Financial Accounting is often called the language of business; it is the language that managers use to communicate the firm's financial and economic information to external parties such as shareholders and creditors. Nobody working in business can afford financial illiteracy. Whether you run your own business, work as a manager or are just starting your career, you want to understand financial information and be able to interact with accountants, controllers, and financial managers. You want to talk business! This course will provide you with the accounting language's essentials. Upon completion, you should be able to read and interpret financial statements for business diagnosis and decision-making. More importantly, you will possess the conceptual base to keep learning more sophisticated accounting and finance on your own. Do not forget that, as with any other language, becoming proficient with accounting requires constant practice.
This course is part of the Foundations of Management Specialization
Accounting: Principles of Financial Accounting
Offered By
Skills you will gain
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Course Overview & Week 1: Introduction to Accounting - The Balance Sheet
Welcome! Before you start today's videos, please have a look at the syllabus. In this first session, I'll give you an overview of what accounting is all about and why it's important to have a basic proficiency in this "language." In addition, I'll introduce one of the most important financial reports - the balance sheet - and a practical real-world case so you can put theory into practice. Objectives: To gain insight into the essence of accounting and become familiar with the balance sheet and its purpose.
Week 2: The Income Statement
Now that you are familiar with the balance sheet, in week two we'll learn how to account for a variety of transactions. In addition, I'll introduce you to another key financial report: the income statement. Course objectives: To be able to recognize a broader range of transactions on the balance sheet and to become familiar with the income statement.
Week 3: The Cash Flow Statement
Now that you have a good grasp of the balance sheet and income statement, I'll help you master how to recognize the transactions we went over in week two. I'll also introduce a third financial report - the cash flow statement - and discuss liquidity. Course objectives: To understand the difference between liquidity and profitability, become familiar with T-accounts and gain insight into the purpose of the cash flow report.
Week 4: Accrual Accounting
By using accrual accounting we can measure performance when a financial transaction takes place, even if no cash has actually changed hands. In this final session, we'll discuss the difference between accrual and cash accounting and also read and interpret a real enterprise's financial statements. Course objectives: By the end of the session, you will be able to handle numerous transactions for the purposes of financial reporting, and understand the advantages of accrual accounting.
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Top Reviews
The course was very interesting with a lot of real-life scenarios that made it very relatable. I will highly recommend it to anyone trying to find thier way through financial accounting principles.
Its pretty easy to understand with a relevant real world example on how to understand financial statements. It also provide further reading which is helpful for ones who want to learn more
Instructor
Marc Badia
Assistant ProfessorAbout IESE Business School
About the Foundations of Management Specialization
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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