Financial Accounting

This course presents an introduction to financial statement analysis and its usage when assessing business performance. The first part of the course will focus on understanding the most important financial statements, namely, the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. We will then focus on how we can understand the financial health and performance of the company by examining a number of important financial ratios that are derived from the financial statements of the company. Finally, we will be able to understand business performance across years comparing main results and indicators extracted from financial statements. Lectures on concepts will be supplemented with numerical examples and suggested readings

• Interpret key financial statements and reports
• Understand business performance over time
• Evaluate company results and peer comparison
• Use financial ratios for economic diagnosis

• Basic computer and internet skills
• Ability to read course instructions in English and complete short practice activities