Overview
Unit 1
Description Assignment Details
Artificial intelligence is increasingly used by leaders to support research, problem-solving, and strategic planning. However, AI-generated output must be verified, supplemented, and corrected using credible evidence. This assignment teaches you how to integrate AI insights responsibly while applying financial analysis, strategy frameworks, and critical thinking.
In this multi-part project you will:
- Generate an AI-produced SWOT analysis of a publicly traded U.S. company.
- Verify, challenge, and refine the SWOT using five categories of evidence.
- Create a corrected, evidence-based SWOT.
- Compare the two SWOTs in the appendices.
- Demonstrate ethical, responsible, and analytical use of AI in business research.
Your final paper must be 5–7 pages, not including references or appendices.
Part 1: Company Selection
Choose a U.S.-based publicly traded company so that high-quality, verifiable data is available.
Your company must have accessible sources such as (five categories of evidence):
Part 2: AI-Generated SWOT (Appendix A; Not Included in Page Count)
Use an AI tool (ChatGPT or similar) to create a baseline SWOT analysis for your company.
Requirements for Appendix A:
- SWOT must contain 3–5 items per quadrant.
- Must be presented in a four-quadrant grid format.
- Include the exact AI output exactly as generated (no editing).
- Include your prompt(s).
- Label this section clearly as: Appendix A: AI-Generated SWOT Analysis
Part 3: Verification Using ALL Five Evidence Categories (Counts Toward 5–7 Pages) This is the core analysis of the paper. For each quadrant of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), verify AI output using all five evidence categories listed below. You must cite evidence and show whether it:
- Supports the AI insight,
- Contradicts it, or
- Requires refinement or replacement.
Required Evidence Categories:
- Financial Data & Ratio Trends
- Porter’s Five Force
- Competitive landscape
- Market share, growth, competitive advantages
- Brand strength, customer demographics, switching cost
- Sales trends, customer loyalty, product/service demand
- Address at least 3–4 perspectives:
- Financial
- Customer
- Internal Process
- Learning & Growth: Use these to evaluate strategic strengths or weaknesses
- Economic condition
- Regulatory change
- Supply chain, technology, labor market
- Opportunities or threats from current events
Part 4: Financial Ratio Analysis
(Counts Toward 5–7 Pages)
Calculate at least five financial ratios using the most recent Form 10-K.
Choose from these recommended ratios:
- Gross Margin
- Operating Margin
- Return on Assets (ROA)
- Return on Equity (ROE)
- Current Ratio
- Quick Ratio
- Debt-to-Equity
- Asset Turnover
Requirements:
- What does it mean
- Is it increasing or decreasing
- How does it compare to competitors or the industry?
(Appendix B; Not Included in Page Count)Create a revised SWOT that represents validated, evidence-based insights.Requirements:
- Four-quadrant grid format
- 2–4 items per quadrant
- Based on your research, not AI-generated assumptions
- Label clearly as: Appendix B: Revised Evidence-Based SWOT Analysis
(½–1 page; Counts Toward 5–7 Pages) Summarize what your evidence-based SWOT reveals about the company.Address:
(Counts Toward 5–7 Pages)Write a short reflection on the role AI played in this project.Address:
Download the U1IP Template to help complete your assignment.
Unit 2 Description
Assignment Details
In today’s data-driven business environment, leaders must be able to interpret financial information accurately while integrating technology to support decision-making. This assignment helps you build those skills by combining traditional financial analysis with modern AI tools. You will evaluate a company’s financial performance, identify strengths and risks, and consider ethical implications that arise when using AI in business analysis.
Select a publicly traded company that you have not used in any previous assignments. You will examine the company’s financial statements, calculate key financial ratios, and apply AI tools such as ChatGPT, Excel Copilot, or Power BI to help identify meaningful trends, potential risks, and ethical concerns related to the company’s operations and reporting.
Part I – Financial Statement Analysis
- Revenue growth or decline
- Profit margins and expense patterns
- Asset, liability, and equity changes
- Cash flow trends from operations, investing, and financing
"Summarize key trends in financial statements. Identify any risks that could affect liquidity or profitability."
| Category | Ratio | Formula | Purpose |
| Liquidity | Current Ratio | Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities | Measures ability to meet short-term obligations |
| Profitability | Net Profit Margin | Net Income ÷ Sales | Shows how efficiently the company converts sales into profit |
| Efficiency | Inventory Turnover | COGS ÷ Avg. Inventory | Indicates how quickly inventory is sold |
| Solvency | Debt-to-Equity Ratio | Total Liabilities ÷ Total Equity | Measures financial leverage |
| Return | Return on Equity (ROE) | Net Income ÷ Avg. Equity | Evaluates return on shareholders’ investment |
- Compare them to industry benchmarks (you may use AI or research tools for averages).
