Analysis for a large U.S. Multinational Corporation

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 exceptionally important in all deliverables you create.

Write your paper, read carefully, and consider possible edits and changes.

Start early. You have plenty of time to complete this project. Your paper should consist, at a minimum, of the following:

• 3 – 4 pages single spaced, double space between paragraphs. Page count does not include title page, tables and exhibits, table of contents, and works cited list
• title page
• bibliography or works cited (business classes use APA format)
• in text citations (business classes use APA format)
• tables, and appendixes if you wish to copy and paste financial statements or materials you did not write (these will not be part of the ‘page count’)
• Your paper should use one-inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom of each page, and font set at 12 point.
• Take care to comply with the UMUC policy for academic honesty
• Write your paper, in your own words, using accounting words from our textbook and explaining how these relate to the financial statements of your company
• Our discussion postings during the semester should assist you in completing this paper
• Ask questions of your professor on this project
• Visit the Accounting Toolbox in the Course Content of our LEO classroom
  • The Accounting Toolbox is a constant resource in our UMUC undergraduate accounting courses
  • Links and explanations to assist you with this paper may appear in this resource

Written Assignment: SEC 10-K Analysis

Using the Internet, access the SEC 10-K annual report for a publicly traded company of your choice. The company must be a manufacturing concern with inventory and accounts receivable.

You must select a company that is publically traded and has inventory and accounts receivable. Most students find the SEC 10-K annual report at their company’s web site in sections such as About Us and / or Investor Relations. Look for SEC and Annual Filings (you will often find drop down menus to click). You must research and secure the SEC 10-K Annual Report for the most recent year. Save the file to your computer for access. Do not print as the report is usually 100 pages or more. Post the name of your company, the SEC 10-K web link, and how you found the SEC 10-K in the SEC 10-K discussion for approval by your professor.

Review the company’s MD&A as well as financial statements and the accompanying footnotes. Use this information to prepare your “analytic” results. You may want to seek additional background and comparative data on the business. Yahoo Finance has a “competitors” feature we will discuss in class.

The content of your paper should focus on accounting issues and include words used in our accounting class, including financial accounting and the scope of our course, at a higher level than in Principles of Accounting since we are now in Intermediate Accounting.  Review the chapters and key concepts for ideas!

Use terms from our class and create displays using the SEC 10-K for your company. The use of headings will label the sections in your paper. Your goal is to explain the financial statements and the information of the SEC 10-K with the knowledge you learn from our class. While not explaining every item in the SEC 10-K, your paper should tell a story and illustrate your mastery of accounting terms and concepts. No more than one page should be devoted to your company’s history and non-financial information. Focus on the Notes to the Financial Statements and the MD&A.

A Power Point presentation (no more than 10 slides) will also need to be prepared to cover the highlights of your paper.  Please post the presentation in the designated SEC 10-K discussion near the end of the semester to share with other students.  Read your classmate’s presentation and provide comments to at least one other posting.

After the discussion week you should review your Power Point presentation and submit the final version in the assignment folder. This is the Power Point file I will grade. The Power Point Presentation discussion is part of participation and designed to assist you in creating your final project.  However if you file to participate in that discussion it may affect the ‘grade’ for your Power Point Presentation. Again, don’t miss the easy points!