MBA 2425 Financial Accounting

MBA 2425 Financial Accounting

Course code: 
MBA 2425
Department: 
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Credits: 
4
Course coordinator: 
Heidi Wiig
Ren Mingchuan
Course name in Norwegian: 
Financial Accounting
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
MBA China
Semester: 
2018 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

The purpose of this course is to furnish students with a basic understanding of financial reporting. It will provide students with the ability to analyze and interpret company financial statements by making use of real financial statements and accounting disclosures, and exposing students to contemporary real world accounting issues. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on understanding the differences between accounting rules in use around the world (i.e. the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the American Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) and the Chinese accounting standards).

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • Read and interpret financial statements
  • Understand how financial reporting choices and discretion affect financial information
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Appreciate the differences in reporting regimes around the world
     
Learning Outcome - Reflection
  • Critically analyze financial statements
Course content

This course is made up of five topics:

1. Background to Financial Accounting

  • Three books: financial accounting, managerial accounting and tax accounting
  • Companies’ annual reports: the management discussion and analysis (MD&A), financial statements (i.e. balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flow, statement of stockholders’ equity, and footnotes), and audit report
  • GAAP issues: recognition, valuation, presentation, and
    disclosure
  • Globalization of capital markets and accounting

2. Income Statement

  • Financial performance of a business
  • The layout of income statement
  • Accrual basis accounting and revenue recognition
  • Quality of reported earning

3. Balance Sheet

  • The connection between balance sheet and income statement
  • The layout of balance sheet
  • Financial risk of a business
  • Double-entry bookkeeping and accounting cycle

4. Statement of Cash Flow

  • Cash basis accounting
  • Layout of statement of cash flow
  • Direct and indirect methods
  • Net income (NI) vs cash flow from operating activities (CFO)

5. Financial Statement Analysis

  • Footnotes to financial statements
  • Common-size and ratio analysis
  • Profit analysis for a business
Learning process and requirements to students

The course is conducted as a teaching module, where students have classes all day for four subsequent days, a total of 32 hours.

Given that this course is an intensive course taught in four days, it becomes necessary for students to start the learning process prior to the classroom meetings. To that end, we have assigned pre-course readings.

Pre-course preparation by all students allows class time to be used most productively, and allow everyone to participate in the discussion which, in turn, enhances the prospect of advancing the financial accounting competencies

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component will be graded using points on a scale 0 -100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course. Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam components will get a lower grade or may fail the course. Candidates may be called in for an oral hearing as a verification/control of written assignments.

Specific information regarding the points system and the mapping scale beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation.

The course is a part of a full MBA and examination in all courses in the MBA programme must be passed in order to obtain a certificate for the MBA degree.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Granted admission to the BI-Fudan MBA programme. Please consult our student regulations.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
10
Grouping: 
Individual
Comment: 
Class attendance, counts 10% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MBA 24251
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Individual assignments, counts 20% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MBA 24251
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 8)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Group assignments, counts 30% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MBA 24251
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • All printed and handwritten support materials
Duration: 
1 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Final quiz, open-book, counts 40% of the total grade.
Exam code: 
MBA 24251
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 4 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 110 hours.