This course is part of the Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization

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Paul Kofman +1 more instructor

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Essentials of Corporate Finance SpecializationThe University of Melbourne

About this Course

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In this course, participants will learn the foundations of accounting principles and financial analysis, develop an understanding of the links between these, and the measurement of value creation at the firm level. This is the first course in a four-course Specialization on the Essentials of Corporate Financial Analysis and Decision-Making, created in partnership between the University of Melbourne and Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon).
View the MOOC promotional video here: http://tinyurl.com/jeoa83t

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Course 1 of 5 in the

Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Ratio Analysis
Financial Analysis
Financial Ratio
Balance Sheet

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 5 in the

Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.55/5 (123 Ratings)

Paul Kofman

Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

Sidney Myer Chair of Commerce

78,298 Learners

5 Courses

Sean Pinder

Associate Professor

Faculty of Business and Economics

78,298 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

The University of Melbourne

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(5,678 ratings)

Week

Week 1

3 hours to complete

An Introduction to Accounting Principles: The Language of Capital Markets

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 40 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes

8 videos

Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization Overview2m

The Language and Tools of Financial Analysis - Overview1m

1.0 Welcome and Introduction (It all begins with accounting)5m

1.1 The Balance Sheet 1: Assets (What the company owns)6m

1.2 The Balance Sheet 2: Liabilities (What the company owes)4m

1.3 The Balance Sheet 3: Equity (What the owners own)7m

1.4 The Profit and Loss Statement: Revenues (What the company earns)6m

1.5 The Profit and Loss Statement: Expenses (What the company spends)5m

7 readings

Course Syllabus10m

Your Teaching Team10m

Week 1 Outline10m

Start of Course Survey10m

Resources10m

Social Media10m

Study Tools and Tips10m

2 practice exercises

Week 1 practice quiz - This quiz does not contribute to your final grade30m

Week 1 graded quiz - This quiz contributes 10% towards your final grade30m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

An Intuition-based Introduction to Financial Analysis

Understanding the importance and the accounting principles underpinning the key financial statements of a company, we now turn our attention to synthesizing and condensing the financial statement information for the purpose of financial analysis. Specifically, we demonstrate how financial analysts use ratio analysis to measure relative profitability, leverage, efficiency and the liquidity of a company. Again, we utilise information from the financial statements of Kellogg's and its competitor Kraft to demonstrate these financial analysis techniques.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 49 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

8 videos

2.0 Introduction: An Intuitive Understanding of Financial Analysis (Let‘s get crunching!)8m

2.1 Profitability Measures 1 (When is good really good?)10m

2.2 Profitability Measures 2 (When is really good, good enough?)4m

2.3 Leverage Measures (Creating value with other people‘s money)9m

2.4 Efficiency Measures (Are we doing more with less?)6m

2.5 Liquidity Measures (Staying ahead of the curve?)4m

Mid Course Check-in1m

A View from Industry with BNY Mellon2m

1 reading

Week 2 Outline10m

2 practice exercises

Week 2 practice quiz - This quiz does not contribute to your final grade30m

Week 2 graded quiz - This quiz contributes 10% towards your final grade30m

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

The Links Between Accounting Principles and Financial Decision-making

Having established initial basic financial analyst's toolset in the first two weeks of this course, some caution is warranted as we turn our attention to some of the pitfalls associated with uncritical use of financial statements by analysts. Specifically, we highlight how the use of historical cost and accrual-based accounting might lead to sub-optimal corporate financial decision-making. We then discuss how the agency relationship between management and the owners of a company may also lead to poor corporate decision-making. We conclude with a cautionary tale of misleading accounting practices and the regulator's response to these cases.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 37 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

6 videos

3.0 Accounting Principles and Financial Decision-Making (Trust in numbers)5m

3.1 Limitations 1: Historical Cost And Market Value (The market is always right...)7m

3.2 Limitations 2: Accrual versus Cash Accounting (Money in the bank)5m

3.3 Limitations 3: Profit versus Wealth Creation (Raising the bar)3m

3.4 Accounting Scandals 1: The Fall-out From Enron (What to look out for…)5m

3.5 Accounting Scandals 2: Earnings Management (Smoke and mirrors)9m

1 reading

Week 3 Outline10m

2 practice exercises

Week 3 practice quiz - This quiz does not contribute to your final grade30m

Week 3 graded quiz - This quiz contributes 10% towards your final grade30m

Week

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Value Measurement via Discounted Cash Flow Analysis

Having identified the key elements of a company's financial statements, and the way in which information from these statements can be utilized in financial analysis, we shift our focus this week to discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. Sound financial decision-making by CFOs and investors, requires an assessment of future (uncertain) financial outcomes. DCF analysis allows the financial analyst to extrapolate the financial statement information in a forward-looking manner. The DCF technique provides an objective way in which we can evaluate financial decisions while overcoming many of the shortcomings associated with standard ratio analysis.

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 51 min), 4 readings, 5 quizzes

6 videos

4.0 Value Measurement Using Discounted Cash Flow Analysis6m

4.1 Discounting Cash Flows (Not every dollar is equal)15m

4.2 Forecasting Cash Flows (Back to the future)8m

4.3 Fair Value Using Net Present Value (Finance meets accounting)9m

4.4 Caution When Using DCF Analysis (Rubbish in… rubbish out)7m

4.5 The Accountant Signs Off (A summary of the course)3m

4 readings

Week 4 Outline10m

Academic Integrity10m

Where to From Here? The Next Step.10m

End of Course Survey10m

4 practice exercises

Week 4 practice quiz - This quiz does not contribute to your final grade30m

Week 4 graded quiz - This quiz contributes 10% towards your final grade30m

Course Final Exam - This quiz contributes 40% towards your final grade30m

Peer Assessment Calculations - Worth 10% of your final grade30m

Reviews

4.7

242 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
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3 stars
3.34%
2 stars
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM THE LANGUAGE AND TOOLS OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

by JTJan 10, 2017

I loved this course! It was very complete and I learned a lot. Actually, I am already applying some of the things that I learned in my workplace.

by NPDec 9, 2018

Excellent online learning and assignments, got good knowledge on financial analysis and very useful in my daily work. Thank you Coursera Team.

by GKJun 17, 2021

The insctructor performs excellent presentations. I am also very satisfied with the course resources. The topics gave me a good overview on the basics. Highly recommended for beginners.

by DSOct 26, 2021

As someone who already study and worked in finance and accounting area, the course actually remind me a lot of what I study before in really comprehensive method.

View all reviews

About the Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
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.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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The Language and Tools of Financial Analysis

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