Can anyone compile what i did the past 6 weeks in a 5 page paper with introduction and a conclusion paper. Paper should be 5 pages with proper front...

WEEK 1

Requirements:

1. Amazon ;NASDAQ:  AMZN

2. I am a happy Amazon prime user and would like to study more about the company. 

3. Annual 2015 SEC-10K:- https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000101872416000172/amzn-20151231x10k.htm 

4. Amazon is listed the 29 among the fortune 500 company.

5. Financial Statements

   • Income Statement: Page 40

   • Balance Sheet: page 41

   • Statement of Stockholders equity: page 42

WEEK 2

1. What ethical and legal liability relating to accountants and auditors might relate to your SEC 10-K company?

Accountants must remain unbiased and loyal to ethical guidelines when evaluating Amazon’s financial records. Accountants should not be influenced by stress placed on them by management of the company or any corporate offices. Amazon’s Auditors can benefit the company by performing accurate audits that rely on exact numbers of the company because they are liable for any negligence behavior, and if a misleading audit led to any damages and Amazon experience a loss its going to bring a lot of effect on the company.

1. What trends in sales, cost of goods sold, and gross profit do you see? Create a small table for your records and refer to percentages in terms of year-to-year change for dollar values and the gross profit percentage.

Amazon have seen an increase in profit over the 3 years course, In 2013 Amazon had $20,271 million and $26,236 million in 2014, which led to a 23% increase in profit. In 2015 Amazon had shown a gross profit of $35,355 million, which showed an increase of 26% from the profit in 2014.

1. Review net income and post comments using the techniques you used for gross profit.

Amazon’s net income drastically decreased from 2013 to 2014, but was able to strive from that in 2015 by $322 million, which is 54%.

1. International Issues:  comment on foreign currency issues and the global picture for your SEC 10-K company.

Amazon have internationally focused websites for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Net sales generated from these websites, as well as most of the related expenses directly incurred from those operations, are denominated in local functional currencies. The functional currency of our subsidiaries that either operate or support these websites is generally the same as the local currency. Assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. Dollars at period-end foreign exchange rates, and revenues and expenses are translated at average rates prevailing throughout the period. Amazon didn't suffer any kind of international issue yet.

WEEK 3

Read the Notes to the Financial Statements (FS) for your SEC 10-K company.  These "notes" are displayed after the financial statements.

1. Inventory comments: comment on inventory issues using the concepts of materiality and geographic location.

Inventories, consisting of products available for sale, are primarily accounted for using the FIFO method, and are valued at the lower of cost or market value. This valuation requires Amazon to make judgments, based on currently available information, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers, returns to product vendors, or liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category.

1. Inventory and Sales: comment on issues related to diversity in customer base and issues of internal control.

Amazon provides Fulfillment by Amazon services in connection with certain of our sellers’ programs. Third-party sellers maintain ownership of their inventory, regardless of whether fulfillment is provided by the third-party sellers, or these products and therefore us are not included in the inventories.

1. Accounts Receivable and Sales:  comment on issues related to the selling and distribution system of your SEC 10-K company and issues of fraud as well as internal control.

The amounts included in accounts receivable in the consolidated balance sheets are amounts primarily related to customer and seller receivables and vendor receivables. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, customer and seller receivables, net, were $2.6 billion and $1.9 billion, and vendor receivables, net, were $1.8 billion and $1.4 billion. Amazon estimate losses on receivables based on known troubled accounts and historical experience of losses incurred. Receivables are considered impaired and written-off when it is probable that all contractual payments due will not be collected in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

1. Challenges and opportunities you see as you relate our current textbook topics to your company.  Details are high level in the SEC 10-K but organizations rely on Auditing concepts, as they prepare for the audits and as part of their internal control process.

 One of the main challenges would be the losses Amazon faced over three years range. In connection with the settlement and measurement of inter company balances, we recorded losses of $215 million, $98 million, and $84 million in 2015, 2014, and 2013.

WEEK 4

1. The management of risk and uncertainty is often included in the MD&A section comments. What do you learn of interest here?

Amazon is exposed to market risk for the effect of interest rate changes, foreign currency fluctuations, and changes in the market values of our investments. The exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to Amazon’s investment portfolio and long-term debt. Net sales and related expenses generated from internationally focused websites, and from www.amazon.ca and www.amazon.com.mx, are primarily denominated in the functional currencies of the corresponding websites and primarily include Euros, Japanese Yen, and British Pounds. The foreign exchange risk related to foreign-denominated cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities and intercompany balances denominated in various foreign currencies.

1. Divisions and Product Lines may be discussed in the MD&A section.  What audit and internal control issues may arise in these areas as you consider our chapters for the week.

The products offered Amazon’s consumer-facing websites primarily include merchandise and content have purchased for resale from vendors and those offered by third-party sellers, and also manufacture and sell electronic devices. Generally, Amazon recognize gross revenue from items we sell from inventory as product sales and recognize the net share of revenue of items sold by third-party sellers as service sales. Amazon also offer other services such as compute, storage, and database offerings, fulfillment, publishing, digital content subscriptions, advertising, and co-branded credit cards. This division of services and products can cause audit and internal control issues because of the returns and damaged goods by customers and vendors who deliver those products and also division of labor through the different departments and keeping track of these hours or process of excess overtime.

1. Management often explains higher or lower than expected in their comments. Discuss the profitability and other comments in the MD&A section as they relate to our chapters thus on audit strategy, risk, internal control, materiality, and management.

