Overview
Aims
The courseisdesignedtogivestudents an introductiontothemainfinancialreportingstandardsandtodevelop an understanding of theinterpretation of financialstatements, partlythroughunderstandingtheeffects of corefinancialtransactions, readingfinancialreportsandinvestigatinghowfinancialaccounts are preparedandtheaccountingfigures are created.
Thisis a coursethatassumes prior knowledge of accounting.The coursewillexploretheformandfunction of financialreportingandthenature of data used in theproduction of financialstatementsandhowthis data iscollectedandprocessed in thepreparation of financialreports, withreferencetotheunderlyingaccountingconcepts.
The principal focus willberelatedtotheinterpretationanduse of thefinancial data by non-accountingstakeholders
Course contents
- Accounting’sprinciples
- Balancesheet
- Profit andlossaccount
- Statement of changes in equity
- Cash flowstatement
- Notes to the annual financial statements
Learning outcomes
- Compare and contrast thefeatures of differenttypes of accountingentity, andbeaware of theimplications of organisationalform on thestructureandnature of financialstatements.
- Describe, applyandexplainthemeaning of keyfinancialaccountingterms, conceptsandideasandbeabletodiscussandillustratetheimplications of these in relationtoaccounting data andfinancialreports.
- Discussand evaluate thelimitations of financialreports, ratiosandothertoolsandmethods of financialanalysis.
Assessment
Written exam – 50%; verification during semester – 50%.