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An undergraduate business student has finished his first term of study and is pursuing numerous summer job opportunities. He is interested in the field of investment banking and is aware this area requires a strong skill set for financial analysis. A friend, who had worked in investment banking, helps him to prepare for these interviews by providing an exercise where he must match the financial data with its respective industry.

Biovail was a large international pharmaceutical company with reported revenues of $788 million. Banc of America has issued a research report which indicates that Biovail Corporation's financial statements raised a number of issues that warrant caution for investors, and as a result, Biovail's stock was given a sell rating by Banc of America. A member of Biovail's audit committee is preparing for an upcoming audit meeting and considers the implications of this report for the company and for the audit committee.

Biovail Corporation, a large pharmaceutical company, recently had its stock downgraded by a well known pharmaceutical analyst and a number of other analysts were also scrutinizing the company. The outcome was not favorable, as Biovail's acquisition methods were labeled as unethical and their accounting practices were questioned. An investor with the company must decide if she will continue to invest in a company that has been identified with low ethical standards. The supplement Biovail Corporation (B), product 9B04N008 discusses the investor's decision, and some information that caused her to reconsider that decision.

In this supplement to Biovail Corporation (A), product 9B04N007, an investor in Biovail made the decision to sell her stock in the company based on published reports from a well known pharmaceutical analyst. She later finds out that this analyst had an interest in Biovail's competition and wonders if she should reconsider her decision.

Western Area Youth Services is a children's mental health centre and non-profit organization. Recently the board of directors spent a great deal of time discussing the implications of a significant potential liability for staff salaries. A merger was identified as a possible solution and the executive director of the centre was instructed by the board to begin the process of seeking a possible merger partner for the agency. She wonders how she might initiate the process on behalf of the board and what she should look for in a potential partner. She also wonders how a merger might benefit the agency at this point in time.

Beijing Biotech Corporation is a leader in biochip research and development in China. The president and chief executive officer must decide whether his company should go ahead with the Biochip Scanner project - a process that would read and analyse the information on biochips. He has some estimates of research and development costs and variable costs of the expected final product, however he doesn't have enough information about the market and customers. He must analyse the industry and competition, and fully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of his company.

Bloomfield has to decide what price to charge for fertilizer for the upcoming selling season. He is facing competitive pressure to reduce his price and realizes that if he maintains his price, he will certainly lose volume next year.