Overview As an analyst for a large U.S. multinational corporation you are assigned to examine a possible acquisition candidate, completing an initial search and review.  Your supervisor is a member of

Overview

As an analyst for a large U.S. multinational corporation you are assigned to examine a possible acquisition candidate, completing an initial search and review.  Your supervisor is a member of the Controller’s team.  The controller reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Your work may be presented to a variety of audiences so professionalism is exceptionally important in all deliverables you create.

1. Select a company that is publicly traded.
2. You must research and secure the SEC 10-K Annual Report for the most recent year. This is often available at the company web site. Search for "Investor Information" or "Company Information".
3. You may also find the report using the SEC EDGAR system. 
4. Save the file to your computer for access. There is no need to print this file as the report is usually 100 pages or more. 
5. Use this company in the Discussion postings throughout the semester. The discussion questions will help you build content for your report and presentation.

Report Requirements

Report Content 

1. Post the name of your company in the SEC 10-K company for your instructor’s approval in the SEC Project: Request a Corporation to study (REQUIRED posting) during Week 1. All parts of the discussion must be answered in your post.
2. Each student must select a different company, so read the company names selected by classmates. Also, your selected company must be ranked 500 or higher on the Fortune 500 list of industrial companies. 
3. Your report should comment on the financial statements for your company as they relate to the information presented through Week 5 discussions for this class, including the notes to the financial statements.
4. Do not consider managerial accounting material from Weeks 3 through 8 in your report.
5. The report must be submitted in Week 7 after the Week 6 Peer Review of SEC 10-K Project Required Discussion participation.

Report Layout

1. Write a 2- to 3-page ( a full page typically has at least 300 words) report, single spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font, with a double space between paragraphs.
2. Please keep your report to no more than 3 pages.
3. Page count does not include title page, tables and exhibits, table of contents, and reference list.
4. Include a title page (include your name on the title page). Use headings in your report such as Statement of Owners' Equity and Statement of Cash Flows (topics from the textbook); other examples would be Balance Sheet and Income Statement.
5. Include a brief introduction of your company as well as a conclusion/summary at the end. The bulk of your report should cover the accounting topics in Weeks 1 and 2 (Owners' Equity, Financial Ratios and Statement of Cash Flows) as well as the Balance Sheet and Income Statement.  ACCT 221 is not identical to ACCT 220. Discussions continue through week 5.
6. You will also be required to include the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Statement of Owners' Equity, and Statement of Cash Flows as attachments to your report. You can cut and paste directly from the SEC 10-K Report. These are considered attachments and are not part of the required page count for the report.
7. APA style is required for citations and a reference list. Include in text citations. The reference list is the most important.
8. Your report should use one-inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom of each page, and font set at 12 point.

Resources

1. Visit the Accounting Toolbox in the Course Content > Course Resources of the ACCT 220 LEO classroom. The Accounting Toolbox is a constant resource in our UMUC undergraduate accounting courses.
2. Links and explanations to assist you with this report may appear in this resource.
3. Additional information will be posted on SEC Project: Request a Corporation to Study posting. 

Academic Honesty

1. Take care to comply with the UMUC Policy for Academic Honesty.
2. Write your paper, in your own words, using accounting words from our textbook and explaining how these relate to the financial statements of your company.
3. The discussion postings throughout the semester should assist you in completing this report.

PowerPoint Presentation

1. You are also required to prepare a brief PowerPoint draft and post it in Week 6 to Peer Review of SEC-10K Project: Post Your Draft.  
2. Once you have received feedback on your PowerPoint draft, make appropriate revisions, and submit it under SEC-10K PowerPoint Presentation assignment folder.