Research and Analysis

Question 1

Overview:

The project requires students to perform independent research and analysis on the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment by The Walt Disney Company. You may make use of any resources to which you have access to research this acquisition. However, each resource must be relevant and reliable, and you must cite your sources where appropriate.

Directions:

Your final product should be a 1 page paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font).

First, briefly discuss the businesses of the two companies and their positions within their industries. Then, answer the following questions:

1. When was the acquisition announced? What were the explicit reasons for the acquisition? Do you believe there could be reasons for the acquisition other than those explicitly discussed by the companies or by the business press?
2. How did the market react on the day of the acquisition announcement? Did Walt Disney’s stock price decrease or increase? Why do you believe the market reacted the way it did? Relying on the market reaction, do you believe that the project undertaken by Walt Disney (the project of acquiring Marvel) increased the shareholders’ wealth for Walt Disney? Why or why not?
3. What was the form of payment in this deal?
4. Did the acquisition help/hurt Marvel’s competitors? Why? Justify your answer by examining some stock market data for Marvel’s competitors.

Question 2

Principles of Investment.

Read the following article Financial Statements Explained.pdf which describes the basics of the three primary financial statements used in accounting. This article does a good job of explaining and reinforcing the application of these important financial tools.

ASSIGNMENT

Read the article and then select, which of the three financial statements you believe is the most important to an investor. Explain in 250 words or less, why you selected this financial statement, and how you might apply it to selecting an investment. There is a quiz at the end of the article, which you ARE NOT required to take, but it might be good practice for you to take this brief quiz and test your knowledge about financial statements.