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1 - 10 of 23 results for: ACCT

ACCT 210: Financial Accounting

In general terms, financial accounting is the measurement of economic activity for decision-making. Financial statements are a key product of this measurement process and an important component of firms financial reporting activities. In the past few years, financial accounting came to the forefront of the national consciousness as the stock market continued to decline amid faltering investor confidence. The crisis of confidence began with the revelation of accounting irregularities at some of the United States largest companies. However, the implications extended well beyond the effects of individual accounting or company failures: investors seemed to lose confidence in the integrity of the financial system as a whole. The capital markets, whose relative efficiency is based largely on the timely dissemination of relevant and reliable financial information, were at risk. Clearly, the importance of understanding accounting has never been so salient.nnnThe objective of this course is not to train you to become an accountant but rather to help you develop into an informed user of financial statement information. While financial statement users face a wide variety of decisions, they are often interested in understanding the implications of financial statement information for the future cash flows and earnings potential of a firm. We will focus on understanding the mapping between underlying economic events and financial statements, and on understanding how this mapping affects inferences about future profitability. Because annual reports are somewhat formidable, we will spend time familiarizing ourselves with how firms present the information for various accounts in the financial statements, including the footnotes. We also will discuss the role of the various institutions involved in the reporting process. By understanding the environment in which financial reporting takes place you will be in a better position to evaluate critically the disclosures made by firms in published financial statements.nnnThe following learning objectives will be emphasized: (1) familiarity with the transactions businesses engage in, (2) fluency in accounting terminology, (3) understanding the logical structure that maps transactions into accounting numbers, (4) understanding the rationale for various accounting methods, (5) understanding the process that generates accounting standards and the complexity of this task, (6) awareness of the judgment involved and the discretion allowed in choosing accounting methods, making estimates, and disclosing information in financial statements, and (7) familiarity with the various formats used for different disclosures.
Terms: Win | Units: 4

ACCT 212: Managerial Accounting: Strategic Cost Management and Control

Managerial accounting refers to the preparation and use of information for internal planning, control, coordination, and performance evaluation purposes. This orientation contrasts with financial accounting where the focus is on accounting disclosures for parties external to the firm.nnnThe majority of the course covers the vocabulary and mechanics of cost accounting, issues involved in the design of an internal accounting system, and the role of accounting in decisions concerning resource allocation and performance measurement. Included in this are discussions of capacity costs, inter-departmental allocations, and activity-based management in manufacturing and service environments. We will pay particular attention to the trade-offs embedded in the choice of internal accounting systems, as well ways in which to attenuate the problems created by these trade-offs.nnnThe second part of the course examines the process of evaluating the performance of individuals, business units and firms. Included in this are topics related to the optimal choice of performance metrics for incentive purposes, and the rationale behind the balanced scorecard. We will conclude by analyzing the link between profitability and more primitive notions of productivity, and by looking at practical concerns in carrying out studies using accounting data.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4
Instructors: Rajan, M. (PI)

ACCT 213: Financial Accounting - Accelerated

This course develops students' ability to read, understand, and use corporate financial statements. The course is oriented toward the user of financial accounting data (rather than the preparer) and emphasizes the reconstruction and interpretation of economic events from published accounting reports. The advanced sections are geared toward students with some familiarity in dealing with financial statements and allows for deeper coverage and discussion in class.
Terms: Win | Units: 4
Instructors: Kasznik, R. (PI)

ACCT 215: Managerial Accounting: Value-Based Management

This course presents concepts and tools for analyzing the profitability of business entities, including individual business segments, products and customers. Reported accounting income is generally just a starting point for identifying which entities are economically profitable in the sense that they contribute to overall firm value. We examine strategies for improving long-term profitability through better internal financial reporting practices and a systematic economic analysis of the information reported by the firm's internal accounting system. nn nnSpecific topics covered in this course include:nn- Profitability of Business Unitsnn- Cost Analysisnn- Profitability of Individual Products and Customersnn- Internal Pricing of Goods and Servicesnn- Transfer Pricing in Multinational Firms
Terms: Spr | Units: 4

