Category: Accounting homework help

You have been hired to assist Ashton Fleming in selecting a SaaS AIS suitable for S&S. Ashton would like a list of AISs that may be a fit for S&S. To do that you will have to have a basic plan and knowledge of the AIS requirements.
Ashton has developed a list of the journals, ledgers, reports, and documents that represent what he thinks S&S needs in terms of AIS functionality (see Table 2-4 from Problem 2-9 of your textbook). You will use this information and information provided in the textbook scenario to justify 3 must-have AIS features and make plans for the next steps.
Also, you know that you will have to choose between similar AISs, so you resolve to identify a characteristic for each AIS that differentiates it from the others.
Instructions
Consider the scenario and address the following in your submission document:
Briefly justify 3 requirements that best capture the AIS needs of S&S based on the scenario (they must differ from those you have already identified). Add a title that captures each in the table columns. Place an “X” in respective cells to indicate which AIS(s) meet the requirements.
Briefly describe a differentiating feature (one that makes it different from others) for each AIS (based upon their marketing materials) and add a title to represent it in the table.
Recommend 3 effective next steps for conducting a deeper AIS solution evaluation. Cite at least 3 credible and relevant resources to support your recommendation.
Hint: You might consider what questions you would ask, who the stakeholders are, barriers to adoption, etc. There is no single correct recommendation. Your approach should effectively further the adoption decision, be informed by sound practices, and consider unknown elements of the scenario and vendor solutions if necessary. Support your recommendation with at least 2 credible resources

Describe 3 effective considerations for guiding a company to a sound AIS selection. Add titles that represent them to column headers in the AIS Evaluation Table.
Identify 6 SaaS AIS solutions appropriate for a medium to large-size company. Add them to rows in the table and put an “X” in cells to indicate AIS solution(s) likely to satisfy your identified considerations.

 
For this assignment, assume the role of a newly hired equity analyst in an investment bank. Your boss has asked you to use your financial background to recommend three stocks to company investors. You are to:
Select three publicly traded companies to research.

Important: You may not choose Ford Motor Company or Microsoft Corporation.

Calculate the identified financial ratios for each company.
Summarize the findings on your selected companies’ performance in a 4–5 page report.
Information Gathering
After identifying the three companies you want to research, you will need to obtain financial information on them to calculate the required financial ratios:
Access the MarketsLinks to an external site. section of the Wall Street JournalLinks to an external site.:
Enter the stock symbol for the first of your selected companies in the Search bar in the upper right corner of the page.
Click on More Company Research.
Click on the Financials tab to obtain the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow documents for your selected companies.

In the drop-down box that appears, click on Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow to obtain these financial documents for your selected company.

Repeat this process for your other two selected companies.
Click on the Research & Ratings tab to obtain the company’s closing stock price for the last day of the financial statement reporting period for use in your assignment.

Click on Historical Prices in the drop-down box that appears.

Enter the starting and ending dates for the most recent fully reported year (for example, start date = 01/01/2020; end date = 12/31/2020) to the left of the Go tab in the middle of the page.
Click on Download a Spreadsheet on the right-hand side of the page.
Note the company’s stock closing price for the last day of the financial statement reporting period for use in your assignment.
Repeat this process for your other two selected companies.
Use Reuters Markets & Finance NewsLinks to an external site. to obtain industry averages for each of your selected companies:
Click the magnifying glass search icon on the upper right side of the page.
Enter your first selected company’s name.
Click on the Companies tab.
Click on the Financials tab.
Repeat this process for your other two selected companies.
Note: You may use other websites to gather financial information for your selected companies if you are more familiar with them. Examples include:

Finviz.com – Stock ScreenerLinks to an external site..

MarketWatchLinks to an external site..

Google FinanceLinks to an external site..
Instructions
Write a 4-5 page report, summarizing the findings of your financial analysis, in which you:
Perform the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies correctly:

Price-earnings ratio (for earnings per share (EPS), use the diluted EPS total).
Operating margin.
Net profit margin.
Return on equity.
Current ratio.
Quick ratio.
Revenue growth for the past five years.
Long-term debt to equity.

Analyze each firm’s performance against the industry average, considering all critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.

Be sure to comment on each firm’s strengths and weaknesses.

Advise investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your well-supported stock valuation experience.
Recommend to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks and provide a rationale for all recommendations.

