: Choose any of the following companies for your assignment:

International Business Machines, Corp. (NYSE: IBM)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT)

Step 2: Go to MergentOnline database, www.mergentonline.com to download the financial data of your company.

Step 3: I’ll upload O-S Checklist Excel template. There are seven worksheets in the template. You have to deal with two of them, such as Data Input and Value Indicators. For example, input all the pertinent information (from Balance sheet, Income statement and Cash Flow statement of your company) in "Data Input" worksheet. You will see some key ratios have been calculated for you in the "Value Indicators" worksheet. For an overview of the approach, read our article, “Overcoming Cognitive Biases: A Heuristic for Value Investing Decisions,”.

Step 4: Comment on the company whether it has durable competitive advantage (aka Wide Moat). You have to pass a judgment on this issue. You may want to consult the book, "Why Moats Matter: The Morningstar Approach to Stock Investing" by Heather Brilliant and Elizabeth Collins.

Step 5: Submit your Excel template along with your comments in a separate word document (not more than one page).