| CODE | BKF5150 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Financial Analysis | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Banking and Finance | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit - Financial Analysis - will help students understand how to read,interpret and analyse financial statements of companies. This will serve as a foundation on how to assess the financial health of a company and the future financial growth associated with the current financial management of the companies analysed. The study-unit will be presented in 14 sessions. The topic of each session is listed below. The study-unit content is as follows: Session 1 Part A: Financial Statement Analysis: An Introduction • Scope of Financial Statement Analysis • Major Financial Statements and Other Information Sources • Financial Statement Analysis Framework Session 1 Part B: Financial Reporting Mechanics • The Classification of Business Activities • Accounts and Financial Statements • The Accounting Process • Accruals and Valuation Adjustments • Accounting Systems and Using Financial Statements in Security Analysis Session 2 Part A: Financial Reporting Standards • Convergence of Global Financial Reporting Standards • Effective Financial Reporting • Monitoring Developments in Financial Reporting Standards Session 2 Part B: International Standards Convergence • The IFRS Framework • The Balance Sheet; Income Statement; and the Cash Flow Statement • Standard Setters’ Agenda for Convergence • Effect of Differences between Accounting Standards Session 3 Part A: Understanding the Income Statement • Components and Format of the Income Statement • Earnings per Share and Analysis of the Income Statement Session 3 Part B: Understanding the Balance Sheet • Components and Format of the Balance Sheet • Measurement Bases of Assets and Liabilities • Equity and Analysis of the Balance Sheet Session 3 Part C: Understanding the Cash Flow Statement • Components and Format of the Cash Flow Statement • Cash Flow Statement Analysis Session 4 Part A: Inventories • Inventory Cost and Inventory Accounting Methods • Financial Analysis of Inventories Session 4 Part B: Long-Lived Assets • Accounting for Acquisition of Long-Lived Tangible & Intangible Assets • Depreciating Long-Lived Tangible Assets and Amortizing Intangible Assets • Asset Retirement Obligations • Disposal of Long-Lived Operating Assets • Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Revaluation of Long-Lived Assets Session 5 Part A: Income Taxes • Differences between Accounting Profit and Taxable Income • Determining the Tax Base of Assets and Liabilities • Differences between Taxable and Accounting Profit • Unused Tax Losses and Tax Credits • Recognition and Measurement of Current and Deferred Tax • Presentation and Disclosure Session 5 Part B: Long-Term Liabilities and Leases • Bonds Payable; Debt with Equity Features; and Leases • Other Types of Off-Balance-Sheet Financing Session 6 Part A: Financial Analysis Techniques • The Financial Analysis Process • Analysis Tools and Techniques; and Common Ratios Used in Financial Analysis Session 7 Part A: Financial Analysis Techniques (continued) • Equity Analysis and Credit Analysis • Business and Geographic Segments • Model Building and Forecasting Session 8 Part A: Financial Statement Analysis: Applications • Application: Evaluating Past Financial Performance • Application: Projecting Future Financial Performance Session 9 Part A: Financial Statement Analysis: Applications (continued) • Application: Assessing Credit Risk • Application: Screening for Potential Equity Investments • Analyst Adjustments to Reported Financials Session 10 Part A: Employee Compensation: Postretirement and Share-Based • Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits • Share-Based Compensation Session 11 Part A: Inter-corporate Investments • Basic Corporate Investment Categories • Investments in Financial Assets (minority passive investments) • Minority Active Investments • Joint Ventures • Business Combination (controlling interest investments) • Variable Interest and Special Purpose Entities Session 12 Part A: Multinational Operations • Foreign Currency Transactions • Translation of Foreign Currency Financial Statements Session 13 Part A: Evaluating Financial Reporting Quality • Discretion in Accounting Systems • Financial Reporting Quality: Definitions, Issues & Aggregate Measures • A Framework for Identifying Low-Quality Financial Reporting • The Implications of Fair Value Reporting for Financial Session 14 Part A: Evaluating Financial Reporting Quality (continued) • Financial Reporting Quality: Red flags and accounting warning signs • Accounting Shenanigans on the cash flow statement Study-unit Aims: The aims of the study-unit are: (a) To prepare participants contemplating entry into the extremely competitive field of investment management; (b) To satisfy those participants who are seeking a means of revising and keeping one’s knowledge up-to-date; (c) To help participants to comprehend better the investment sector; (d) To present essential concepts for those new to the financial industry that any investment professional needs to master; (e) To lay the foundation for many of the investment processes that successful firms use on a day-to-day basis; (f) To provide the tools and techniques that allow participants to gain important insights into the true financial condition of a company; (g) To help participants to effectively evaluate financial information in today’s volatile markets and uncertain global economy. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) Demonstrate an understanding of the practice of the accounting process which is the basis for financial reporting; (b) Comprehend the differences and similarities in income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements internationally; (c) Assess the implications for securities valuation of any financial statement element or transaction; (d) Ascertain how different financial analysis techniques can provide valuable clues into a company’s operations and risk characteristics; (e) Comprehend the importance of income tax accounting and reporting, the difficulty of measuring the value of employee compensation, and the impact of foreign exchange rates on the financial statements of a multinational corporation. The above are aimed at the established and aspiring financial professional focusing on the field of investment management. