the SEC EDGAR system. 

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 essential in all deliverables you create.

1. Select a company that is publicly traded. (THE HOME DEPOT INC. is the company of choice)
2. It must have an Accounts Receivable and Inventory Account. It is recommended you select a manufacturing company.
3. 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” and “SEC Filing.”
4. You may also find the report using the SEC EDGAR system.
5. 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.
6. 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 material for this class, including the notes to the financial statements.
4. Do not consider the material from Weeks 7 and 8 in your report.
5. The report must be submitted after Week 5 material on Property, Plant, and Equipment (PPE).

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 a 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 reports such as Accounts Receivable and Inventory (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 through 5.
6. You will also be required to include the Income Statement and Balance Sheet as an attachment 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 points.