Remember: A buy recommendation means you are expecting prices to rise; a sell recommendation means you are expecting prices to fall.

Determine your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock and provide a rationale for your recommendations.

Remember: Your recommended risk tolerance level is the price at which investors should sell the stocks if the market goes against them.

Summarize the current market sentiment for your selected stocks along with a five-year outlook, based on accurate data points.
Use three sources to support your writing.

Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.
Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.
Access the Strayer University Library or review library guides for help with research, writing, and citation.

Formatting
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. Note the following:
The preferred method is for your paper to be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
Use headers to highlight each topic (Financial Ratios, Performance Against Industry Average, Buy and Sell or Hold Decision, and so on).
Include a cover page containing the assignment title, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
Include a source list page. Citations and source list entries must follow SWS format. The source list page is not included in the required page length.
Learning Outcomes
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
Evaluate stocks by computing, comparing and contrasting ratios, and analyzing the performance of the stocks versus the industry averages.
View RubricWeek 4 Assignment – Ratio AnalysisWeek 4 Assignment – Ratio AnalysisCriteriaRatingsPtsPerform the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies correctly.62.5 to >56.24 ptsExemplaryPerformed the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies correctly.56.24 to >49.99 ptsCompetentPerformed the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies but omitted one or two required calculations and/or made one or two calculations incorrectly.49.99 to >43.74 ptsSatisfactoryPerformed the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies but addressed only two of the three companies, omitted three or four required calculations and/or made three or four calculations incorrectly.43.74 to >37.49 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to perform the required financial calculations for each of your selected companies but addressed only one of the three companies, omitted five or more required calculations, and/or made five or more calculations incorrectly.37.49 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not perform the required financial calculations for any of your selected companies./ 62.5 ptsAnalyze each firm’s performance against the industry average, considering all critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.37.5 to >33.74 ptsExemplaryAnalyzed each firm’s performance against the industry average, considering all critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.33.74 to >29.99 ptsCompetentAnalyzed each firm’s performance against the industry average but did not consider one or two critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.29.99 to >26.24 ptsSatisfactoryAnalyzed each firm’s performance against the industry average but addressed only two of the three companies and/or did not consider three or four critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.26.24 to >22.49 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to analyze each firm’s performance against the industry average, but addressed only one of the three companies and/or did not consider five or more critical aspects necessary to assess company performance.22.49 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not analyze any firm’s performance against the industry average/ 37.5 ptsAdvise investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your well-supported stock valuation experience.37.5 to >33.74 ptsExemplaryAdvised investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your well-supported stock valuation experience.33.74 to >29.99 ptsCompetentAdvised investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your stock valuation experience, but recommendations were based on one inaccurate or unsupported assumption.29.99 to >26.24 ptsSatisfactoryAdvised investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your stock valuation experience, but addressed only two of the three stocks; documented the rationale for only two of the stock recommendations; and/or recommendations were based on two inaccurate or unsupported assumptions.26.24 to >22.49 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to advise investors whether to buy and hold or sell these stocks based on your companies’ current stock prices, products and services, and your stock valuation experience, but addressed only one of the three stocks; advice considered some of the factors (current stock prices, products and services, and your stock valuation experience), but not all three; documented the rationale for only one of the stock recommendations; and/or recommendations were based on three or more inaccurate or unsupported assumptions.22.49 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not advise investors whether to buy and hold or sell any stocks./ 37.5 ptsRecommend to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks and provide a rationale for all recommendations.25 to >22.49 ptsExemplaryRecommended to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks and provided a rationale for all recommendations.22.49 to >19.99 ptsCompetentRecommended to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks, but based the recommendations on one incorrect or unsubstantiated assumption.19.99 to >17.49 ptsSatisfactoryRecommended to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks, but recommended prices for only two of the three stocks; provided a rationale for only two of the recommendations; and/or based the recommendations on two incorrect or unsubstantiated assumptions.17.49 to >14.99 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to recommend to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks, but recommended prices for only one of the three stocks; provided a rationale for only one of the recommendations; and/or based the recommendations on three or more incorrect or unsubstantiated assumptions.14.99 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not recommend to investors the prices at which they should buy or sell these stocks./ 25 ptsDetermine your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock and provide rationale for all recommendations.25 to >22.49 ptsExemplaryDetermined your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock with rationale.22.49 to >19.99 ptsCompetentDetermined your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock, but recommendations were based on one inaccurate or unsupported assumption.19.99 to >17.49 ptsSatisfactoryDetermined your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock but addressed the first profit target and recommended risk tolerance level for only two of the three stocks; documented the rationale for only two of the recommendations; and/or based the recommendations on two inaccurate or unsupported assumptions.17.49 to >14.99 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to determine your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock, but addressed the first profit target or the recommended risk tolerance level but not both; addressed the first profit target and recommended risk tolerance level for only one of the three stocks; documented the rationale for only one of the recommendations; and/or based the recommendations on three or more inaccurate or unsupported assumptions.14.99 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not determine your first profit target and the recommended risk tolerance level for each stock./ 25 ptsSummarize the current market sentiment for your selected stocks along with a five-year outlook, based on accurate data points.25 to >22.49 ptsExemplarySummarized the current market sentiment for your selected stocks along with a five-year outlook, based on accurate data points.22.49 to >19.99 ptsCompetentSummarized the current market sentiment along with a five-year outlook but based the summary and outlook on one inaccurate data point.19.99 to >17.49 ptsSatisfactorySummarized the current market sentiment and a five-year outlook for only two of the selected stocks and/or based the summary and outlook on two inaccurate data points.17.49 to >14.99 ptsNeeds ImprovementAttempted to summarize the current market sentiment for your selected stocks along with a five-year outlook but addressed either the current market sentiment or the five-year outlook but not both; addressed the current market sentiment and a five-year outlook for only one of the selected stocks; based the summary and outlook on three or more inaccurate data points.14.99 to >0 ptsUnacceptableDid not summarize the current market sentiment for your selected stocks along with a five-year outlook./ 25 ptsUse three sources to support your writing.12.5 to >11.24 ptsExemplaryExceeds the required number of references; all references are high-quality choices.11.24 to >9.99 ptsCompetentMeets the required number of references; all references are high-quality choices.9.99 to >8.74 ptsSatisfactoryDoes not meet the required number of references; some references are poor-quality choices.8.74 to >7.49 ptsNeeds ImprovementDoes not meet the required number of references; all references are poor-quality choices.7.49 to >0 ptsUnacceptableNo references provided./ 12.5 ptsClarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements.25 to >22.49 ptsExemplary0–2 errors present.22.49 to >19.99 ptsCompetent3–4 errors present.19.99 to >17.49 ptsSatisfactory5–6 errors present.17.49 to >14.99 ptsNeeds Improvement7–8 errors present.14.99 to >0 ptsUnacceptableMore than eight errors present./ 25 ptsTotal Points: 0
Choose a submission type

