Let's say that you were doing some ratio analysis for a business in your current industry or an industry in which you are interested. To what would you compare your company's results and where would you get these data? Your own historical data comprise one source. What are the others, and where can you find them?

What would you do if you were comparing companies in different industries or even in different markets? Let's say that we are comparing the ratios of Walmart and Nordstrom. Is this a good idea? How might you do it? What would be a better idea?