ACCT 219: Sloan: Accounting

A characteristic of business is the extensive use of accounting data. The financial accounting course has the general objective of developing students' understanding of the nature, scope, and limitations of accounting information. To achieve this objective the course attempts to: (1) develop students' understanding of the conceptual accounting framework, including the objectives of financial reporting, and (2) develop students' ability to understand and critically evaluate the financial disclosures made by corporations. An issue of particular interest will be the managerial incentive aspects of accounting information and disclosures.
Terms: Win | Units: 4

ACCT 311: Global Financial Reporting

This course is designed to enhance students' understanding of current financial reporting issues through a detailed analysis and comparison of U.S. and International Financial Reporting Standards. The course will cover the development of accounting standards, implementation of these standards, and how to interpret output from these standards. The course highlights intermediate and advanced financial reporting topics including consolidation, foreign currency transactions, foreign currency translation, derivatives, hedging, leases, revenue recognition, variable interest entities, and equity compensation. The course also focuses on evaluating emerging financial reporting issues such as proposed financial reporting standards put forth by U.S. or international standard setting agencies. This course should help students better understand the environment governing financial reporting and how firms develop financial statement information within this environment.
Terms: Win | Units: 4

ACCT 312: Evaluating Financial Statement Information

This course aims to develop students' understanding of the relation between accounting numbers and underlying economic activity, and to develop students' ability to use accounting numbers in several decision contexts including evaluating profitability, forecasting future earnings and cash flows, selecting an appropriate financial reporting strategy, and assessing risk. Accordingly, the course will focus on several factors essential to this goal. These include understanding (1) the business environment a firm operates in, its contracting practices and their implications for what accounting principles are applied and what judgments are required; (2) the process that generates accounting numbers and its implications for the quality of those numbers for decision purposes; (3) approaches for assessing the sustainability and growth of a firm's revenues and earnings using financial statement information; and (4) approaches to evaluate earnings quality, the risk of earnings restatements, liquidity and solvency. This course should be of value to students who will be in senior positions within corporations and will determine financial reporting policies, as well as those outside corporations who will make investment or other decisions at least partially based on financial statement information.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | Repeatable 1 times (up to 4 units total)

ACCT 313: Accounting-Based Valuation

This course is designed to develop students' ability to interpret and use financial accounting information in equity valuation contexts. The perspective taken is that of an outsider relying on publicly available financial information for investment purposes, and builds heavily on the residual income framework for equity valuation. The first half of the course covers financial statement analysis-based tools for assessing a firm's current financial performance and economic condition, including traditional ratio analysis and financial distress/bankruptcy prediction models. The second half of the course introduces the accounting-based valuation framework, and develops the link between financial statement analysis, forecasting and valuation. This portion of the course focuses on techniques for forecasting specific income statement and balance sheet items, the creation of pro-forma financial statements, and the implementation of several accounting-based valuation models. The capstone to the course is the completion of a comprehensive equity valuation project. In addition to learning basic financial statement analysis tools and accounting-based valuation theory, students benefits from applying these tools and theories in the context of weekly cases and the final project. The course is structured for students to gain a deeper understanding of the economic pressures behind the valuation process by drawing upon and synthesizing concepts from microeconomics, corporate finance, corporate strategy, statistics and accounting. The course will be of value to those students who, as either senior managers or outsiders, anticipate making investment or credit decisions at least partially based on financial statement information.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4

ACCT 317: Managerial Accounting: Performance Measurement, Compensation, and Governance

The course will examine the academic and professional controversies surrounding corporate governance and executive compensation. A basic framework will be developed to integrate the many important dimensions of corporate governance in the U.S. and international settings. The institutional features of corporate governance and executive compensation will be documented using the professional business and legal literatures. In addition, the scientific research in accounting, economics, finance, and organizational behavior will be used to provide insights into the measurement and consequences of observed corporate governance and executive compensation choices. After successfully finishing the course, a student should be able to (i) understand the debates about appropriate choices for corporate governance and executive compensation and (ii) critically evaluate the implications of academic and professional research studies on these controversial issues.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4
Instructors: Larcker, D. (PI)

ACCT 390: Individual Research (FINANCE 390, GSBGEN 390, HRMGT 390, MGTECON 390, MKTG 390, OB 390, OIT 390, POLECON 390, STRAMGT 390)

Need approval from sponsoring faculty member and GSB Registrar.
Last offered: Autumn 2007 | Repeatable 3 times (up to 8 units total)
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