Financial Statement Analysis

obligatory courses

Master's level course.

The purpose of the course is acquainting students with general pinciples of the financial reporting system, undescoring the critical role of analysis of financial reports in investment decision making, including the principal financial statements (the income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement and statement of changes in owners' equity) which allows a financial analyst to evaluate trends in performance of different companies over the same period. In addition, specific categories of assets and liabilities that are particularly susceptible to the impact of alternative accounting policies and estimates will be discussed.

The course is assigned to students on the first year of the second level (master studies). Assessment will be based on 30% discussions and 70% on written examination containing both test and problem sets.

1. Financial reporting mechanics

Describing the three groups into which business activities are classified for financial reporting purposes. Introduction of the linkages among the financial statements. Consequences of timing differences between the elements of a transaction. An overwiev of how information flows through a business's analysis.

2. Financial statement analysis

Scope of financial statement anaysis, sources of information used in financial statement analysis, including the primary financial statements (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement), a framework for guiding the process of financial statement analysis.

3. Financial reporting standards

The objective of financial statements and the importance of financial standards. Describing trends toward convergence of global financial reporting standards and characteristics of an effective financial reporting framework. Presentation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) framework. Comparison of IFRS with alternative reporting systems.

4. Balance sheet

Structure and components of the balance sheet, measurement bases for assets and liabilities, components of equity.

5. Income statemnet

Description and analysis of income statement components, basic principles and selected applications related to the recognition of revenue and expenses, calculation of earnings per share.

6. Cash flow statement

Components and format of the cash flow statement, classification of cash flows under IFRS and U.S. GAAP, linkages of the cash flow statement with the income statement and balance sheet, direct and indirect methods of cash flow statement preparation.

7. Statement of changes in shareholders' equity and Additional information

Structure and components of these statements and its usefulness in financial statement analysis.

8/9. Financial analysis techinques

Description of analytical tools and techniques, calculating, analysing and interpreting financial data.

10/11. Financial statement analysis: application

Description of the use of financial statement analysis to evaluate a company's past financial performance and basic approaches to projecting a company's future financial performance.

12. Inventories

Definition, classification and scope of inventories, initial valuation, valuation at the balance sheet date, the rules of measurement of inventories during an accounting period, impairment of inventories and its reversal.

13. Long-term assets

Accounting for the acquisition and disposal of long-term tangible and intangible assets, allocation of those assets over their useful lives, impairment and revaluation.

14. Long-term liabilities and leases

Accounting for long-term bonds and leases, description of the debt treatment with equity features.

15. Conclusion and examination.

Required readings:

Robinson T.R. (CFA), Greuning H. (CFA), Henry E. (CFA), Broihahn M. (CFA), Tweedie D. (CFA), International Financial Statement Analysis, ISBN, 2008

Suggested readings:

Financial Reporting and Analysis, CFA Program curriculum, volume 3, level 1, 2009

Alexander D., Britton A., Jorrisen A., International Financial Reporting And Analysis, Cengage Learning EMEA, 2009

Students will be provided with intermediate knowledge of financial accounting procedures and the rules that govern disclosure.

Students should be able to record business transactions in books of accounts, prepare the following financial statements:

- balance sheet,

- income statement,

- cash flow.

They will be provided with knowledge of depreciation of tangible assets, impairment of inventory and financial investment, differed taxes and on- and off - balance sheet debt techniques, application and International Standards convergence.

The student has knowledge of the financial reporting and differences between Polish and international financial reporting standards. The student has knowledge of basic categories on financial statements (balance sheet, profit and loss account, cash flow statement, account of changes in equity and notes to financial statements), which may have a significant impact on the information presented in the reports and therefore decisions made by stakeholders on the basis of these reports. The student has knowledge of the preparation of financial statement analysis using indicators of profitability, efficiency, debt, market value and liquidity.

1. The student knows and understands the method of preparation of financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, account of changes in equity and notes to financial statements).

2. The student knows and understands the accounting policies and accounting rules which are used for financial reporting.

3. The student has knowledge of the analysis of financial statements using the indicator method.

4. The student knows the five groups of indicators (profitability, efficiency, debt, market value and liquidity).

5. The student has knowledge of Du Pont analysis of and pyramid relationships between individual indicators.

The student has the ability to independently conduct financial statement analysis and evaluate the company in terms of profitability, efficiency, debt, market value and liquidity.

1. The student is able to carry out financial statement analysis using ratiosand Du Pont method.

2. The student is able to interpret the results of preliminary analysis (amount, vertical and horizontal) and ratio analysis.

3. The student is able to provide basic recommendations to improve performance indicators.

The student is aware of the impact of policies and accounting rules on the information presented in the financial statements of companies. Student knows how to make decisions regarding the investment in the analyzed company.

1. The student is aware of how the choice of policies and accounting rules affects the information presented in the financial statements of companies and understands how companies can influence their assessment.

2. The student is able to work in the institutions involved in the analysis of companies and provide recommendations on investment in the analyzed company. KW01, KW04, KU04, KS02, KS03

2 absences will be allowed; The assessment will be based on 30% on problem-solving of practical problems and 70% on written end-term examination containing one-choice test and problems sets (short part-tests in the middle of term possible).