In order to start this assignment you will need to locate and extract the financial statements of the latest Annual Report and Financial Statements (comprising two years information) of your chosen publicly listed company that is listed on a stock exchange.

Your task is to compare and contrast the historical (for the last 2 years) and expected future performance of a listed company and a competitor in a similar line of business, and present your findings in the form of a report which will cover both qualitative and quantitative performance elements in a logical cohesive format.

The qualitative component of your discussion should include (but is not constrained to):

• A  BRIEF  background  on  each  company  including  how  they  are  placed  within  the industry.
• A BRIEF overview of the recent stock price movements for both companies.
• The impact of general local and global economic conditions on the companies (if any).
• Industry trends and an assessment of each company’s ability to cope with these.

The quantitative component should include:

• An initial analysis of trends in the items contained in the profit and loss statements, balance sheets and statements of cash flows; appropriate relevant ratios ( do not use multiple ratios which measure the same thing) measuring profitability, liquidity, working capital management, leverage/gearing and financial risk (market-based ratios).
• A highlighting of the most important changes within these ratios and an identification

of the reasons for these changes.

• A comparison of the quantitative analysis for the two companies and an identification of the reasons for any differences.