Overview
Students with their CGA, CMA, CPA, or CA designations may receive transfer credit for this course.
Running any type of organization—whether it be manufacturing, merchandising, service, non-profit, or government—would practically be impossible without an understanding of financial and managerial accounting principles. This course introduces students to these important principles. In the financial component of the course, students take a detailed look at the four traditional accounting statements:
- statement of financial position
- income statement
- statement of changes in equity
- statement of cash flows
In the managerial component of the course, students look at how management accounting information is used by managers in their planning and control activities.
Outline
The eight-week course is divided into seven lessons:
- Lesson 1: Introduction
- Lesson 2: The Statement of Financial Position
- Lesson 3: The Income Statement and Statement of Cash Flows
- Lesson 4: Financial Statement Analysis; Other Components of Annual Reports
- Lesson 5: Introduction to Management Accounting: Strategy and Concepts; Using Revenues and Costs for Decision Making
- Lesson 6: Budgeting
- Lesson 7: Activity-based Costing
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to do the following:
- describe the topics, concepts, tools, and practices of accounting
- outline the information that accountants produce
- use accounting information for planning, operating, investing, financing, and management control decisions.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Annand, D. (2024). Introduction to financial statements based on International Financial Reporting Standards w. Solutions Manual. Athabasca University.
Annand, D. (2024). Selected topics in management accounting. Athabasca University.
Annand, D. (2023). Wayne Carworks Corp. annual report. Athabasca University.
Other materials
- Supplementary Resources include worked examples of practice problems: Video tutorials, PowerPoint slides, and MS Excel spreadsheets and templates provide additional guidance as you work through the course.
- All course materials will be accessed online.
Evaluation
Your grade will be based on the successful completion of two individual assignments and on your participation in the Reflective Problems discussion forum.
| Activity | Weight |
| Reflective Problems & Discussion Participation | 20% |
| Assignment 1 | 40% |
| Assignment 2 | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
To pass this course, you must receive a mark of at least 60% in each component: Reflective Problems, and each of two individual assignments.