If you were asked to visualize $($in income statement and balance sheet form$)$ the financial structure of a typical firm in one particular industry, do you think you could do it$?$ How close to your "vision' do you think the reality would be$?$ What if you were asked to do the same experiment covering $14$ firms drawn from $14$ different industries? How many of the $14$ do you think you would get right? You may be surprised by how much you already know!

Exhibit $1$ presents the balance sheets $($in percentage form$)$ and other selected financial data for $14$ firms drawn from $14$ different industries. While there are clear differences in the financial structures of different firms within a single industry, the firms selected have figures that are broadly typical of those in the industry.

Try to match the $14$ firms operating in the $14$ industries named below with the $14$ sets of financial data presented in Exhibit $1.$ Use any approach you find helpful

Airline

Bookstore chain

Commercial Bank $($fitted into the most nearly comparable balance sheet and ratio categories of the

nonfinancial companies$)$

Computer software developer

Department store chain $($with its "own brand" charge card$)$

Electric and gas utility $($with $80\%$ of its revenue from electricity sales and $20\%$ of its revenue from

natural gas sales$)$

Online direct factory to customer personal computer vendor $($with more than half of sales to business

customers and most manufacturing outsourced$)$

Online retailer

Parcel delivery service Pharmaceutical manufacturer

Restaurant chain

Retail drug chain

Retail grocery chain

Social networking service

Why does each of the industries have the patterns of assets use revealed in Exhibit $1?$ The sources

of financing? The profitability? The inventory turnover? The accounts receivable collection period?