Essays and Research Papers on Finance

A 3 page paper examining Urban Outfitters' 2005 annual report and answering 22 questions about results, reporting and changes from the previous year. Includes several ratio calculations. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In recent years the failure of companies such as Enron, WorldCom and Parmalat have shaken the confidence of the markets and investors. This 6 page paper considers the impact that this has had on corporations and the accounting profession as a whole. The bibliography cites 5 sources.

A 4 page paper examining the most recent annual reports of Nike and Reebok. These two companies will continue to be direct competitors in their industry following Adidas' acquisition of Reebok in the first part of 2006. Nike continues to lead the industry, even after Adidas and Reebok combine to form the world's ...

A 6 page paper examining cash flow at FedEx 2003 – 2005. It was during this period that FedEx acquired Kinko's, a fact reflected in the company's changes in cash; it was shortly before this period that UPS acquired Mailboxes, Etc to create the UPS Stores. The paper includes 10 quotes from an ...

This 3 page paper examines the capital structure of Sysco Corp. looking at the make up of the debt and liabilities ands the equity. Using the 2005 annual accounts the paper calculates the cost of debt, the cost of equity and the weighted average cost capital (WACC). The bibliography cites 1 source.

A 3 page paper assessing whether Citigroup exhibited adaptability in its preparations to enter China and do business there before China acceded to the WTO. The paper identifies how the company did and did not exhibit adaptability to conclude that it failed more extensively than it succeeded in being adaptable to the Chinese market. ...

This 4 page paper looks at a case study supplied by a UK student. A man is starting a business, expecting to make a loss in the first year and then a £90,000 in following years. The paper looks at the potential tax and national insurance liabilities for remaining self employed or setting up a ...

This 9 page paper discusses the statement that “Implementing international accounting standards will require considerable time and resources but the end results will be beneficial for all UK companies”. The paper looks at the benefits and the costs that will be realised as a result of harmonisation of accounting standards. The bibliography cites 9 sources. ...

This 8 page paper examines the performance of Denny’s the well known casual restaurant chain and compares it to Applebee’s. The paper starts by looking the background of the company and the industry and then undertakes an in depth ratio analysis to compare these two companies. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

An 8 page paper assessing the potential usefulness of applying ABC to the food service operation at the Palace Hotel Guam. ABC has been replacing traditional costing methods in manufacturing settings for years, but it is not often applied to or used in service settings and for the most part is practically unknown in ...

This 3 page paper looks at different aspects of capital budgeting and investment explaining the meanings of the payback period, the internal rate of return, sunk and opportunity costs and working capital. The bibliography cites 3 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at a case study supplied by the student and values the securities on the balance sheet; the loan, the bonds and the common stock, using present value, net present value, yield to maturity, dividend discount model and CAPM. The bibliography cites 3 sources.

A 3 page paper discussing in general terms three types of capital budgeting. The paper discusses net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and modified internal rate of return (MIRR), all variations of the discounted cash flow model (DCF). Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper reviewing Nike's 2005 annual report, examining auditors' statements, financial trends, profitability, business trends and the company's general financial position. Nike appears to be positioning itself for the future in solidifying its social responsibility position and retaining additional earnings. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 7 page paper is based on a case study supplied by the student. A company has seasonal demand and wants to assess the best production strategy, The paper explains the way this can be calculated and shows the calculation for a level and a change strategy. The bibliography cites 3 sources.

This 4 page paper is written in two parts. The first compares the balance sheets, income statement and statement of cash flow of three companies; Microsoft, ExxonMobile and Ford, looking at the similarities and difference and determining which are the most useful. The second part considers whether the traditional measurement of profit is sufficient or ...

This 10 page paper takes data supplied by the student on a random sample of leisure and pharmaceutical companies and assess if there is any correlation between the level of earnings per share and the gearing level. Both industries are examines separately and the data is tested using a paired T-Test to test for any ...

A 6 page paper seeking to answer the question of the title. Bias in financial reporting was documented more than 100 years ago, and it has been an ongoing problem since that time. Auditing is thought to reduce that bias, but does it have its full intended effect? Research indicates that deep ...

A 3 page paper discussing the differences that allocating costs in proportion with the processes that create them can cause in the quality of cost and profit information. Part 1 provides results with allocated and unallocated costs; Part 2 evaluates the results of the deli and fresh prepared foods departments of a large grocery ...

This 3 page paper takes the figures from the 2003 and 2004 annual reports of a non profit making organization; Oxfam America and uses them to make projection for a 2005 budget of income expenses and the resulting net assets. The paper also includes a memo to explain how the projected figures have been ...

This 4 page paper looks at sensitivity analysis what it is, how it is used and the advantages and disadvantages of its use. The bibliography cites 6 sources.

This 9 page paper uses a range of 10 ratios to examine the performance of Tesco and Sainsbury’s using their 2004 and 2005 annual group accounts figures, including financial performance, financial structure, liquidity ratios and working capital ratios. The bibliography cites 9 sources.

The beta is seen as an indicator of risk, measuring volatility against the market as a whole. This 5 page paper examines the different influences that will impact on the calculation of the beta and consider ways that a company may influence the beta. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

This 3 page paper examines what is meant by risk based auditing, what it is, how it is used, the way it fits in with internal auditing and the value it can bring to a company. The bibliography cites 3 sources.

A 4 page paper examining the operation of Harry Huffnpuff Glassblowing for the purpose of recommending changes in Harry's approach to his business. Harry's process is extremely wasteful and he is unable to earn the salary he requires for 40 weeks' work throughout the year. The paper identifies the source of waste and ...