Robert Morris / RMA & Duns for Ratios

We are getting into the time of the semester when industry norms and business ratios become hot commodities. These sources are popular enough that profs often refer to them by nickname (or an out-of-date nickname). Here is a reminder of the main sources students will ask for:

Duns Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
also called "Duns book" or "D&B book" or just "Duns"

• kept at the Reference Desk
• Provides 32 performance indicators for over 800 products and services, arranged by SIC code.
• Covers the most industries of any ratio source.
• also partially online: Dun & Bradstreet Key Business Ratios (but no industry norms)

RMA Annual Statement Studies: Financial Ratios Benchmarks
also called "Robert Morris" [RMA used to stand for Robert Morris Associates]

• kept at the Reference Desk
• Provides 40 performance indicators for 340 products and services, organized by NAICS code.
• Provides five years of data.
• Available online via OneSource Global
  1. Select "International Businesses" in ReferenceUSA.
  2. Then search or browse for an industry.
  3. From the industry profile, look for the "RMA Industry Norms" link on the left.