The main objective of the project is to help you implement the knowledge acquired in the
Accounting Program to design and deliver an impactful presentation. To accomplish this goal,
each group will select a publicly traded company and, taking the perspective of an equity investor,
provide an analysis of the firm’s standing and prospects.
The analysis should encompass issues such as:
Background, business model, and operations
Management team
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and challenges
Recent events (e.g., merger and acquisition activities, litigations, key projects)
Important non-financial metrics (e.g., new subscribers and churn rate for subscription-
oriented firms)
* Historical performance
e Performance relative to a (group of) peer firm(s)
® And, of course, anything else the team considers important!
I include the FSA Project assignment, and the associated financial ratios template, developed by
and courtesy of Prof. Stephen Bryan (https:
www.theaccountingoasis.com/about-us). Since 1) the
main deliverable for our project is a presentation, rather than a written report, 2) I request you
select your own US public firm and peer(s), and 3) you are responsible for collecting the necessary
financial data, I include the FSA Project assignment files as a reference, rather than using it as the
project guideline. Although you are free to organize your presentation in the manner you feel will
est deliver your message, I encourage you to review Prof. Bryan's templates.
There are multiple resources for the project. For example:
* EDGAR (sec.gov) provides a repository of filings for US public firms dating back to the
mid 1990’s.
* Baruch College has a subscription to CALCBENCH
(https:
www.calcbench.com
aruch), which offers standardized data based on the XBRL
filings of US public firms.
* Seeking Alpha (https:
seckingalpha.com/) provides a variety of resources on public firms,
including conference call transcripts.
e The firm’s own website.
The final presentation will be to the class. All group presentations will be held during the last 3
scheduled class sessions. The target presentation length is 15-20 minutes, as each group membe
PLEASE NOTE: THIS ASSIGNMENT AND THE RESULTANT PRESENTATIONS IN NO
WAY CONSTRUE INVESTMENT ADVICE!
should plan to speak for about 5-7 minutes. As stated in the syllabus, the presentations should
meet the following criteria:
1. They should be well-organized and efficient.
2. They should include effective visual aids.
3. They should demonstrate each group member’s basic presentation skills (e.g.,
making eye contact with the audience, avoiding distracting behavior, etc.).
4. They should hold the attention of the audience.
5. They should demonstrate skill in coordinating with other group members.
6. They should convey the impression that each speaker and the team as a whole is
knowledgeable about the topic.
As a reminder, a consultant from Baruch’s Schwartz Communication Institute will assist us in
meeting these goals. Each group will meet with a Schwartz Institute coordinator to conduct
ehearsals, review videotapes, and receive feedback. All students must schedule and attend one
ehearsal outside of class hours. The rehearsal is required!
Accompanying the presentation to the class, each group should submit their slides and a report (no
longer than one page, single space!) describing the contribution of each team member to the
project, together with a
ief discussion of what you learned from your interaction with Baruch’s
Schwartz Communication Institute fellow.