Fundamentals of financial and management accounting (POK)

Offered by Politecnico di Milano,
Fundamentals of financial and management accounting (POK)

Learn how to read and analyze financial statements and understand basic techniques to manage costs and capital investment decisions. This is an introductory course on financial and management accounting. How many times have you heard of net profit, operating profit, operating margin, cash, earning and so on? But are they referring to the same concepts or are they different things?

The first part of this course will introduce the basic accounting principles and accounting terminology to understand how a company keeps control of financial events and provides information on how it is performing. These basic concepts will support the analysis of financial reports companies prepare. We will go through balance sheet, income statement, financial statement, learning how to read and analyze them.

The course will also provide the basis of management accounting introducing some techniques (e.g. break- even analysis or NPV) to support managers in making short-term and long-term decisions, such as "Is it convenient to dispose a production machine and buy a new one?" or "How many products should the company sell in order to break-even?"
The course will bring examples and case studies that will help students better understand the practical applications of the basic accounting principles and techniques. At the end of the course, students will be able to read, understand and analyze financial documents and to apply simple techniques to analyse costs and evaluate capital investment decisions.
At the end of this course a new edition will be activated.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Finance: The Basics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Finance: The Basics (Coursera)

In the Introduction to Finance I: The Basics course, you will be introduced to the basic concepts needed to understand the financial manager’s decision-making process. To achieve that, you will learn about the basic forms a business can take and the goal of the financial manager. You will also learn the fundamentals of financial statements and how to measure a company’s financial health using financial ratios.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting Analysis I: The Role of Accounting as an Information System (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting Analysis I: The Role of Accounting as an Information System (Coursera)

This course is the first course in a five-course Financial Reporting Specialization that covers the collection, processing, and communication of accounting information (via financial reports) about economic entities to interested parties (i.e., managers and external stakeholders such as stockholders and creditors).

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Finanza per tutti (POK) Polimi OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Politecnico di Milano

Finanza per tutti (POK)

Trovi difficile decidere come investire i tuoi risparmi? Le differenze fra azioni e obbligazioni non ti sono per nulla chiare? Quando vai in banca ti sembra che il tuo consulente finanziario parli un’altra lingua? Con questo corso ti aiuteremo a districarti nella giungla della finanza.

Available
3 Weeks
Pagamenti digitali e frodi (POK) Polimi OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Politecnico di Milano

Pagamenti digitali e frodi (POK)

Benefici, costi e rischi degli strumenti di pagamento. L’obiettivo del corso è quello di presentare le caratteristiche tecnologiche, i benefici, i costi e i rischi degli strumenti di pagamento (moneta e elettronici), con particolare attenzione alle frodi.

Available
4 Weeks
Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera)

Do you work in finance or interact with finance professionals? Is it necessary to speak, write or understand English in your career? Follow the authentic characters in this course as they work through common business situations in finance and economics. Learn from your successes and failure, and think critically about your own communication options.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Accounting for Decision Making (Coursera)

Through this course, you will start by addressing the two “big questions” of accounting: “What do I have?” and “How did I do over time?” You will see how the two key financial statements – the balance sheet and the income statement - are designed to answer these questions and then move on to consider how individual transactions aggregate to make up these financial statements.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Private Equity and Venture Capital (Coursera) Coursera
Università Bocconi

Private Equity and Venture Capital (Coursera)

The course deals with the analysis of the private equity and venture capital business. Over the course, students will be provided with a deep understanding of the mechanism underpinning the creation and/or development of a firm and the financial support it can get from the financial system through venture capital investment. The course tries to discover how special financial intermediaries (called private equity investors) finance through equity companies belonging to different stages of their life-cycle, starting from the very beginning (startup and early stage) to a more mature phase (i.e. expansion, mature age, etc.) or also staying into crises and decline.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Forecasting Financial Statements & Valuation for Accountants (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Forecasting Financial Statements & Valuation for Accountants (Coursera)

The objective of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze, interpret, understand and use financial information to make informed decisions. We will discuss financial reporting from a user’s perspective, use a variety of tools to break apart financial reports into meaningful units for analysis, forecast financial statements, and value a firm. This course is intended to give you exposure to the issues facing users of financial statements. You will better understand your role in the financial reporting process if you know how the financial statements will ultimately be used.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Financial Markets (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

Financial Markets (Coursera)

An overview of the ideas, methods, and institutions that permit human society to manage risks and foster enterprise. Emphasis on financially-savvy leadership skills. Description of practices today and analysis of prospects for the future. Introduction to risk management and behavioral finance principles to understand the real-world functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries. The ultimate goal of this course is using such industries effectively and towards a better society.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks