The Scenario
The operations manager asks you: "I got this income statement from finance. Revenue went up but profit went down. How is that possible?" She needs a plain English explanation.
The Brief
Invent a plausible 2-year income statement where revenue grows 15% but net profit declines 10%. Then write a memo explaining what happened to a non-finance manager.
Deliverables
- A 2-year income statement (Revenue, COGS, Gross Profit, Operating Expenses, EBIT, Interest, Tax, Net Profit)
- A memo (max 200 words) explaining in plain English why profit fell despite revenue growth
- The one line item you would investigate first and what question you would ask the finance team
Submission Guidance
The income statement must be internally consistent. If COGS grew faster than revenue, that is a margin squeeze — explain it in terms the ops manager understands.
Submit Your Work
Your submission is graded against the rubric on the right. If you pass, you get a public Badge URL you can share on LinkedIn. There is no draft save, so work offline first and paste your finished response here.