Week 2 DQ1Respond to the following:General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are built on a framework of accounting assumptions, principles, and constraints.Describe one:Accounting assumption.Accounting principle.Accounting constraint. Support your rationale with an example of how each shapes accounting rules.Resources ReadingsHow can accounting standards be created if there are so many ways to conduct financial reporting? This chapter covers how conceptual frameworks help standardize accounting.In Intermediate Accounting, read:Chapter 2, "Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting."Chapter 2 PowerPoints [PPT].Chapter 2 Notes [DOC].Week 3 DQ1Respond to the following:An accounting information system is a well-thought-out plan joining together diverse operating units to develop accounting policies and to create financial statements:Identify two departmental units that play a role in developing and maintaining the accounting information system.Explain the role each department plays in this process.Support your response with specific examplesResources ReadingsFinancial reporting can be a lengthy process, from analyzing transactions to completing the closing process. This chapter will help you understand how an accounting information system can help you manage the steps in financial reporting.In Intermediate Accounting, read:Chapter 3, "The Accounting Information System."Chapter 3 PowerPoints [PPT].Chapter 3 Notes [DOC].Week 5 DQ1 Respond to the following:Review and reflect on the material we have covered up to this point in Chapters 1–4.Identify any topics for which you still have questions or need clarification.Post your questions in the discussion area.This is an opportunity to get your questions answered.Respond to at least one additional post:Provide an explanation that helped you learn that particular topic if possible.Offer support to your classmates.Week 6 DQ1Respond to the following:Analysts use these ratios in three primary categories to analyze financial statements:Liquidity Ratios.Activity Ratios.Profitability Ratios.Financial analysts tend to use one or two of these categories to analyze a company's financial position.Imagine that you are a financial analyst:Select at least one ratio from each category.Describe what these ratios reveal about a company's financial health.Explain how you could use the ratio information to determine ways to improve a company's financial health.Explain which external user might be most interested in the ratio information and how they might use the information to make decisions.Resources ReadingsThe balance sheet is like a snapshot of a company's financial standing. It helps determine a company's worth and how much risk a business's finances can take. Your reading this week addresses important information about preparing balance sheets. The chapter also covers how the statement of cash flows can be used to solve business problems. For example, if you were a retailer, would you continue to buy an item that never seemed to sell? A company wants to know how its daily sales and purchases are moving, so it knows whether to make changes to benefit the business.In Intermediate Accounting, read:Chapter 5, "Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows."Chapter 5 Balance Sheet PowerPoints [PPT].Chapter 5 Balance Sheet Notes [DOC].Chapter 5 Revenues and Cash Flows PowerPoints [PPT].Chapter 5 Revenues and Cash Flows Notes [DOC].Week 7 DQ1Respond to the following:A statement of cash flows is often one of the most used and least understood of the key financial statements. However, it is a vital report to use when evaluating or analyzing a company. Identifying where a company is receiving and using its cash—through operations, investing, and financing activities—is more important than knowing the company's net income:Describe the types of accounts/transactions in each section of the statement of cash flows.Explain how the net effect of cash used in each activity will help to evaluate liquidity, solvency, and financial flexibility.Explain why this statement is necessary even when a company has substantial net income.Substantiate your response with examples.Resources ReadingsMore than one way to gain interest on money exists. This chapter provides insights on these options. In addition, this chapter also addresses how annuities differ and how they affect a business's present and future, as well as the impact of these differences on the business.In Intermediate Accounting, read:Chapter 6, "Accounting and the Time Value of Money."Chapter 6 PowerPoints, Part 1 [PPT].Chapter 6 Notes, Part 1 [DOC].Chapter 6 PowerPoints, Part 2 [PPT].Chapter 6 Notes, Part 2 [DOC].

This part requires you to use your imagination, be creative; learning should be fun too! Pretend I am a wealthy businessman with lots of current cash on hand (earning me no return, not a good thing) and you are starting a firm or have a current firm and are pitching a new project to have me invest. Step 1: Tell me about your firm/project BRIEFLYStep 2 Tell me/show me about you projections of your past/present/future sales, costs, ratios, income, OCFs, etc.Step 3: Value your company/project to ask me for the money to undertake the project (i.e. think of appropriate discount rates due to risk, growth rates, etc.)TIPS:NPV analysis is the overarching goal of the project, without it, you will fail the project-so, you probably will need OCF, CAPEX and NWC, right?-How did you get to those numbers? (can be sort of made up, but reasonable)-depending on your setting will determine what ‘financials’ you present-I think 1 page max, single space writing is sufficient-you may have a few tables and charts so I will not limit those...BUT more is not always better. -A useful chart/graph is priceless. A non-useful one is detrimental.-How did you get to the risk? i.e. discount rate.Question 2, how to get the moneyALWAYS remember...pretend I was your boss and asked for this project as a part of your job, whatwould you turn in?