"Compare liquidity and solvency ratios to average ratios in the sporting goods manufacturing industry."
- Interpret whether the company’s financial health shows strength, weakness, or risk.
- How should managers uphold ethical principles when preparing or interpreting financial statements?
- Identify how using AI might provide inaccurate data.
- How can financial professionals ensure that AI transparency, data integrity, and ethical oversight remain priorities?
- Reference the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice or other ethical frameworks.
- Based on your analysis, recommend three actions management should take to strengthen financial performance and minimize risk.
- Reflect on how AI supported your decision-making:
- Did it make the analysis faster or more insightful?
- What are the risks of relying too heavily on AI in accounting?
- How can AI be used responsibly in future business decisions?
- Title Page
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Ratio Analysis
- Ethical Implications
- Recommendations & AI Reflection
- References & Appendix (with AI outputs)
Download the U2IP Template to help complete this assignment.
Unit 3 Description
Assignment Details
Auditors are responsible not only for evaluating financial information but also for communicating their findings clearly and accurately through the audit report. Even small errors in an audit report—whether related to structure, language, independence, or auditing standards—can undermine credibility, violate professional requirements, and mislead stakeholders who rely on the report for decision making.
In this assignment, you will take on the role of a senior auditor reviewing the draft audit report for HelioSphere Robotics, Inc., a fast-growing company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) powered renewable energy robotics. After upgrading to a sophisticated Quantum enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, the company experienced several issues related to inventory accuracy, accounts payable, and automated system overrides. Management requested a full audit, but the draft audit report prepared by a junior staff member contains numerous technical, ethical, and professional errors.
Your task is to write a paper that analyzes the incorrect audit report; identifies the mistakes; explains why each one violates Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) standards, or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Code of Professional Conduct; and then compares it to a corrected version. By evaluating both versions, you will apply professional judgment, demonstrate understanding of audit report requirements, and reflect on how proper reporting supports transparency, independence, and stakeholder trust.
Using what you have learned, consider the following to guide your writing:
Step 1: Review the incorrect audit report.
Carefully read the incorrect audit report provided below. This version contains obvious and subtle errors in wording, formatting, ethical requirements, auditing standards, and structure.
Step 2: Review the correct audit report.
Read the corrected audit report. Use it as a reference that reflects the proper format, language, tone, and required sections under GAAS and PCAOB standards.
Step 3: Write a paper that includes the following:
- Introduction: Briefly explain the purpose of your paper. Introduce HelioSphere Robotics, Inc. and why accurate audit reporting is essential to stakeholders.
- Error identification: Identify at least 6 mistakes found in the incorrect audit report. Examples include structural mistakes, independence violations, incorrect terminology, unrealistic claims, missing required sections, and improper tone.
- Explanation of each error: For each error you identify, explain the following clearly:
- Why it is incorrect
- Which standard it violates, such as GAAS, PCAOB reporting requirements, or the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
- How the error could affect users of the financial statements
- Comparison to the correct audit report: Explain how the corrected version addresses the errors. Discuss the improvements in structure, clarity, accuracy, independence, and compliance with auditing standards.
- Reflection on the importance of proper audit reporting: Provide a short reflection on why accuracy, independence, and proper wording are essential in an audit report. Explain how audit reports contribute to transparency and trust.
- Conclusion: Summarize the key lessons learned from identifying and evaluating the errors.
Use the Audit Reports document and the APA student template to help you complete your assignment:
- Audit Reports
- Unit 4
- Description Assignment Details: This assignment challenges you to integrate tax research, fraud examination, and ethical reasoning to create data-driven accounting solutions that promote transparency and long-term sustainability. You will analyze financial and transactional data to identify tax opportunities, detect potential fraud, and recommend ethical strategies that align with stakeholder needs. The project emphasizes applying professional judgment, data analytics, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to support ethical, evidence-based decision making in accounting practiceYou are a senior accounting consultant for GreenWave Technologies, Inc., a rapidly expanding renewable energy firm. The company’s board has raised concerns regarding two key issues, as follows:
- Tax efficiency: The chief financial officer (CFO) is exploring ways to minimize corporate taxes legally but wants assurance that strategies align with ethical and environmental sustainability goals.
- Fraud risk: A recent internal audit revealed possible irregularities in vendor payments and travel reimbursements, prompting a request for a forensic review.
