Research project accounting 526 accounting for managers

1. Research Project
Accounting 526 - Accounting for Managers
Fall 2018
FTI Consulting Inc. SIC 8742 – CIK 0000887936
Purpose:
You will utilize the knowledge you gained in the financial
accounting portion of the
course to analyze FTI Consulting Inc. Three sources of
information are required.
Information from a variety of other sources are needed to
complete the analysis.
Required Information Sources:
1. Use the SEC’s EDGAR database at
http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml to get four years
of financial data for the company. Do NOT use any other
source. The link above will
take you to the database where there is a tutorial on how to use
it. Search for the

2. company and then select the interactive form 10-K for 2017
(file date 2-22-18) and the
2015 10-k (file date 3-29-2016).
2. A list of competitors, industry information, and company
news is available on Mergent
Online electronic database at TAMUT. Search for FTI
Consulting Inc. and click on the
competitors tab for United States Companies. Use sales revenue
to find where FTI
Consulting ranks in the industry. Do not use any other industry
ranking.
3. Get industry data from the Key Business Ratios database in
TAMUT’s library
electronic resources. Select SIC code 3533. Use the ‘median’
ratio for the industry ratio
in your report. The Enterprise Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) is a method of
defining industries. Firms are classified into two, three, and
four digit industries. The
two-digit classification is the broadest definition of an industry.
The four-digit code is
more specific.
The ‘current ratio’ from this report is shown below. Use the

3. ‘median’ ratio for the
industry ratio in your report. If the current ratios you pull up do
not match those below,
check the SIC code on the report and the group by
classification.
Industry
Quartiles
2014 2015 2016 2017
Solvency Upper Median Lower Upper Median Lower Upper
Median Lower Upper Median Lower
Current
Ratio
2.1
2.0
1.9
2.0
Calculate the ratios for your paper as given in the assignment.
These calculations are the
ones used by D&B Key Business Ratios and you want the
calculations to be the same.

4. Normally you would use average inventory, accounts receivable
etc., but that would not
be consistent with the industry ratios you are comparing the
company with. For
information on the ratios, click on the 'help guide' on the upper
right of the Key Business
Ratios webpage. Next, select download the 'ratio guide'.
http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
Format for Reports:
Your project should be 10 - 12 pages using a word-processor,
double-spacing, Times
New Roman 12-point font, and 1-inch margins. Submit the
paper using Microsoft Word
via the assignment tab in Blackboard. Make sure your file is
attached.
Title Page - Include the title of the paper, your name, Texas
A&M University-Texarkana,
and the date. Center this information in the upper-middle of the
page. In the lower-middle
of the page include submitted to Dr. Joan Brumm and the course
name and number.

5. Introduction - Include a one paragraph introduction to the
paper.
Part 1 – Company Profile and Analyses of the Industry - The
first section (no more
than 4 pages) must contain ALL of the following subsections:
- Description of the company
- Brief company history
- Description of the industry (major players, industry outlook,
etc.)
- Business segment information (one page) Segment reporting is
the reporting of the
operating segments of a company in the disclosures
accompanying its financial
statements. Segment reporting is required for publicly-held
entities. Segment
reporting is intended to give information to investors and
creditors regarding the
financial results and position of the most important operating
units of a company. In
your paper you need to identify which segments your company
is reporting on and
give some information on them. This can include financial data
for the segments.
The company’s annual 10-k and website has a lot of

6. information. In addition, information
on the company and the industry can be obtained from Mergent
Online. This database is
available through TAMUT library electronic resources. Enter
the company name in the
search box and click ‘go’. Click on the blue tabs near the top of
the page to get
information on executives, company financials, competitors,
and industry reports.
Directly under the blue tabs there are tabs that cover
subsidiaries, business segments etc.
Part 2 – Analysis of Historical Financial Data
Perform time-series and cross-sectional analyses of your firm
for each of the measures
listed below. Time-series analysis compares the same measure
for the same company or
industry over a period of time (4 years minimum for this
project). Cross-sectional
analysis refers to a comparison of a company with the industry
using the same measure.
Present the ratios for your paper in the following format:
Ratio – e.g. Current ratio 2014 2015 2016 2017

7. Company – put your company
name here
Calculate from
Edgar
Financials
Industry From Key
Business Ratios
N/A
Percentage Presentation
If you use the % sign is the title of the ratio like the example
below, then express 98% as
98 in the table. This is the way the ratios are show in the Key
Business Ratios database.
You will also have to show your company’s ratios this way for
it to be comparable.
Total Liabilities/Net Worth %
Company
Industry 98.00 109.50 110.10