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) Recognize the interrelationships of financial information to better assess a company’s financial performance; (b) Evaluate the securities valuation implications from presented financial information; (c) Use a range of tools to analyse and interpreting financial statements, particularly related to the investment management sector; (d) Evaluate the performance and financial condition of a company; (e) Project the future financial performance of a company; assess credit risk; and screen for potential equity investments; (f) Evaluate the financial reporting quality of a company. The above are focused on the field of investment management. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Text: - Robinson, T.R.; van Greuning, H.; Henry, E.; and Broihahn, M.A. (2009). International Financial Statement Analysis (CFA Institute Investment Series). Hoboken: New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Expected Readings Programme: Session 1 Chapter 1: Financial Statement Analysis: An Introduction Chapter 2: Financial Reporting Mechanics Supplementary readings: Subramanyam, K.R and Wild J.J.(2009). Financial Statement Analysis 10th Edition McGraw Hill. Ch1 Overview of Financial Statement Analysis. Deloitte, Touche and Tohmatsu. “The framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statement”. Session 2 Chapter 3: Financial Reporting Standards Chapter 8: International Standards Convergence Supplementary readings: Bradshaw, M., et al (2010). Response to the SEC's Proposed Rule- Roadmap for the Potential Use of Financial Statements Prepared in Accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by U.S. Issuers. Accounting Horizons (24) 1. International Accounting Standards Board (2007): International Financial Reporting Standards 2007 (includingInternational Accounting Standards (IAS(tm)) and Interpretations as at 1 January 2007), LexisNexis. Ball R. (2006). International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): pros and cons for investors. Accounting and Business Research Session 3 Chapter 4: Understanding the Income Statement Chapter 5: Understanding the Balance Sheet Chapter 6: Understanding the Cash Flow Statement Supplementary readings: Helfert, E. A. (2001). "The Nature of Financial Statements: The Income Statement". Financial Analysis - Tools and Techniques - A Guide for Managers. McGraw Hill. p. 40. Warren, Carl (2008). Survey of Accounting. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publication. pp. 128–132. Session 4 Chapter 10: Inventories Chapter 11: Long-Lived Assets Supplementary readings: Ernst and Young (2011). Financial reporting developments: A comprehensive guide - Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets. Cannella S., Ciancimino E. (2010) Up-to-date Supply Chain Management: the Coordinated (S,R). In "Advanced Manufacturing and Sustainable Logistics". Dangelmaier W. et al. (Eds.) 175-185. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, Germany. Session 5 Chapter 12: Income Taxes Chapter 13: Long-Term Liabilities and Leases Supplementary readings: Chung, J. and Wong, K. (2003). Impact of Revised SSAP 12–Income Taxes. PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd Clendon, T. (2000). Accounting for leases. http://www2.accaglobal.com/archive/2888864/309412 Session 6 Chapter 7: Financial Analysis Techniques Supplementary readings: Spathisa, M. Doumposb & C. Zopounidisb (2002). Detecting falsified financial statements: a comparative study using multicriteria analysis and multivariate statistical techniques. European Accounting Review, Volume 11, Issue 3 (p 509-535). Session 7 Chapter 7: Financial Analysis Techniques (continued) Supplementary readings: Wu, M.L (2006). Corporate social performance, corporate financial performance, and firm size: A metaanalysis. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, (P163-171) Session 8 Chapter 9: Financial Statement Analysis: Applications Supplementary readings: Ou, J. A. and Penman, S.H. (1989). Financial statement analysis and the prediction of stock returns. Journal of Accounting and Economics, Vol 11, Issue 4, (P295–329) Session 9 Chapter 9: Financial Statement Analysis: Applications (continued) Supplementary readings: Feroz, E.H, Kim, S., Raab, R.L. (2003). Financial statement analysis: A data envelopment analysis approach. Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol 54, 1 (pp 48–58). Session 10 Chapter 14: Employee Compensation: Postretirement and Share-Based Supplementary readings: Brown, L. D., Lee, Yen-Jung (2007). The Impact of SFAS 123R on Changes in Option-Based Compensation. Georgia State University - School of Accountancy Session 11 Chapter 15: Inter-corporate Investments Supplementary readings: Morck, R. (2003). Why Some Double Taxation Might Make Sense: The Special Case of Inter-corporate Dividends. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 9651 Session 12 Chapter 16: Multinational Operations Supplementary readings: Nobel, R and Birkinshaw, J. (1998). Innovation in Multinational Corporations: Control and Communication Patterns in International R & D Operations. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 19, 479–496 Session 13 Chapter 17: Evaluating Financial Reporting Quality Supplementary readings: McDaniel, L., Martin, R.D., Maines, L.A. (2002). Evaluating financial reporting quality: The effects of financial expertise vs. financial literacy. Accounting Review, Vol 77 (pp139-167) Session 14 Chapter 17: Evaluating Financial Reporting Quality (continued) Supplementary readings: Wittenberg-Moerman, Regina. (2008).The role of information asymmetry and financial reporting quality in debt trading: Evidence from the secondary loan market. Journal of Accounting and Economics, Volume 46, Issue 2-3 (pp240-260). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Swain Patrick Spiteri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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