82230 - Financial Accounting & Reporting

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge on financial accounting. Students learn to read financial statements, to manage the bookkeeping process, the basic of financial statement analysis and to report non-financial information for guiding organizations toward a more sustainable future. Students will be able to make fundamental interpretations of a company's financial position, results of operations and the organisation’ sustainable development results and impacts.

Course contents

Course contents

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge on accounting and more specifically on financial accounting. Students also learn to manage the bookkeeping process, financial statement analysis, Social and Environmental Accounting and Managerial Accounting. Students are able to make fundamental interpretations of a company's financial position and results of operations.

At the end of the course students will be able to understand financial statements and the fact that these are the product of the financial accounting process. They represent the means of communicating economic information about the organization to stakeholders who want to make decisions and inform judgments about the entity's financial position. Also, students will be able to understand some fundamental financial statement analysis concepts and tools.

Furthermore, students will develop knowledge on non-financial information. To integrate the skills and knowledge on sustainable reporting, students examine and use the guidelines for sustainability reporting and its measures for guiding organizations to a more sustainable future, understanding their economic, environmental and social impacts (as well as related consequences).

Unit 1 and 2) Introduction, syllabus, schedule and exam. What is accounting and what is financial accounting.

Unit 3 and 4) Financial statements and accounting concepts and principles.

Unit 5 and 6) Fundamental interpretations made from financial statements data.

Unit 7 and 8) The bookkeeping process and transaction analysis.

Unit 9) Extended performance reporting such as sustainability reporting. Additional material will be provided.

Readings/Bibliography

Marshall, McManus and Viele, (2014), Accounting. What the numbers mean, 10th Edition, McGraw-Hill International Edition. Few chapters.

Teaching methods

The pedagogical approach is based on a combination of lectures, interactive classes, seminars, exercises, discussion questions.

Assessment methods

End of term examination (October 2019)

A final examination will be held at the end of the term and will consist of essay questions, multiple choices questions related to different elements of the course programme, as well as exercises. Additional questions can be asked with reference to international seminar, to be added on a volutary basis to the fial mark.

Teaching tools

Books

Exercises

E-learning

Case study method

Discussion questionsx

International Seminar

International articles, etc.

Office hours

See the website of Federica Farneti