Category: Accounting homework help

 In this assignment, you will apply your finance/budgeting and forecasting skills to analyze stock investments. Before you begin working on the assignment, be sure to review the investment information for the  FLCSX – Fidelity ® Large Cap Stock Fund | Fidelity Investments 
 
Instructions
Write a 4–5 page investment analysis in which you:
Assess the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund, including the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Provide support for your assessment.
Evaluate the volatility risks in the fund, providing an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund, as well as a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Provide support for your response.
Compare your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, indicating your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Provide support for your position.
Assess the top 10 holdings in the fund, indicating the level of diversification in the fund. Identify a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance. Provide support for your rationale.
Use at least three quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Recommend changes to improve the performance of a fund, based on volatility risks, holdings, and level of diversification.
View RubricWeek 5 Assignment – Stock Investment AnalysisWeek 5 Assignment – Stock Investment AnalysisCriteriaRatingsPtsAssess the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund, including the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Provide support for your assessment.41.25 to >37.12 ptsExemplaryAssessed the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund including the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Provided support for your assessment.37.12 to >33 ptsCompetentAssessed the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund including the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Did not provide support for your assessment.33 to >28.87 ptsSatisfactoryAssessed the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund but failed to include both the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Provided support for your assessment.28.87 to >24.75 ptsNeeds ImprovementAssessed the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund but failed to include both the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500. Did not provide support for your assessment.24.75 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not submit or did not assess the year-to-date performance of the FLCSX fund including the key drivers of the fund performance, and how the performance of the fund compares to the S&P 500./ 41.25 ptsEvaluate the volatility risks in the fund, providing an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund, as well as a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Provide support for your response.41.25 to >37.12 ptsExemplaryEvaluated the volatility risks in the fund, provided an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund, as well as a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Provided support for your response.37.12 to >33 ptsCompetentEvaluated the volatility risks in the fund, provided an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund, as well as a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Did not provide support for your response.33 to >28.87 ptsSatisfactoryEvaluated the volatility risks in the fund but failed to provide both an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund and a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Provided support for your response.28.87 to >24.75 ptsNeeds ImprovementIdentified, but did not evaluate, the volatility risks in the fund. Failed to provide both an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund and a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund. Did not provide support for your response.24.75 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not submit or did not evaluate the volatility risks in the fund, providing an assessment of the fund manager’s performance based on the risk measurements for the fund, as well as a recommendation for improving the performance of the fund./ 41.25 ptsCompare your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, indicating your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Provide support for your position.33 to >29.7 ptsExemplaryCompared your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, indicating your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Provided support for your position.29.7 to >26.4 ptsCompetentCompared your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, indicating your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Did not provide support for your position.26.4 to >23.1 ptsSatisfactoryCompared your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, but did not indicate your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Provided support for your comparison.23.1 to >19.8 ptsNeeds ImprovementProvided a basic side-to-side comparison of your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating but did not indicate your agreement or disagreement with the rating. Did not provide any explanation or support for your position.19.8 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not submit or did not compare your assessment of the fund performance to the Morningstar rating for the fund, indicating your agreement or disagreement with the rating./ 33 ptsAssess the top 10 holdings in the fund, indicating the level of diversification in the fund. Identify a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance. Provide support for your rationale.33 to >29.7 ptsExemplaryAssessed the top 10 holdings in the fund, indicating the level of diversification in the fund. Identified a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance. Provided support for your rationale.29.7 to >26.4 ptsCompetentAssessed the top 10 holdings in the fund, indicating the level of diversification in the fund. Identified a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance. Did not provide support for your rationale.26.4 to >23.1 ptsSatisfactoryAssessed the top 10 holdings in the fund but did not indicate the level of diversification in the fund. Either identified a company that may impose increased risk OR any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance, but not both. Provided some support for your rationale.23.1 to >19.8 ptsNeeds ImprovementIdentified the top 10 holdings in the fund but did not indicate the level of diversification in the fund. Did not identify a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance. Provided limited or no support.19.8 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not submit or did not assess the top 10 holdings in the fund, indicating the level of diversification in the fund. Did not identify a company that may impose increased risk and any changes that you would recommend in the fund composition to improve the fund performance./ 33 ptsUse at least three quality academic resources in this assignment.8.25 to >7.42 ptsExemplaryUsed at least three quality academic resources in this assignment. All references are high-quality choices.7.42 to >6.6 ptsCompetentMeets the required number of references; some references are poor-quality choices.6.6 to >5.77 ptsSatisfactoryDoes not meet the required number of references; some references are poor-quality choices.5.77 to >4.95 ptsNeeds ImprovementDoes not meet the required number of references; all references are poor-quality choices.4.95 to >0 ptsUnacceptableNo references provided./ 8.25 ptsClarity, writing mechanics, and SWS formatting requirements.8.25 to >7.42 ptsExemplary0–2 errors present.7.42 to >6.6 ptsCompetent3–4 errors present.6.6 to >5.77 ptsSatisfactory5–6 errors present.5.77 to >4.95 ptsNeeds Improvement7–8 errors present.4.95 to >0 ptsUnacceptableMore than 8 errors present./ 8.25 pts
 

