Principles of Accounting

A.Y. 2024/2025
12
Max ECTS
80
Overall hours
SSD
SECS-P/07
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Management (EMA) is characterized by the course in Financial Statements Analysis, which provides students with practical tools for interpreting the quantitative and qualitative dimensions related to the economic trend and the financial and asset situation of companies. These skills are crucial in understanding how the economic variables, learned and analyzed in other courses of the degree program, are achieved within different companies and how they are influenced by internal decision-making policies.
The purpose of the course is twofold.
First, the objective of the course is to provide students with the theoretical bases, practical skills and best practices for the study and analysis of the financial statements of companies that use the Italian accounting principles issued by the OIC (Organismo Italiano di Contabilità - Italian Accounting Body), with short insights to the financial statements prepared according to the IAS/IFRS (International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards).
Second, the course aims to provide knowledge for financial statements analysis in order to understand the business trend and in order to evaluate, both historically and prospectively, the policies and decisions essential for the growth and profitability of the company.
This two goals are pursued through the study and exercise of the students on: the understanding of the purpose of the financial statements and the logic of the related values; the preparation of the financial statements according to the national accounting principles and current regulations; and, finally, the analysis of the financial statements dimensions through the calculation and interpretation of its indexes and margins.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course the students will be able to:
- understand the mechanisms and the fundamental relationships between the financial statements variables;
- apply knowledge by drawing up the financial statements in accordance with OIC Italian accounting principles;
- identify the appropriate financial statements indexes to describe specific types of economic trend and financial and asset situation of the company;
- use the financial statements indexes to analyze the health status of the company under review;
- comment on the performance and evolution of the health status of the company;
- identify potential corrective policies and improvement of the company's health status on the basis of used indexes.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
1) Insights on financial accounting and principles of financial statements.
2) Structure and content of the financial statements.
3) Valuation criteria of the individual items in the financial statements.
4) Introduction to the consolidated financial statements.
5) Introduction to the financial statements analysis and reclassification of the financial statements schemes.
6) Key performance indicators (KPIs).
7) Cash flow statement and cash flow analysis
Prerequisites for admission
The course takes place in the third quarter of the second year of the Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Management (EMA).
As far as the prerequisites are concerned, students are recommended to study or return to the subjects of financial accounting dealt with in the Accounting module of the course "Business Economics and Accounting" (First year of EMA).
Teaching methods
Teaching methods consists of:
- lectures;
- exercises;
- team work on a case of financial statements analysis.
Teaching Resources
I part
Lombardi Stocchetti G. (a cura di), Valutazioni di bilancio, Pearson, Milano, 2022.

II part
Lombardi Stocchetti G., Pecchiari N., Analisi di bilancio, Guerini Next, Milano, 2020.

Slides and other materials will be available on the course platform.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination procedure for all students consists of a mandatory final written test that awards 32/32 points. The written test will focus on all topics explained in the lectures and covered by the textbooks.
The expected learning outcomes will be verified through the formulation of multiple-choice questions (basic and advanced theoretical knowledge), exercises in the understanding of accounting records and reclassification of financial statements, open questions on financial statements analysis.
A maximum of 3 points will be granted to regularly attending students who will complete case studies working in groups. These extra points will be added to the outcome of the written test (upon reaching a minimum assessment of 18/30 in the written exam).
It is possible to take advantage of the bonus of additional points only in the first exam session (June and July).
It is possible to take an intermediate test on the first part of the Program (to access the intermediate test it is necessary to have already passed the Business Economics and Accounting exam). The score obtained in the intermediate test will be valid only for the June and July exams, and it will be added to the score obtained in the test relating to the second part of the Program.
SECS-P/07 - BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING STUDIES - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours
Professor: Angeloni Silvia
Professor(s)