The GCU Library will be a vital resource for you during your academic career. The Library contains a wealth of resources that will help you find, research, and broaden your understanding on any given topic. Learning to correctly locate, cite, and use resources to support your writing is an essential component of your academic success.
Use the attached document, “Library Research Worksheet” to complete the assignment.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
Attachments

Using the attached financial statements and selected footnotes from the 2022 annual
report of Pfizer, answer the following questions.
1. As per the financial statements, did Pfizer acquire any short-term investment
securities in fiscal 2022? Did they sell any short-term investment securities? If so,
how much did they pay and receive, respectively?
2. Did Pfizer make any acquisitions? If so, how much cash (net) did they pay?

Comments on the SEC’s Proposed Rule titled “Strengthening the Commission’s Requirements Regarding Auditor Independence” are available here:
https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s74902.shtmlLinks to an external site.
You can see comments by various firms, groups, and individuals, including each of the Big 4, the second-tier and other audit firms. 
Read the submissions of 
(a) Deloitte 
(b) Ernst & Young
(c) Lynn Turner, former Chief Accountant of the SEC
(d) Mark Anson, Chief Investment Officer, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s74902/deloitte1.htmLinks to an external site.
https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s74902/ernstyoung1.htmLinks to an external site.
https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s74902/lturner011303.htmLinks to an external site.
https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s74902/manson1.htmLinks to an external site.
Required:
Critically evaluate the partner compensation rules from SEC’s FRR No.68 (2003). 
Question:
How can the rule be improved? 
Note:
Your answer must include references to the above four comments, but you are free to use material from other commenters. 

