Compare two packaged goods companies with five ratios you choose yourself

Rupee figures make the bigger company look better at everything. Ratios let you compare how well each company runs, whatever its size. Your job is to choose five ratios that answer that question, compute them the same way for both, and give a verdict you can defend.

• Which two listed Indian packaged goods companies sell to similar customers, so the comparison is fair?
• Which periods will you compare, and are both companies' years ending at the same time?
• Which five ratios cover profitability, efficiency and borrowing, without three of them saying the same thing?
• What would 'better run' mean to you: higher margin, faster use of assets, less borrowing, or a balance?

A sheet with a tidy input table for each company (every line with its page), five ratios with the formula written beside each result, one or two simple charts, and a half-page verdict that admits where the ratios disagree.

Picking ratios after seeing which ones make your favourite company look good. Fix the five ratios and their formulas before you fill in any numbers.

• The latest annual report or results presentation of each company, from their investor pages
• The exact lines you need, such as sales, operating profit, total assets, inventory and borrowings, with page numbers
• A one-line note on what each company mainly sells, from its own report

AI must not supply any company figure, ratio value or industry average. Every number comes from the two reports, and every ratio is calculated in your sheet.

1. 3.1 Choose the five ratios and their formulasCLAUDE CHAT

   Why this tool: Claude can explain what each ratio reveals and warn you when two ratios measure almost the same thing.

   Draft your five ratios first, then ask Claude to challenge the set. Write the final formulas in your sheet before collecting data.

   Prompt to copy · fill in the [brackets]Copy

   I am comparing two listed packaged goods companies to see which is better run. My five ratios are: [your ratios with formulas]. For each, explain in one line what it reveals. Tell me if any two overlap too much, and what area of the business my set ignores. Do not give me any company's figures.

2. 3.2 Have Claude pull the input lines from both reportsCLAUDE WORKING ON YOUR FILES (FORMERLY COWORK)

   Why this tool: Working on the two report files at once, Claude can draft the input table with page numbers faster than scrolling by hand.

   Put the two reports in one folder. Ask Claude to draft a table of the lines you listed for each company, with the page where each was found. Then open every page and confirm each number yourself.

   Prompt to copy · fill in the [brackets]Copy

   In this folder are the annual reports of two packaged goods companies. Draft a table with these lines for each company and each year shown: [your list of lines]. Beside every number, give the file name and page number where you found it. If a line is missing or named differently, write 'not found' or quote the name used. Do not calculate anything.

   Before you let it act: Before it starts, check the folder holds only the two reports and that you are asking for a draft table only. Plan to open every cited page yourself before using any number.

3. 3.3 Calculate and chart in the sheetGOOGLE SHEETS

   Why this tool: Formulas in the sheet are visible and checkable, unlike numbers worked out in a chat.

   Paste your checked inputs, then calculate each ratio with a formula pointing to the inputs. Make one or two simple charts comparing the companies side by side.

4. 3.4 Stress-test your verdictCLAUDE CHAT

   Why this tool: An argument against your verdict shows whether it rests on all five ratios or just one.

   Write your verdict first, then ask Claude to argue the other side using only your numbers.

   Prompt to copy · fill in the [brackets]Copy

   Here are five ratios for two companies: [paste your results table]. My verdict is that [company] is better run because [your reasons]. Using only these numbers, argue for the other company as strongly as you can. Then name the one ratio where the two companies disagree most and suggest two possible reasons I should check in the reports.

• Recompute every ratio for one company by hand from the input table
• Each input number matches the page you cited when you open the report
• Both companies use the same definition for each line, for example both use total borrowings, not one short-term only
• The verdict mentions at least one ratio that points the other way
• Every cell in the table has a source you opened yourself
• Like is compared with like (same period, same unit)

When pulling numbers from reports, AI often mixes standalone and consolidated figures or picks the wrong year's column. Check which statement and which year every number comes from.

• Input table with page references for both companies
• Five ratios with formulas shown beside the results
• One or two labelled charts
• A half-page verdict that names a disagreement between ratios

Put the ratio table and one chart on the first page, with the verdict right beneath. Keep the input table on a second tab for anyone who wants to check.

Explain why you chose these five ratios, what the comparison showed, and where the numbers left you unsure.