 
Watch all of the videos in the Percipio Course: Developing a Plan to Further Your CareerLinks to an external site. (18m 24s).
Complete the Percipio Knowledge Check: Getting Your Career on Track and take the test. Score a minimum of 70% on the test to complete the course and earn your digital badge. Click to View Badge, download your badge from Percipio as .png, and submit. (50 points)

1. Exhibit: How John Deere Reduced Supply Chain Inventory
Deere & Company’s Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division (C&CE) manufactures tractors, garden mowers, and ATVs. They are sold to U.S. consumers through a network of 2,500 dealers. Sales are seasonal; 65 percent of annual sales occur between March and July.
Surprisingly, most consumer purchases of C&CE products are made by impulse. In a typical scenario, a consumer walks into a dealership (usually a hardware store) looking to make a different purchase but ends up buying a tractor or mower after seeing it on display. To support impulse sales, dealers must maintain a significant level of inventory available. Thus, in the past Deere encouraged dealers to maintain as much inventory as possible by providing financing. However, even though the inventory was sold to dealers, it actually remained a Deere asset. This is because the inventory was financed and thus remained in Deere’s books as accounts receivable.
With this policy, it is no surprise that the total level of inventory in the supply chain ballooned to 1.4 billion in 2001. Moreover, it was expected to reach about $2 billion by 2005. This represented a substantial share of the total sales revenue of $4 billion in its Worldwide C&CE division in 2005.
The excess inventory resulted in financial pressure, both internal and from Wall Street, to reduce inventory. Deere decided to reduce supply chain inventory by $1 billion in four years. The plan consisted of four major components. The first component was to introduce a sophisticated sales forecasting capability to help determine the amount of inventory that dealers should keep in order to adequately support sales.
The second component was to restructure production to introduce fast and flexible manufacturing. The goal was to add flexibility by producing in smaller lots. The flexibility translated into a greater ability to react to changes in demand. If a particular model sold more than forecasted, production could be adjusted upward and sales would not be hindered by a large inventory of a model with weaker-than-expected sales.
To change the production plan to increase production to match the sales season was the third component. This enabled Deere to avoid creating excess inventory by producing too much in the off-season. An important part of this component was to work with suppliers to ensure that their deliveries match the revised production plan. Finally, Deere worked to reduce delivery time to dealers from 10 to 5 days by adding DCs closer to key markets. This enabled dealers to carry less inventory. Deere inventory is slightly higher than it would be without the DCs, but overall supply chain inventory is lower.
As a result of the reduction in supply chain inventory, Deere’s stock price went up from about $40 in 2001 to about $70 in 2005.
Source: James A. Cook, “Running Inventory Like a Deere,” Supply Chain Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 3 (2007), pp. 46–50; David Maloney, “Billion Dollar Baby,” DC Velocity, April 2006, pp. 43–46; and Lisa Harrington, “Inventory Velocity: All the Right Moves,” Inbound Logistics, Vol. 25, No. 11 (2005), pp. 36–4
Review the exhibit above , “How John Deere Reduced Supply Chain Inventory”, and respond to the following questions in 200 words:
Discuss the need for inventory management in supply chain management and 2 key reasons for holding inventory.
Explain how strategic alliances and partnerships help optimize an organization’s outsourcing strategy.
2.  write 300–500 words that respond to the following questions after reading from this link:  
https://www.investopedia.com/insights/what-is-international-trade/
Explain how international trade contributes to job creation in a country.
Provide two examples of industries or sectors that have experienced significant employment growth due to expanded global trade.

