Comparative Financial Analyses

Scenario: You graduated with a MS in accounting from UMGC and have recently been hired by a large accounting firm in Washington, D.C. You report directly to the senior accountant, Kathryn Cowgal, who is originally from Colorado and loves to ski when she is not riding horses. Fortunately, you and Kathryn hit it off right away and you are excited to be part of her team. It is Monday morning, you’re at your desk with a cup of coffee and a Danish staring at your long list of emails wondering how you’ll ever have time to catch up on last week’s projects. Your boss Kathryn briskly enters your office, sits down, and says, you are going to love this assignment. I have hand-picked you to prepare a financial analysis of our two newest clients. Kathryn goes on to say your report will be part of a company-wide analyses of the various business sectors in the US. For the analysis, she instructs you to choose from a list of paired public companies that are among the Fortune 500 and to be prepared to present your findings to the client. Kathryn hands you the list of paired public companies, suggested steps to follow, and a list of deliverables.