Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Walmart) is the largest retailing firm in the world. Building on a base of discount stores, Walmart has expanded into warehouse clubs and Supercenters, which sell traditional discount store items and grocery products.

Exhibits 10.11, 10.12, and 10.13 present the financial statements of Walmart for 2006–2008. Exhibits 4.50–4.52 also present summary financial statements for Walmart, and Exhibit 4.53 presents selected financial statement ratios for Years 2006–2008. (Note: A few of the amounts presented in Chapter 4 for Walmart differ slightly from the amounts provided here because, for purposes of computing financial analysis ratios, the Chapter 4 data have been adjusted slightly to remove the effects of nonrecurring items such as discontinued operations.)

Required

Design a spreadsheet and prepare a set of financial statement forecasts for Walmart for Year +1 to Year +5 using the assumptions that follow. Project the amounts in the order presented (unless indicated otherwise) beginning with the income statement, then the balance sheet, and then the statement of cash flows. For this portion of the problem, assume that Walmart will exercise its financial flexibility with the cash and cash equivalents account to balance the balance sheet.