B6022.12

Assignment 2: Discussion—Projecting Financial Trends

An organization’s finances are closely linked to local and global markets. Therefore, regular monitoring of economic factors, such as employment, inflation, supply and demand, and interest rates is sure to provide beneficial information. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of economic factors upon an organization’s current and future operations and finances.

1. Using the module readings, Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research two to three articles on the importance of analyzing economic factors for organizations.Then respond to the following: 
   • Why should companies pay attention to economic factors when managing the organization’s current and future financial information?
   • Consider an organization you are familiar with. Identify the economic factor that has had the most impact on the organization’s earnings in the past 5 years.
   • How has this factor impacted the organization and how has the organization dealt with the impact in a positive or negative manner?

1. Please put the following income statement and balance sheet terms in the proper order:Taxes, interest, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses, sales, depreciation, net income, cost of goods sold, and EBITDA.

1. For the balance sheet, please categorize the following as short-term assets, long-term assets, short-term liabilities, long-term liabilities, or owner’s equity:Cash, accruals, property, plant and equipment, inventory, accounts receivables, paid in capital, retained earnings, notes payable, mortgage, and accounts payable.

1.  Please explain in which order the four major financial statements need to be prepared, and why. 
2. Please also explain the three major categories of the statement of cash flows and under which category the following items belong. Also explain whether or not each item would be considered a source or use of cash for the period in question:Inventory-increased for periodNet income-increased for periodAccounts receivables increase for periodAccounts payable decrease for periodAccruals decrease for period Depreciation-increases for periodStock issued Property purchasedBonds paid offInventories increase for periodCash decreasesNotes payable increase for periodBonds redeemed for period

By Friday, March 24, 2017, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Saturday, March 25, 2017, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuationDo the following when responding to your peers:

• Read your peers’ answers.
• Provide substantive comments by
  • contributing new, relevant information from course readings, Web sites, or other sources;
  • building on the remarks or questions of others; or
  • sharing practical examples of key concepts from your professional or personal experiences
• Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to other students on their ideas.
• Make sure your writing
  • is clear, concise, and organized;
  • demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and
  • displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Grading Criteria