In order to determine a company’s performance, analysis must be done for key metrics, including the ability to pay debts, how much cash or other liquid assets are available, and the company’s viability to continue operations. These analyses involve the review of income statements and balance sheets, where current and past performance will be studied with the goal of predicting how the company will perform in the future. Upper-level management at CBI can use this information to make decisions in line with the company’s goals.
This report for CBI will include four sections. First, I’ll analyze the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses by doing a horizontal analysis, vertical analysis, trend analysis, and ratio analysis of CBI financial results for years 6, 7, and 8. The second section will include an analysis of the company’s working capital, including suggestions on ways to improve working capital and use excess working capital to increase profits. The third section will note any weaknesses in the company’s internal controls, and how those can be corrected. The fourth and final section details Sarbanes–Oxley requirements and how the company can mitigate risk and ensure compliance with the requirements within that legislation.
A1a. Horizontal Analysis
Horizontal analysis is defined as the “comparative study of a balance sheet or income statement for two or more accounting periods, to compute both total and relative variances for each line item” (businessdictionary.com, n.d.).
For CBI, we will be comparing years 6 and 7, then years 7 and 8. This will allow us to gauge the performance over a three year period of time to see if the organization’s business is rising, staying steady or falling.
Net sales for CBI products increased 33.8 percent between years 6 and 7. This is a sign of strength for the company and a signal that their bikes are well received by customers. However, net sales