 
Overview
You got the job! You have been appointed the director of strategic planning for the Fortune Global 500 company you selected in Module One. They were impressed with your detailed background research about the company’s vision and goals.
The vice president of strategy and operations (VP) has confided to you that strategic planning has been a challenge for the company over the past year, specifically crafting new strategies and aligning them to the company’s mission and goals. You have now been tasked with creating a new strategic planning proposal to help the company explore at least one new growth opportunity to increase its revenue or market share in the industry.
To create your proposal, you first need to analyze the company’s business environment and identify possible opportunities for growth. In this assignment, you will analyze your company’s internal business environment and explain its influence on revenue or market share.
Prompt
Perform an internal environment analysis of your company to understand the company’s current business environment and future goals. Use resources such as the company website, which will have pertinent information including its most recent sustainability report, and other relevant sources to help complete this presentation. You can also use the resources in the MBA Library Research Guide to conduct further research about your company.
Create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to show the results of your analysis. Use both on- slide text and narration or speaker notes in your PowerPoint slides to convey your information effectively. If narration is not possible, precise and extensive speaker notes should be used, while addressing all of the rubric elements in the presentation. For example, you can use brief, bulleted lists summarizing the highlights of your analysis on the slide and include more detailed explanations in your narration or speaker notes.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

Overview (slide 1): Provide a brief overview of the company’s products, services, and customer base.

Existing Entities (slides 2–3): Identify at least two existing partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions. Explain how these entities contribute to the company’s revenue or market share.

Five-Year Goals (slide 4): Speculate on what the company wants to achieve in the next five years by considering its mission statement, its values and goals, and relevant sections of its sustainability report.
What to Submit
Create a PowerPoint presentation with on-slide text and narration or detailed speaker notes. Your presentation should be 4 to 6 slides in length. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

 
Use these questions to guide your presentation development. Each bullet contains related questions that could be the general topic of one or more slides in the body of your presentation.
What went well in your course project development? What did you enjoy or find interesting? What do you think is the best part of your project? How will this be useful in your future?
What challenges did you face, and how did you address them? How might you continue developing skills to prevent or resolve such challenges in the future?
Beyond details about your selected technology’s history and application, what did you learn about society and culture, politics and economics, ethics and equity as impacted by this or other technologies?
Looking back at your progress through English, Sociology, Speech, Ethics, History, Humanities, Maths and other General Education program courses, what do you perceive is their value as preparation for success in your personal and professional life?
Considering the DeVry General Education Common Learning Outcomes (GECLOs), which are often considered “soft” skills, social  skills, or human skills, what are your current strengths and opportunities to develop further? How will you need these skills? How will you continue developing in these areas?
The assignment requires no research, though to help inspire your reflection, you may wish to review your program to see which courses you took, course descriptions, and the Gen Ed program goals and objectives (GECLOs), all of which can be found in the DeVry Academic Catalog

 
Use these questions to guide your presentation development. Each bullet contains related questions that could be the general topic of one or more slides in the body of your presentation.
What went well in your course project development? What did you enjoy or find interesting? What do you think is the best part of your project? How will this be useful in your future?
What challenges did you face, and how did you address them? How might you continue developing skills to prevent or resolve such challenges in the future?
Beyond details about your selected technology’s history and application, what did you learn about society and culture, politics and economics, ethics and equity as impacted by this or other technologies?
Looking back at your progress through English, Sociology, Speech, Ethics, History, Humanities, Maths and other General Education program courses, what do you perceive is their value as preparation for success in your personal and professional life?
Considering the DeVry General Education Common Learning Outcomes (GECLOs), which are often considered “soft” skills, social  skills, or human skills, what are your current strengths and opportunities to develop further? How will you need these skills? How will you continue developing in these areas?
The assignment requires no research, though to help inspire your reflection, you may wish to review your program to see which courses you took, course descriptions, and the Gen Ed program goals and objectives (GECLOs), all of which can be found in the DeVry Academic Catalog

 2-3 page report to include excel graphs and charts
Survey response overview 
Number of responses  
Key findings (race, gender, geographical location)
Limitations and potential biases in data 
Summary of data 
Economic metrics  
Business starts, job creation, revenue increases, loans obtained, capital infusion, and government contracts