- Identify 2 current tax laws or incentives relevant to environmentally focused businesses (e.g., renewable energy credits, green deductions, R&D incentives).
- Use credible sources such as the IRS Code, Treasury Regulations, or professional databases (e.g., Checkpoint and Bloomberg Tax).
- Propose ethical, data-supported tax strategies that reduce liability while supporting GreenWave’s sustainability goals.
- Include numerical examples or the hypothetical data to illustrate the tax impact.
- Using provided or hypothetical company data, identify at least 3 potential red flags that indicate fraud or internal control weaknesses (e.g., duplicate vendor payments, expense anomalies, or missing documentation).
- Explain forensic techniques (e.g., data mining, Benford’s law, or trend analysis) you would use to investigate the issue.
- Recommend internal controls or audit procedures that could prevent recurrence.
- Present your findings using a brief data table or chart showing irregular patterns or variances.
- Discuss the ethical responsibilities of accountants in balancing aggressive tax planning with integrity and transparency.
- Analyze how professional ethics (AICPA Code of Conduct or IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice) guide decision making in tax and forensic contexts.
- Reflect on how AI tools and data analytics can both support and challenge ethical behavior in accounting investigations.
- Summarize your integrated recommendations in a 1-page executive brief for GreenWave’s leadership team.
- Your recommendations should:
- Align tax strategies with sustainability objectives
- Address identified fraud risks with control improvements
- Promote ethical decision making and transparent reporting
- Include at least 1 visual element (e.g., chart, flowchart, or dashboard snapshot) to illustrate your data analysis or solution design.
- Format: 5–7 pages (not including title page and references)
- Sections
- Title Page
- Executive Summary
- Tax Research and Planning
- Forensic and Fraud Analysis
- Ethical Implications
- Recommendations for Long-Term Sustainability
- References (APA)
- Tools: Excel, Power BI, or AI-supported analytics for data evaluation and visualization.
- Unit 5
- Description Assignment Details: Financial statements tell a story, but numbers alone do not drive decisions. Executives, investors, and other stakeholders rely on accountants and analysts to interpret financial data, explain its implications, and communicate insights in a way that supports informed, ethical decision making. This assignment challenges you to move beyond calculation and focus on analysis, interpretation, and communication.You will analyze a company’s financial performance using key financial ratios, translate those findings into clear and meaningful insights, and tailor your message for different audiences. Just as important, you will reflect on the responsibility accountants have to communicate financial information transparently and ethically, especially when simplifying complex data for nontechnical stakeholders. By completing this assignment, you will strengthen your ability to connect financial analysis with strategic thinking and effective communication.You are a financial analyst tasked with evaluating a company’s financial health and communicating your findings to multiple stakeholder groups. Using a real company’s data , you will analyze recent financial statements, summarize key performance indicators, and present your conclusions in both executive-level and technical formats.Your work should demonstrate not only your ability to calculate and interpret financial ratios but also your ability to explain what the numbers mean, why they matter, and how they influence decision making. Clear, ethical, and audience-appropriate communication is essential.Assignment RequirementsPart 1: Financial Analysis
- Select a company and analyze its most recent financial statements (that you have not already chosen).
- Summarize key financial indicators, such as the following: Industry ratio
- Profitability (net margin, ROA, ROE)
- Liquidity (current ratio, quick ratio)
- Solvency (debt-to-equity)
- Efficiency (inventory or receivable turnover)
- Interpret what the numbers reveal about company performance and risks.
- Write a 1-page summary that highlights the most important findings.
- Focus on clarity, emphasizing what it means rather than how it’s calculated.
- Use data visualization (e.g., tables, charts, or dashboards) to enhance understanding.
- Prepare 2 versions of your findings, as follows:
- Executive presentation: Concise, strategic, and visually driven
- Detailed memo or report: Includes supporting data, ratios, and accounting analysis for technical readers
- Tailor tone, structure, and visuals for each audience.
- Include at least 1 recommendation for improving performance, managing risk, or enhancing transparency.
- Write a short reflection (½ page) on the following:
- The challenges of simplifying complex accounting information
- How ethical and transparent communication builds stakeholder trust
- Emerging tools (e.g., AI, dashboards, or visualization software) that can support clarity and engagement
- Format
- Executive summary (1 page)
- Stakeholder report (2–3 pages)
- Visuals and charts (embedded or attached)
- Reflection (½ page)
- Style
- APA style for citations
- Professional tone and formatting suitable for corporate communication
.