Project Description: Students are required to obtain two consecutive years of annual reports and 10-K Forms for two publicly-held corporation. Use the information in these two consecutive years of annual reports, to assess the financial health of each of the two companies and be able to give an investment recommendation.

Project Learning Objectives: The primary purpose of the project is for students to experience up to date live Financial Statements in their natural habitat. For most users of financial statements, the natural habitat is the Annual report to the stock holders or the SEC Form 10-K report. For sound pedagogical reasons, accounting textbooks often use uncomplicated, make believe financial statements. These statements allow the text book author to isolate specific issues without confusing the student with (at the time) extraneous issues. The result however is that students often are not exposed to the reality of actual financial statements. Students do not learn the fact that real financial statements do not always appear neat and tidy as those illustrated in the text book. Real financial statements often use terminology that is unfamiliar and present information somewhat differently and in a more complex fashion than what the text book depicts. This project is designed to increase students ability to apply all the lessons and tools of the financial analysis to actual financial statements. Such skill is one of the basic success factors in todays business world.

Step-by-step Guidance for the Course Project:

Step 1: Choose any two publicly held companies and get their Annual Reports for the most recent year.

Step 2: Locate the four financial statements of each company (Statement of Financial Position, also known as the Balance Sheet, Statement of Income, Statement of Cash Flows, and Statement of Stockholders equity.

Step 3: Perform a comprehensive financial analysis that would reflect your understanding of how to prepare financial statement analysis, based on information gained from chapter # 9 from the textbook and the supplemental links given below.

Step 4: Based on your analysis of step 3, make your own conclusion about each companys financial health. Support your conclusion by good reasoning and explanation.

Grading Points Distribution:

Item	Length	Score
Introduction about the profile of each company	At least 400 words for each company.	Up to 10 points
Horizontal Analysis followed by your observations.	At least 500 words for your observations.	Up to 20 points
Vertical Analysis followed by your observations.	At least 500 words for our observations	Up to20 points
Ratio Analysis followed by your observations.	At least 1000 words for your comments and observations..	Up to 40 points
Conclusion	At least 600 words for each company.	Up to 10 points