For this project, you will be working in CLC groups of three or four students. Each student will individually research a company and analyze one of the Items for Analysis listed below. Each team member must select the same item so you can compare your companies. Refer to the Collaborative Learning Community Project Overview in the Course Materials for further information.
Items for Analysis:
Criteria for Requirement 1, Part 1 Submission (Choose item A or B).
A. Review your companys current and long-term liabilities section of the most recently published balance sheet. Explain the details of the current and long-term debt based on the disclosures found in the financial statements. Do not complete a ratio analysis. Instead, focus on the details in the notes and determine how well the company presented the information to an informed reader. What did the company provide about its debts in the notes, and why is that information important? How does each company comply with the rules as provided in the FASB Codification?
B. Review your companys stockholders equity section of the balance sheet. Explain the details of the stock transactions, including treasury stock (if applicable) or stock compensation, based on the disclosures found in the financial statements. Do not complete a ratio analysis. Instead, focus on the details in the notes and determine how well the company presented the information to an informed reader. What did the company provide about its equity in the notes and why is that information important? How does each company comply with the rules as provided in the FASB Codification?
Project Requirements
Prepare a comparative paper using the companies your team members selected for analysis. The first submission is a draft of your findings for item A or B, above. Remember, all team members must analyze the same item. Since this is a team paper, it needs to have one voice. Compare your writing styles and items included about each company so that it appears one person wrote the paper. The first portion of the assignment submission should include:
- An introductory paragraph about the industry in which your companies compete. Provide this summary in approximately 200-250 words. Note only one industry overview is provided, not one per company.
- Body of the paper consisting of a comparative analysis of Item A or B for each company as well as an application of the FASB Codification to prove the items are reported properly by your project companies. The discussion for each company should be approximately 250 words. For example, if there are four students per group, the total for all four companies would be 1,000 words.