 Amazon sales increased 20%, 20%, and 22% in 2015, 2014, and 2013, compared to the comparable prior year periods. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted net sales by $5.2 billion, $636 million, and $1.3 billion for 2015, 2014, and 2013. Increased unit sales were driven largely by Amazon’s continued efforts to reduce prices for customers, including from our shipping offers, sales in faster growing categories such as electronics and other general merchandise, increased in-stock inventory availability, and increased selection of product offerings.

 Changes in foreign currency exchange rates impacted International net sales by $5.0 billion, $580 million, and $1.3 billion in 2015, 2014, and 2013. Increased unit sales were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers, including from our shipping offers, sales in faster growing categories.

 AWS sales increased 70%, 49%, and 69% in 2015, 2014, and 2013, compared to the comparable prior year periods. The sales growth primarily reflects increased customer usage, partially offset by pricing changes. Pricing changes were driven largely by our continued efforts to reduce prices for our customers.

WEEK 5

1. Costs and fluctuations are often discussed in the MD&A section. Any comments on your analysis here?

Amazon seeks to reduce variable costs per unit and work to leverage fixed costs. The variable costs include product and content costs, payment processing and related transaction costs, picking, packaging, and preparing orders for shipment, transportation, customer service support, costs necessary to run AWS, and a portion of marketing costs. Amazon fixed costs include the costs necessary to run our technology infrastructure; to build, enhance, and add features to our websites and web services, electronic devices, and digital offerings; and to build and optimize fulfillment centers. Variable costs generally change directly with sales volume, while fixed costs generally are dependent on the timing of capacity needs, geographic expansion, category expansion, and other factors. To decrease the variable costs on a per unit basis and enable us to lower prices for customers, we seek to increase direct sourcing, increase discounts from suppliers, and reduce defects in our processes. To minimize growth in fixed costs, we seek to improve process efficiencies and maintain a lean culture.

1. Pricing decisions often relate both to knowing your costs as well as to the strategy of pricing. Competition, loss leaders, and other elements may be discussed in the MD&A section.  Emerging markets and product lines are also an issue for some companies. What do you learn from your review?

Amazons pricing decisions mainly is based on the effects of fluctuating interest rate, the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rate on the translation of foreign currency into US dollars, the effect of inflation, deflation and changing prices of commodities. Net sales and related expenses generated from our internationally focused websites. The results of operations of, and certain of our intercompany balances associated with, our internationally focused websites and AWS are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Upon consolidation, as foreign exchange rates vary, net sales and other operating results may differ materially from expectations, and we may record significant gains or losses on the measurement of intercompany balances. Amazon considers all the losses and gains in the past years to come up with future pricing strategies.

1. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability relate to many issues including pollution and the cost of remediation and hazardous wastes.  What do you learn about these topics from the SEC 10-K?

Amazon is committed to Corporate Social Responsibility. The company has a Supplier Social and Environmental Responsibility Program designed to ensure that our suppliers adhere to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. At Amazon, we're constantly looking for ways to further reduce our environmental impact.

In 2010, Amazon began moving into its new corporate headquarters in Seattle. The US Green Building Council has awarded six of the buildings on Amazon's urban campus with LEED Gold certification for sustainable design and construction methods. LEED, which stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," recognizes the industry's most environmentally conscious projects. Most Amazon.com orders are shipped in corrugated containers, which on average contain 43%, recovered fiber content. Once used, these containers are 100% recyclable for use in the manufacture of other paper products. 

1. Contingencies and liabilities: can they be estimated?  Are they probable to occur? What do you learn about your company in this area?  How might cost issues including profitability relate to these topics for your company?

Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities whose occurrence or non-occurrence depends on future happenings. Amazon have recorded tax reserves for tax contingencies, inclusive of accrued interest and penalties, for U.S. and foreign income taxes. These contingencies primarily relate to transfer pricing, state income taxes, and research and development credits. Amazon capitalizes construction in progress and record a corresponding long-term liability for build-to-suit lease agreements where we are considered the owner during the construction period for accounting purposes. These liabilities primarily relate to our corporate buildings and fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data centers. These contingencies are probable and the company might be required to pay. However, the company cannot determine the exact estimates or range of estimates expected to be incurred. The effect of this on profitability is that the company profits are expected to decrease as a result of these liabilities, but can not be estimated.

WEEK 6

Auditors of Amazon have to carefully consider certain risk factors within the company, which are but not limited to:

1. Intense competition with competitors in different industries, including retail, e-commerce services, digital content and electronic devices, and web and infrastructure computing services.

2. Rules and regulations on new expansions of the company worldwide which may present new and difficult technology challenges, and Amazon may be subject to claims if customers of these offerings experience service disruptions or failures or other quality issues.

3. Fluctuations in Our Operating Results and Growth Rate that may not be able to accurately forecast our growth rate.

4. The international expansion expenses risk which is costly to establish, develop, and maintain international operations and websites, and promote our brand internationally.

5. Fulfillment network and data centers successfully to adequately predict customer demand.

6. Foreign exchange risks, inventory risks, security risk breach, redundancy, government regulations, tax regulation, customer-supplier relationship, payment- related risks.

 For the success of Amazon auditors have to closely work with the management to work on the above risks and come up with a solution to make the company more profitable. The current global economic climate increases many of these risks and will be detrimental for the company if auditors don’t focus on the weakness of the risks.