Business -- Corporate Finance -- IPO Facebook Provide a brief description of the company you chose, its main business and operational activities and a short synopsis of the main developments of the company over the past few years

Facebook, Inc. is a global social networking company building and employing tools and applications for communication among its users on computers and mobile devices. Incorporated in 2004, Facebook, Inc. has approximately 5,299 employees and more than 1.06 billion monthly active users on its web site: http://www.facebook.com. Its corporate headquarters are located in Menlo Park, CA and its corporate staff consists of: Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Chairman and Chief Exec. Officer; Mr. David A. Ebersman, Chief Financial Officer; Ms. Sheryl K. Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer and Director; Mr. Michael Schroepfer, Chief Technology Officer and VP of Engineering; and Mr. David B. Fischer, VP of Marketing and Bus. Partnerships.

Facebook, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation with Index Memberships on the Nasdaq 100 and AMEX, listed in the Industry of Information Providers and the Sector of Technology. Effective October 18, 2013 at 7:59PM EDT, its Current Stock Price is $54.26. Its Sales/Revenue and Profitability (Net Income) are as follows, with all numbers in thousands:

Period Ending

Dec 31, 2012

Dec 31, 2011

Dec 31, 2010

Total Revenue

5,089,000

3,711,000

1,974,000

Cost of Revenue

1,364,000

860,000

493,000

Gross Profit

3,725,000

2,851,000

1,481,000

Operating Expenses

Research Development

1,399,000

388,000

144,000

Selling General and Administrative

1,788,000

707,000

305,000

Non-Recurring

Others

Total Operating Expenses

Operating Income or Loss

538,000

1,756,000

1,032,000

Income from Continuing Operations

Total Other Income/Expenses Net

7,000

(19,000)

(2,000)

Earnings Before Interest And Taxes

545,000

1,737,000

1,030,000

Interest Expense

51,000

42,000

22,000

Income Before Tax

494,000

1,695,000

1,008,000

Income Tax Expense

441,000

695,000

402,000

Minority Interest

(21,000)

(332,000)

(234,000)

Net Income From Continuing Ops

32,000

668,000

372,000

Non-recurring Events

Discontinued Operations

Extraordinary Items

Effect Of Accounting Changes

Other Items

Net Income

32,000

668,000

372,000

Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments

Net Income Applicable To Common Shares

32,000

668,000

372,000

(Yahoo, Inc., 2013)

Facebook, Inc.'s Total Assets, Total Liabilities and Owners' Equity for the past 3 years, with numbers all in thousands, follows:

Period Ending

Dec 31, 2012

Dec 31, 2011

Dec 31, 2010

Assets

Current Assets

Cash And Cash Equivalents

2,384,000

1,512,000

1,785,000

Short-Term Investments

7,242,000

2,396,000

Net Receivables

1,170,000

547,000

373,000

Inventory

Other Current Assets

471,000

149,000

88,000

Total Current Assets

11,267,000

4,604,000

2,246,000

Long-Term Investments

Property Plant and Equipment

2,391,000

1,475,000

574,000

Goodwill

Intangible Assets

1,388,000

162,000

96,000

Accumulated Amortization

Other Assets

57,000

90,000

74,000

Deferred Long-Term Asset Charges

Total Assets

15,103,000

6,331,000

Explain why you chose this company (e.g., what makes it interesting to you personally? Is it profitability of the company over the last three years or something else?). Keep in mind that one of the main goals of a for-profit corporation is the "maximization of shareholders' wealth."
Facebook, Inc. was chosen because of its notoriety and financial volatility. The company is one of the most modern sources of global communications, which clearly tapped into a highly lucrative and rapidly expanding market, with resulting high profitability, particularly commencing in 2009 and continuing (Forbes.com, LLC, 2013); nevertheless, its IPO was marked with missteps, investor disappointments and numerous lawsuits (Tsukayama, 2012). Facebook, Inc. is so pervasive in modern society that it maintains 11 offices in the United States and approximately 25 global offices in such disparate places as Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and Singapore (Facebook, Inc., 2013). As a result, Mark Zuckerberg, is found among Forbes Lists as follows: #20 of the 400 richest people in America; #66 of the richest people (read "billionaires") on the planet; and #25 on the list of the world's most powerful people (Forbes.com, LLC, 2013). Simultaneously, the company's IPO was so disappointing in some respects that it was referred to as "The Facebook Flop" (Temple, 2012). The disparity between the wide popularity and wealth of Facebook vs. The questionable results of its IPO is intriguing.

3). Find out what you can about your SLP company's IPO.

Facebook, Inc. began its Initial Public Offering (IPO) by filing its Registration Statement on the required S1 Form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 1, 2012 (Facebook, Inc., 2012). The company's underwriters were Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Goldman, Sachs & Co. On the included Preliminary Prospectus, Facebook, Inc. claimed to have 845 million active monthly users and submitted the following Consolidated Balance Sheet:

As of December 31, 2011

Actual

Pro-Forma (1)

Pro Forma As

Adjusted (2)(3)

(in millions)

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities

3,908

$3,908

Working capital

3,705

4,034

Property and equipment, net

1,475

1,475

Total assets

6,331

6,660

Total liabilities

1,432

1,432

Additional paid-in capital

2,684

4,267

Retained earnings

1,606

Total stockholders' equity

4,899

5,228

(Facebook, Inc., 2012)

Despite its very promising number of new memberships and valuation, Facebook, Inc. acknowledged that both income and the number of new memberships were slowing…