Executive Summary

ACC/280

May 31, 2011

Paula White

Abstract

Analyzing a major stock exchange company is one of the ways to see if a company is worth investing in. In this summary Panera Bread Company was chosen to look into for internal and external investors. This summary looks at the company’s history, the founder, which stock exchange the company is on, and the company’s ticker symbol. The company’s cash and cash equivalent, total current assets, largest assets and the company’s total assets at the end of the last two recent annual reporting periods. The company’s accounts payable amounts will be considered additionally also. The company’s total current liabilities, largest liabilities, and the company’s total liabilities for the last two recent annual reporting periods will also be looked into. The company’s revenues and net income for the last three annual reporting periods will be considered as well. Comparing the net income changes from the end of each reporting period will be observed as well. The numbers will tell if this company is a sound investment for internal and external investors.

Executive Summary

In 1981 Louis Kane and Rob Shaich started a bakery and sandwich restaurant along the east coast called Au Bon Pain Company. Company legend says that in 1978, while Louis Kane was taking a walk down the historic Boston Faneuil Hall marketplace, his attention was caught by a small store. In the store’s display cases were three brand new French baking ovens, giving off a wonderful bread smell. Then immediately came the idea to bring fresh baked breads and croissants to the many people working in urban areas. The company prospered along the east coast, eventually purchasing the St. Louis Bread company in 1993 and launched a re-staging of the company that proved enormously lucrative. In 1999 all of Au Bon Pain’s business units were sold, except for Panera Bread, for which the company was then named....