BMAN20081 – Financial Statement Analysis 2014/15

Project – Weekly questions

Week 2

Calculate the Workshop 1 ratios for “your” company
Who are the key stakeholders in “your” company (check on the investor section of the website)?
Who are major shareholders?
Are there institutional investors?
Who are the main lenders?
Are there any other stakeholders?

Week 3

Is there a mission statement for your company?
Is the company strategy clear from the annual report?
Can you identify your company following either a strategy of cost-leadership or product differentiation or both?
Can you identify within your company:
A clear set of LT goals?
The scope of the business?
How it might achieve competitive advantage?
Its strategic logic?
How does your company address corporate objectives?
What drives the strategy?
Can you identify your company’s strategic resources and its strategic capabilities?
Has your company implemented a risk management strategy?
What are the main risks facing this company?

Week 4

To what extent does your company take sustainability seriously?
Does your company follow a core strategy of sustainability, or is it just for appearances?
Is there a sustainability report?
Do they have a sustainability section in their website?
What does it tell you about their approach to sustainability?
How does your company address sustainability reporting within its annual report?
What non-financial sustainability information does it provide
Can you understand the way it manages its economic, social and environmental strategies, actions and impacts?

Week 5

How many pages are in your company’s annual report?
How many are in respect of narrative reporting?
Is there any reference made to non-mandatory (or “voluntary”) reporting?
Which reports can you find?
Do you think these additional reports add to your understanding of the financial statements?
Do they address stakeholder needs?
Do you think that your company provides information for the benefit of its stakeholders? What other motives are driving it?

READING WEEK

Meet the other members in your group
Be prepared to discuss which of the companies is the “best” investment
You will need to come to this meeting with