Forge Group Ltd case study (A): the revealing nature of numbers

Forge Group Ltd case study (A): the revealing nature of numbers

Forge Group Ltd, an engineering and construction company in Australia, was a healthy company that acquired two major construction contracts in 2012 through the purchase of another company. The case presents details of a corporate collapse that occurred at the beginning of 2014. Twelve months prior to the Forge Group Ltd (FGL) collapsing, the company was viewed very favorably by the market and reached a peak share price. The financial statements illustrate the danger of acquisitions, risk, and debt, as well as the need for good internal reporting.

The value to students and educators is in illustrating the importance of good fundamental financial basics. The case can be taught at the basic level by having students read, extract, and comment on financial statement information. Or it could be widened at the intermediate level by asking students to combine information from all financial statements to appraise working capital requirements. For advanced-level courses, students would conduct financial statement analysis using common techniques and make judgments. This case also can be teamed with its sister case B to explore more advanced topics, including corporate governance, management ownership, compensation, risk, and ethics.

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