financial reporting
3. Select a public company of your choice and decide upon one competitor in the same business sector. 4. Download the annual reports from the two company’s websites as follows: a) Google, b) Company Name, c) Annual Reports 2013 and 2014 or 2014 and 2015 5. From the information provided in the annual reports you are required to: a) As a group, make a presentation to your seminar tutor, taking no longer than 15 minutes. This presentation will take place in your normal seminar time during week commencing 16th November 2015. (week 10). Using ratios, your presentation should highlight the respective financial strengths and weaknesses of your chosen companies. b) Produce a written report on the performance and financial position of your company and the competitor. c) Your written report should highlight, compare and discuss the financial strengths and weaknesses of the two companies’. Using ratio analysis, you should consider year on year comparisons over two years for your chosen company and then provide inter- company comparisons for the second year only, with the competitor from the same business sector. It is not mandatory that you compare 2013 with 2014. If you prefer, you could compare 2014 and 2015 accounts if they have been published. d) Your presentation & report should include analysis of : · Profitability · Efficiency · Liquidity · Gearing and · Investor Ratios. At the end of the report you should include an appendix showing all the ratios that you have calculated (year on year and intercompany comparisons) and the basis of their calculation, clearly stating any assumptions that you have made. You should also include in the appendix, the relevant extracts from the annual reports, namely the income statement and statement of financial position/balance sheet. Do not submit full copies of the companies’ annual reports. The word limit of the main body of the report is 1500 words. The word count should be shown on the first page of your report. All students must indicate on their group report submission which sections they have contributed to. I require that all students must indicate above the sections that they wrote in the report, their name and student number so it is clear who has contributed to which part of the assignment. Assessment Criteria : Presentation The quality of your verbal presentation will attract a maximum of 15 marks. Each member of the group will be assessed on the basis of his / her contribution to the live presentation. Non-attendance at the presentation event will result in a score of 0% for the presentation component. Report The main body of the report will attract a maximum of 15 marks. The report should be logically structured with clear analysis linked to the ratios that you have calculated. The appendix of calculations will attract a maximum of 15 marks. Marks will be awarded for accuracy and selection of ratios. The quality of your written presentation will attract a maximum of 5 marks. TOTAL 50 marks