The assignment aims to develop an understanding of financial statements structure and their use in decision-making. The task is to choose a publicly listed company (see list on page 4) from the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), analyse the latest financial statements and come up with a conclusion with supporting data or information whether to invest in the company or not.

In order to avoid duplication of companies being examined, groups are required to inform the lecturer the selected company before commencing.

This group project encompasses several learning objectives, each of which comprises a part of the students' task. However, it is well encouraged to include any additional information that students may think will be useful in conducting financial statements analysis of the selected company.

General Rules & Requirements:

The Business Report should be prepared by a group with a maximum of three (3). Reports must be confined to a maximum of 3,000 words. As a minimum the report should have the following:

A. Title page
B. Executive Summary
C. Table of Contents
D. Introduction
E. Body
F. Conclusion
G. Reference List
H. Appendix

Financial Statement Analysis

Part 1

Provide an executive summary which will include overview of subject matter, methods of analysis, findings and recommendations.

Part 2

Use the latest annual report. The group will need to review the major sections of this report in order to be familiar with the content of each of the financial statements including notes and disclosures.

Review the balance sheet of the company and indicate the total amount of the following:

a) Current assets
b) Non-current assets
c) Current liabilities
d) Non-current liabilities
e) Stockholder's equity

Compare the above figures with the previous year and compute the percentage increase or decrease and comment on the comparative financial condition of the company.

Part 3

Review the income statement and indicate the following:

a) Total (operating) revenues
b) Cost of Goods Sold (if relevant)
c) Total expenses (before income taxes)
d) Any non-operating (or extraordinary) gains and losses
e) Earnings per common share

Compare the above figures with the previous year and compute the percentage increase or decrease and comment on the comparative financial operation of the company.

Part 4

Review the statement of cash flows for the most recent year and indicate the following:

a) Net cash inflow (outflow) from operating activities
b) Net cash inflow (outflow) from financing activities
c) Net cash inflow (outflow) from investing activities
d) Net increase (decrease) in cash during the year

Analyse the Cash Flow Statements for the last 2 years and comment on the cash position of the company.

Part 5

Review the stockholders' equity section in your chosen company's most recent year-end balance sheet and compare that with the previous year-end balance sheet. Compare percentage increase or decrease.

List the stockholders' equity account balances and number of outstanding shares from these two balance sheets and compute the increase or decrease for each during this past year.