manufactures performance athletic clothing and technology. Go to the Industry Details section and click on the First Search Industry Report for 315990. This icon is just to the right of the NAICS code. Once you have opened the report, scroll down to the “Critical Issues” section. Select two of the issues faced by companies in the Apparel Accessories Manufacturing industry.

a.Dependence on Consumer Income

b. Dependent on Consumer Tastes

c. Risks of Foreign Sourcing

d. More Foreign Suppliers Sell Directly

 QUESTION 3

A SWOT analysis is an analysis of the internal and external environment of a company, organization, or nonprofit. SWOT analyses are used to create strategic business plans.External environmental factors are typically considered to either be Opportunities or Threats, whereas Internal factors are generally classified as Strengths or Weaknesses.The four factors together (Strength + Weaknesses + Opportunities + Threats) make up a SWOT analysis.The library database, Business Source Ultimate, provides many SWOT reports. Use this database to locate the SWOT analysis for Under Armour, Inc. Once you have located the report answer the below matching exercise.

 – A. B. C. D. Threat –  A.Rising labor wages in the US

A. B. C. D. Opportunity –  B.Growing US apparel market

A. B. C. D. Strength –  C.Multi-channel approach

A. B. C. D. Weakness – D.Dependence on third-party suppliers and manufacturers