Financial report

Choose a listed company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in any of the following sectors: Retailers, Food &Beverages, Health Care, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals & Biotech, Telecommunications and Utilities. Agree your choice with your Lecturer at least 4 weeks before the Assignment submission date. Obtain the annual reports of the company and one of its main competitors for the latest FIVE years from its website or other sources. a) Write an introductory report on the activities of the company and its position in the industry with respect to its competitor. b) Critically compare and analyse their financial performance over the last FIVE years. Relating to each category of ratios, which company has performed better? Overall, which company is better managed. Explain your reasons. c) Arising from your analysis, identify any strategic and operational issues that need to be addressed by the companies and make appropriate recommendations with justifications. State clearly any problems, limitations and assumptions that you need to make to answer the questions.