Question
You are interviewing for a prestigious position at The KnowItAll Group, a leading financial consulting firm. The KnowItAll Group puts its applicants through rigorous analytical
You are interviewing for a prestigious position at The KnowItAll Group, a leading financial consulting firm. The KnowItAll Group puts its applicants through rigorous analytical skills and critical thinking tests. Youve passed every test so far, but your final challenge is the following: You are given financial statement data from three companies Apple Inc., Southwest Airlines Co. and Twitter Inc., with the real company names disguised. You need to match each set of data to the corresponding company name and description. You are also asked to describe your reasoning.
Here are the business descriptions of the three companies:
Company | Descriptions |
Apple Inc.
| This company is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of mobile communication and media devices and personal computers. The company also sells a variety of related software, services, accessories, networking solutions, and third-party digital content. It sells its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, and retailers. The company sells and delivers digital content and applications through its online platform. Substantially all of its hardware products are manufactured by outsourcing partners. |
Southwest Airlines Co. | This company operates a major passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation serving many destinations in the United States and many other countries. It principally provides point-to-point service, which allows for more direct nonstop routing. Recently this airline has expanded its international footprint, completed its deployment of a new single reservation system, and focused on more fuel-efficient vehicles. |
Twitter Inc. | This company is an online social networking service and information technology company. Its revenue comes through two primary sources, promoted services and data licensing. The companys interest graphs, a representation of user interests, form the basis for targeted engagement and advertising. The company also sells data products and data licensing to commercial entities. |
Here is the financial data of the above three companies, with the real company names disguised:
Financial Data | Company A | Company B | Company C |
Cash & Cash Equivalents/Total assets | 13.00% | 59.40% | 19.00% |
Total receivables/Total assets | 2.60% | 9.00% | 12.50% |
Property, Plant & Equipment/Total assets | 70.20% | 10.40% | 8.30% |
Goodwill & Other intangibles/Total assets | 5.50% | 16.70% | 2.00% |
Accounts Payable/Total assets | 5.30% | 2.30% | 15.50% |
Unearned Revenue/Total assets | 13.80% | 0.40% | 2.00% |
Cost of Goods Sold/Sales | 65.70% | 35.20% | 57.60% |
Selling, General & Admin Expense/Sales | 1.10% | 40.80% | 6.70% |
R&D Expense/Sales | 0.00% | 22.10% | 5.10% |
ROE | 37.00% | -2.20% | 37.10% |
Profit Margin | 16.50% | -4.40% | 21.20% |
Asset Turnover | 0.90 | 0.30 | 0.60 |
Long Term Asset Turnover | 1.30 | 3.10 | 7.90 |
Inventory Turnover | 36.70 | 0.00 | 41.30 |
Days Inventory held | 9.90 | 0.00 | 8.80 |
Accounts Receivable Turnover | 32.00 | 3.70 | 12.80 |
Days Sales Outstanding | 11.40 | 98.20 | 28.50 |
Accounts Payable Turnover | 11.20 | 5.90 | 2.90 |
Days Payables Outstanding | 32.60 | 62.20 | 124.00 |
Leverage ratio | 1.40 | 0.50 | 1.90 |
Current Ratio | 0.70 | 9.10 | 1.20 |
Quick Ratio | 0.60 | 8.70 | 1.10 |
Please match the sets of financial data to the corresponding real company name and description. Which set of financial data (company A, B or C) belongs to Apple Inc., Southwest Airlines, and Twitter Inc. respectively? Provide your explanation in details.
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