Consider the annual reports of Pfizer and AstraZeneca for a period of 4 years. Using the different financial ratios, we covered in this course you are required to 1) critically evaluate the financial statements individually across the 4-year period and cross-sectionally and identify their main strengths and weaknesses, and 2) make recommendations for future improvement. Note: Students are expected to comment on the change of company financial performance (income statement) and position (balance sheet) during the 4-year period of examination by looking at the main accounts and how they have changed (information may be taken from the notes to the accounts). The aim of this assignment is to familiarize students with the information content of annual reports.

Develop a deep knowledge of financial ratios used for evaluating companies.

Describe the importance of financial comparative analysis across an industry

 Apply a more efficient and effective approach to interpreting and analyzing financial statements.

 Develop a deep understanding on how to compare companies in similar industries and form opinions as to the relative strength of one company versus another supporting these opinions with financial data.

 Font size 12

 Double-spaced

 Number of words: 1500-2500

 Harvard Referencing System