 
Earned-value analysis. A project budget calls for the following expenditures:
Task
Date
Budgeted Amount
Build Forms
April 1
$10,000
Pour Foundation
April 1
May 1
$50,000
$100,000
Frame Walls
May 1
June 1
$30,000
$30,000
Remaining Tasks
July 1 and beyond
$500,000
Define each term in your own words, calculate these values for the above project, and show your work:
1. Budgeted cost baseline (make a graph illustrating this one)
2. Budget at completion (BAC)
3. Planned value (PV) as of May 1
4. Earned value (EV) as of May 1 if the foundation work is only two-thirds complete. Everything else is on schedule.
5. SV as of May 1.
6. Actual cost as of May 1 is $160,000. Calculate the cost variance (CV) as of May 1.
7. Schedule performance index (SPI)
8. Cost performance index (CPI)
9. Estimate to complete (ETC), assuming that the previous cost variances will not affect future costs
10. Estimate at completion (EAC)

Prepare a written report discussing an ethical accounting issue. Students should select an article from accounting periodicals such as The CPA Journal, Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Technology Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, etc. Textbooks should not be used.
The paper should include a summary of the article, including the main points by the author, the student’s reaction to the article, and a bibliography. The report should be two double-spaced 8.5×11 typed pages plus a third page for a bibliography.

What principles from GCU’s mission, vision, and Christian mission that you read about in Chapter 2 of the University Success Guide in this week’s readings can you implement in your career, personal or spiritual life?
Go to DiscussionSubmit DQ Response

Read the Topic 3 Resources indicated below before responding to this DQ.
“Time Management” section of Chapter 4 in University Success Guide: Finding Your Purpose
Student Preparation for Distance Education
What strategies do you currently use, or have used in the past, to try to practice good time management? Are there any strategies mentioned in the articles listed above that you use or have used? Are there any strategies from the articles that you will try to use going forward to improve your time management? What time management strategies do you think work best to ensure you have adequate time for studying and school work?
Submit DQ ResponseJP

Will the presence of “audit committee financial experts” make a difference in terms of financial reporting quality? Why or why not? If yes, should all audit committee directors be “financial experts”?
In your opinion, who should be designated an “audit committee financial expert?” Do you expect differences based on different types of experts (i.e., someone with auditing experience vs. accounting managerial experience vs. non-accounting managerial experience)?
Notes:
 I only need answer for question #2, I added question #1 only for you to have an idea on how the complete assignment looks like. PLEASE ONLY ANSEWR QUESTION #2. Thanks.

 The student will post one thread of at least 400 words .
 Choose a publicly traded company that begins with the same letter as your last name(E). Using either the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Edgar Database, or by going directly to your chosen company’s website, download the company’s annual report. Review the information contained within the annual report (10k), paying particular attention to the financial statements and the notes to the financial statements. How important do the financial statements appear to be with regard to the annual report? Are the financial statements mentioned in the management discussion? Do the financial statements provide enough information to potential investors? Is too much information given to competitors who may also be reviewing the financial statements? Explain the significance of the financial statements within the annual report. In your replies, compare your company with your classmates’ and discuss the similarities or differences between your chosen companies. 
 

Complete Case Activity 2-29 (Koss Corporation) on page 112 of the textbook.
Prepare your answers using Microsoft Word. Ensure that your document is double-spaced and maintains 1-inch margins on all sides. The font to be used should be Times New Roman, size 12. It is crucial to follow APA formatting guidelines throughout your document. This includes proper in-text citations, headings, and a reference list if you refer to any external sources. Proper formatting not only ensures clarity and professionalism but will also be a component of your grade for this assignment.