Accounting for Business Decisions –

Accounting for Business Decisions –

This assignment is in two parts, the first one that will require you to undertake some research, the

Second part will involve a preparation of worksheet.

The assignment aims to develop understanding of financial statements and their use in decision-making. The task is to study and compare 2 publicly held company specifically in the same

Industry, (use ASX’s website to select a company) and be able to understand the structure of

Financial statements. This project itself includes several assignments, each of which comprises a

Part of the students’ task. However it is well encouraged to include any additional information

That students may think will be useful in conducting financial statements analysis of the

Company.

General Rules and Requirements:

The report should be prepared by a small group (with a maximum of three to four members) with

the contribution of each member specified on the report’s title page. Reports must be confined to

3,000 words (+/- 5%). A title page, table of contents page (based on your report headings),

Introduction, conclusion and list of the references actually cited should accompany your report.

Font type should be Arial (size 11), paragraph spacing should be equal to 1.5. 

Note: any additional material from external sources that you “paste” into your report is NOT

Included in the word limit. Also, ensure it is appropriately referenced.

PART A: (50 MARKS)

Section A (total marks are 50. Whatever student scores 15% will be the weightage of this

Section)

Part A1 (10 points)

Before the actual financial statements are evaluated, your group must inform interested parties

About the company’s business structure, operations, services and all other business activities that

Are conducted, etc.

Part A2 (10 points)

Locate the most recent annual report of your public listed chosen companies of the same year.

Your group will need to review the major sections of this report in order to familiarize

Yourselves with the content of each of the financial statements and appropriate footnotes. 

• Review the most recent year-end balance sheets of the companies and indicate the

following:

 The amount of total current assets

 The amount of total non-current assets

 The amount of total current liabilities 2

 The amount of total non-current liabilities

 The amount of total stockholder’s equity

Compare the above figures with the figure of second company. Compare percentage

increase or decrease.

(Use Excel Sheet)

Part A3 (10 points)

• Review the most recent year’s income statement and indicate the following:

• total (operating) revenues; 

• cost of goods sold (if listed); 

• total expenses (before income taxes) 

• any non-operating (or extraordinary) gains and losses; and 

• Earnings per common share.

Compare the above figures with the figure of second company. Compare percentage

increase or decrease.

Part A4 (10 points)

Review the statement of cash flows for the most recent year and indicate the

following: 

• net cash inflow (outflow) from operating activities; 

• net cash inflow (outflow) from financing activities; 

• net cash inflow (outflow) from investing activities; and 

• net increase (decrease) in cash during the year.

Compare the above figures with the figure of second company. Compare percentage

increase or decrease.

Part A5 (10 points)

Review the  stockholders' equity section in your chosen company's most recent year-end

balance sheet and compare that with the  figure of second company. Compare percentage

increase or decrease. Compare percentage increase or decrease.

• List the stockholders' equity account balances and number of outstanding

shares from these two balance sheets and compute the increase or decrease for each during this past year.