As a team, select an industry to analyze. Reuters provides lists of industries under Sectors and Industries at www.reuters.com . (Click on an industry and then select Company Rankings for a list of members of that industry.) Each team member should acquire the annual report or 10-K for one publicly traded company in the industry, with each member selecting a different company. (Library files, the SEC EDGAR service at www.sec.gov , or the company itself are good sources.)

Required:
On an individual basis, each team member should write a short report answering the following questions about the selected company. Discuss any patterns across the companies that you as a team observe. Then, as a team, write a short report comparing and contrasting your companies.
1. What types of products or services does it sell?
2. On what day of the year does its fiscal year end?
3. For how many years does it present complete
a. Balance sheets?
b. Income statements?
c. Cash flow statements?
4. Are its financial statements audited by independent CPAs? If so, by whom?
5. Did its total assets increase or decrease over last year? By what percentage? [Percentage change is calculated as (Current year – Last year) ÷ Last year. Show supporting computations.]
6. Did its net income increase or decrease over last year? By what percentage?