8. If you do not use the percent sign in the table, then express the
percentages as .98 or
98%. Be sure to change the industry key business ratios to
match.
Total Liabilities/Net Worth
Company
Industry 98% 109.50% 110.10%
Directly below each ratio discuss:
1) what the ratio measures,
2) how and possible reasons why the measure has changed over
time for the same firm,
3) how the firm’s measure compares with the industry and
4) what these results indicate about the company.
Do not list all of the ratios and then begin the discussion.
- Curent ratio (total curent assets / total curent liabilities)
- Total Liabilities/Net Worth % (total liabilities / total equity)
- Collection Period (Accounts Receivable-net x 365) / Sales
Revenue
- Accounts Payable/Sales %
- Return on Sales % (net profit for year / sales-revenues)
- Return on Assets% (net profit for year / total assets)
FTI Consulting’s Statement of Comprehensive Income is
somewhat unique. For

9. Income Statement items scroll right on the 10-k to the 12 month
ended columns. The
columns are the 10-k for 3-months ended are not usually shown.
Conclusion - The conclusion should be a brief one paragraph
summary of your findings.
References - Four sources other than Key Business Ratios, the
SEC, and Mergent online
are required. Do not cite a textbook.
Sources of information used in the report should be identified
with an in-text citation
(indicate author and date) and a complete Reference List. Use
the APA format. See the
APA videos posted under the assignment tab in Blackboard.
Instructions and examples
are also available at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ or the
TAMUT library by going to
libguides (blue tab at the right of the library page), scroll down
to developmental writing,
select APA.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
End-of-Term Written Assignment: Due: 11:59 p.m., Thursday,

10. November 29, 2018
One of the course objectives is “to recognize the great jazz
innovators and their contributions to jazz music.” Your end-of-
term written assignment (approximately 500-600 words,
typewritten) is to reflect upon what you have learned about
jazz—and about music—and to examine how that knowledge has
helped you gain an appreciation for jazz music.
For this assignment you can discuss either a jazz style or a
particular performer that *we have studied in the class. To
examine this style or performer, you are to select a jazz
recording that has not been featured in the online lessons, unit
listening lists, discussion boards, or supplementary recordings.
*Note: You may also choose a performer or style that we have
NOT studied in the class as long as your selected recording is
also NOT from the class.
Pick a piece that you especially like, or that you find moving or
memorable. As a header for your paper, be sure to cite the
recording details: the group (or solo performer), the title of the
piece, the composer, all performers and instruments, and the
record publisher.
Consider the piece in light of what you have learned in your
studies. Examine the work through careful, attentive listening,
and analyze a portion of the piece to demonstrate aspects of the
knowledge you have gained in your studies.
Has the knowledge you have gained enhanced your appreciation
of jazz music? Has it changed your view of jazz? Do you hear
music differently as a result? Elaborate.
The End-of-Term Written Assignment is due: 11:59 p.m.,
Thursday, November 29, 2018.

11. Dear Music 007 students,
The End-of-Term Written Assignment is due Thursday,
November 29. You may choose to use outside sources in
writing your paper. We want to address the proper way to
document those sources.
Note: This is not a research paper. You are not required to use
any outside sources. The online lessons provide ample
information. If quoting from this source, place the words in
quotation marks and use a parenthetic citation, such as (Lesson
11) for the online lesson.
You may use other sources, but be sure to document these
sources and properly attribute quotations. Below are a couple
of examples of documenting a source and properly attributing
quotations. Keep in mind: the penalty will be at least a zero for
the assignment if it is discovered that you used text from
another source in your paper without proper documentation.
This is plagiarism and an act of academic dishonesty.
*Parenthetic citation and documented source for
website:
“Duke Ellington's popular compositions set the bar for
generations of brilliant jazz, pop, theatre and soundtrack
composers to come.” (Duke Ellington.com) Ellington was
famous for composing for specific members of his band…

12. Document the website at the end of your paper:
author (if available).“Duke Ellington Biography.”
<http://www.dukeellington.com/elli ngtonbio.html>. 2008
*Parenthetic citation and documented source for book
or text:
John Lewis and Milt Jackson are members of the Modern Jazz
Quartet. “The MJQ plays in a restrained, conservative bop style
that is sometimes referred to as cool jazz.” (Kernfeld, ed., New
Grove, p.786) John Lewis was a gifted pianist…
Document the book or text at the end of your paper:
Kernfeld, Barry, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.
Macmillan Press Limited, 1994.
Please know that we're here to help. If in doubt, ask your
instructor.