As an analyst for a large U.S. multinational corporation, you are assigned to examine a possible acquisition candidate, completing an initial search and review. Your supervisor is a member of the Controller’s team. The Controller reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Your work may be presented to a variety of audiences, so professionalism is essential in all deliverables you create.
- Select a company that is publicly traded. (THE HOME DEPOT INC. is the company of choice)
- It must have an Accounts Receivable and Inventory Account. It is recommended you select a manufacturing company.
- You must research and secure the SEC 10-K Annual Report for the most recent year. This is often available at the company web site. Search for “Investor Information” or “Company Information” and “SEC Filing.”
- You may also find the report using the SEC EDGAR system.
- Save the file to your computer for access. There is no need to print this file as the report is usually 100 pages or more.
- Use this company in the Discussion postings throughout the semester. The discussion questions will help you build content for your report and presentation.
Report Requirements
Report Content
- Post the name of your company in the SEC 10-K company for your instructor’s approval in the SEC Project: Request a Corporation to Study (REQUIRED posting) during Week 1. All parts of the discussion must be answered in your post.
- Each student must select a different company, so read the company names selected by classmates. Also, your selected company must be ranked 500 or higher on the Fortune 500 list of industrial companies.
- Your report should comment on the financial statements for your company as they relate to the information presented through Week 5 material for this class, including the notes to the financial statements.
- Do not consider the material from Weeks 7 and 8 in your report.
- The report must be submitted after Week 5 material on Property, Plant, and Equipment (PPE).
Report Layout
- Write a 2- to 3-page ( a full-page typically has at least 300 words) report, single-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font, with a double space between paragraphs.
- Please keep your report to no more than 3 pages.
- Page count does not include a title page, tables and exhibits, table of contents, and reference list.
- Include a title page (include your name on the title page). Use headings in your reports such as Accounts Receivable and Inventory (topics from the textbook); other examples would be Balance Sheet and Income Statement.
- Include a brief introduction of your company as well as a conclusion/summary at the end. The bulk of your report should cover the accounting topics in Weeks 1 through 5.
- You will also be required to include the Income Statement and Balance Sheet as an attachment to your report. You can cut and paste directly from the SEC 10-K Report. These are considered attachments and are not part of the required page count for the report.
- APA style is required for citations and a reference list. Include in-text citations. The reference list is the most important.
- Your report should use one-inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom of each page and font set at 12 points.
