Assignment

Chosen company: Wal-Mart, Inc.

There is one project in this course: the SEC 10-K report (paper) and the Power Point Presentation.

Write your paper, read carefully, and consider possible edits and changes.

3 - 4 pages single spaced, double space between paragraphs. Page count does not include title page, tables and exhibits, table of contents, and works cited list

title page
bibliography or works cited (business classes use APA format)
in text citations (business classes use APA format)
tables, and appendixes if you wish to copy and paste financial statements or materials you did not write (these will not be part of the ‘page count')

Your paper should use one-inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom of each page, and font set at 12 point.

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

Our discussion postings during the semester should assist you in completing this paper

Ask questions of your professor on this project

Links and explanations to assist you with this paper may appear in this resource

Written Assignment: SEC 10-K Analysis

Using the Internet, access the SEC 10-K annual report for a publicly traded company of your choice. The company must be a manufacturing concern with inventory and accounts receivable.

You must select a company that is publicly traded and has inventory and accounts receivable. Most students find the SEC 10-K annual report at their company's web site in sections such as About Us and / or Investor Relations. Look for SEC and Annual Filings (you will often find drop down menus to click). You must research and secure the SEC 10-K Annual Report for the most recent year. Save the file to your computer for access. Do not print as the report is usually 100 pages or more. Post the name of your company, the SEC 10-K web link, and how you found the SEC 10-K in the SEC 10-K discussion for approval by your professor.

Review the company's MD&A as well as financial statements and the accompanying footnotes. Use this information to prepare your "analytic" results. You may want to seek additional background and comparative data on the business. Yahoo Finance has a "competitors" feature we will discuss in class.

The content of your paper should focus on accounting issues and include words used in our accounting class, including financial accounting as well as managerial accounting. An example would be a discussion on inventory: how it is valued, whether there is a WIP account, and other details you learned this semester.

Use terms from our class and create displays using the SEC 10-K for your company. The use of headings will label the sections in your paper. You should present inventory turnover, days sales in inventory, days sales in accounts receivable, and other financial analysis from our course, both for the current year and as they relate to changes in accounts from one year to the next. Your goal is to explain the financial statements and the information of the SEC 10-K with the knowledge you learn from our class. While not explaining every item in the SEC 10-K, your paper should tell a story and illustrate your mastery of accounting terms and concepts. No more than one page should be devoted to your company's history and non-financial information.

A Power Point presentation (no more than 10 slides) will also need to be prepared to cover the highlights of your paper. Please post the presentation in the designated SEC 10-K discussion near the end of the semester to share with other students. Read your classmate's presentation and provide comments to at least one other posting.

After the discussion week you should review your Power Point presentation and submit the final version in the assignment folder. This is the Power Point file I will grade. The Power Point Presentation discussion is part of participation and designed to assist you in creating your final project. However if you file to participate in that discussion it may affect the ‘grade' for your Power Point Presentation. Again, don't miss the easy points!