Assignment Overview: Please select two public traded companies that are either listed in NYSE or TSX. Obtain each of your company's annual reports for the year 2018, 2019 and 2020. Research the Bloomberg and other sources of information to familiarize yourself with the industry in which your chosen company operates and with company specific factors that may have or will affect either company's performance. Assignment Task 1. Company background research Write a short response to each item below to build background knowledge of each company and their industry. a) Describe the operating activities of each company noting similarities and difference between two companies. b) Identify two economy wide factors and industry wide factors that could impact on the financial performance and position of two companies. 2. Financial Ratio Analysis Calculate all the relevant financial ratios for both companies and comment on the financial health of the company. You need to give explanations for all the ratios and compare the performances of both companies in terms of financial ratios. 3. Z score Calculation Calculate the z score for both companies and comment. 4. If you are a potential investor, then which company's stock you want to buy and why? *Please use excel to perform all the calculations. You need to write your report in the MS word file. Please submit both the MS word file and excel file