A Form 10-K is a report filed by publicly traded companies annually about their financial performance according to the Securities Exchange (SEC) Act requirements. It usually contains more information than the organizations’ annual reports to shareholders. The information includes the company’s history, financial statements, subsidiaries, organizational structure, earnings per share, and other applicable details. This report provides investors with information to keep them informed of organizations’ financial status and enables them to have sufficient information before trading in the company (Pinello et al., 2020, p. 31). The Form provides an overall view of companies’ activities and the different risks it experiences. The Form is publicly available information that can be accessed through various sources, including the SEC EDGAR database. The current case study examines the 10 K filings of Microsoft Corporation for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, as listed in the SEC EDGAR database.
Microsoft Corporation’s form 10-K is categorized into four parts and 16 items, including the notes to financial statements. Microsoft is a technology company established in 1975 and aims to empower every organization and individual in the world to achieve more. The report gives the overall ambitions that drive the company, such as creating more personal computing, reinventing efficiency and business activities, and developing intelligent cloud and edge platforms. They also list the risk factors that may affect their financial and operational outcomes, including competition in the technology industry and platform-based environments (Microsoft Corporation, 2020). The company’s financial statements, such as income and comprehensive income and cash flow statements, are also included in the report. The report also consists of the notes to financial statements, which gives the exhaustive assumptions made by the company when preparing the financial statements and are essential in understanding these statements.
References
Microsoft Corporation (2020). Securities and exchange commission: Form 10-K. SEC EDGAR. Web.
Pinello, A., Puschaver, L., & Volkan, A. (2020). The relationship between critical accounting estimates and critical audit matters. Accounting & Taxation, 12(1), 23-33.