Progress Report (3 pages maximum) –
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Note: My companies are listed below.
1. Ford Motors Company
2. General Motors
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The purpose of this report is to help you develop a basic understanding of your company and its business environment.1 The annual report, 10-K, and the proxy statement of your company, along with other readings and resources, will help you complete this report.
A. Company background
1. What is the ticker symbol of your company? Identify the stock exchange(s) where
you company stock trades.
2. Read the auditor’s report included in the annual report of the company, and
explain its purpose. Identify the name of the auditing firm.
3. Briefly explain the major operations of your company. What products does it sell
and/or services does it render?
B. Developments relating to the company
Identify two recent events of significance (e.g., layoffs, reorganizations) that have affected the company. You can obtain this information using the company’s website. Alternatively, you may use other financial news services available in print or on the internet, such as Yahoo Finance, Fortune, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal.
C. Ethical issues
High profile financial scandals including Enron and Worldcom have heightened concerns regarding managerial ethics. Identify one or more recent ethical issue(s) by the company and/or industry (e.g., accounting fraud, management integrity) and explains how your company/industry responded to the issues.
1 Please note that the progress report is limited to your company only. You do not need to write about your company’s competitor.