Understanding Financial Statements: Company Performance (Coursera)

Understanding Financial Statements: Company Performance (Coursera)

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of financial statements with an emphasis on the income statement. Building on the foundation formed in the first course, you will learn about the third of our three measurement questions and how the income statement helps to answer this final measurement question. Returning to the real business people introduced in the first course, this second course describes the basic content of income statement in a simple yet relevant context.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The course ends by summarizing many of the lessons learned in both courses to leave you with a lasting impression about what financial statements are and how accounting can work for you. We all know that accounting is “the language of business”; let’s make learning this language engaging, and perhaps even fun!
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Describe the purpose of an income statement.
• Define the basic components of an income statement.
• Recognize and understand the meaning of several items typically presented on an income statement.
• Explain the broader purpose of financial statements and the role of accounting in producing the financial statements.
• Read and, to some extent, interpret real-world income statements.
Course 2 of 5 in the Fundamentals of Accounting Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
How Did You Perform? Introducing the Income Statement
This module introduces you to the primary components of the income statement by focusing on the concepts of revenue and cost of goods sold.

WEEK 2
Finishing Out the Income Statement and Managing Cash
This module discusses examples of other income and expenses included in a typical income statement and introduces you to the statement of cash flows.

WEEK 3
Final Elements of Financial Statements
This module highlights common notes to the financial statements and provides insights from an expert.

WEEK 4
Wrapping Up Financial Statements and What Lies Ahead
This module revisits what the first two courses of the Fundamentals of Accounting Specialization have covered and examines how ratio analyses can help you evaluate a company.

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

Related Courses

Governmental Accounting and Reporting I (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Governmental Accounting and Reporting I (Coursera)

Building on the fundamentals, these modules dive into specific aspects of governmental and nonprofit accounting. You'll learn about constructing the required financial statements, including the statements for the government-wide as well as fund financial statements. You’ll also learn in great detail the difference between the three categories of funds : Governmental Funds, Proprietary Funds, and Fiduciary Funds. These modules provide in-depth knowledge of accounting practices and financial reporting for government and nonprofit entities.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Financial Accounting (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Introduction to Financial Accounting (Coursera)

Master the technical skills needed to analyze financial statements and disclosures for use in financial analysis, and learn how accounting standards and managerial incentives affect the financial reporting process. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to read the three most common financial statements: the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Then you can apply these skills to a real-world business challenge as part of the Wharton Business Foundations Specialization.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Finance for Managers (Coursera) Coursera
IESE Business School

Finance for Managers (Coursera)

When it comes to numbers, there is always more than meets the eye. In operational finance, you will learn how to read the “story” that the balance sheet and income statement tells about the company’s operations. The insights you gain from this “financial story” will then become a tool for short-term decision-making at the top management level relating to current assets, current liabilities and the management of working capital. Finally, by the end of the course you will understand the financial consequences of managerial decisions on operations, marketing, etc.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations (Coursera)

This course aims at assisting you in interpreting financial accounting information related to inter-corporate investments. The course will cover three main topics over four modules: (i) accounting for passive, significant influence, and control type of inter-corporate investments, (ii) special issues and considerations in inter-corporate investments, and (iii) special types of inter-corporate investments.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera)

This course builds upon what you learned in Financial Accounting: Foundations and Financial Accounting: Advanced Topics and introduces you to formal foundations of financial accounting. The main purpose of the course is to familiarize you with technical terms in financial accounting, such as debit, credit and T-account. While knowledge on technical aspects of financial accounting is not necessary to understand and interpret financial statements, this knowledge is critical to be able to understand advanced topics in accounting. Formal Financial Accounting is a prerequisite course for the University of Illinois' iMSA program and the terminology we will cover will be used throughout the courses in iMSA program.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks
Beyond the Financials: Insights, Analysis and Valuations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Beyond the Financials: Insights, Analysis and Valuations (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.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks
What is Financial Accounting? (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

What is Financial Accounting? (Coursera)

Students are introduced to the field of financial accounting through defining the foundational activities, tools, and users of financial accounting. Students learn to use the accounting equation and are introduced to the four major financial statements. Additional topics include ethical considerations, recording business transactions, and the application of credit/debit rules.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting for Business Decision Making: Measurement and Operational Decisions (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting for Business Decision Making: Measurement and Operational Decisions (Coursera)

Accounting information is the lifeblood of the organization as it facilitates and influences operational and strategic decisions intended to achieve organizational goals. Organizations benefit from three decision-oriented roles of accounting: measurement, control, and communication. This course provides an introduction to accounting’s measurement role inside of an organization and how accountants communicate information that helps managers and employees make operational decisions. In particular, you will learn how cost information is created and organized to help managers and employees conduct profitability analyses, develop and choose products, make pricing decisions, and make common business decisions.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera) Coursera
CentraleSupélec

Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera)

Transform or disappear, the Darwinism of IT: In order to adapt to a digital world, a two-speed IT is needed. Despite the importance of IT in today’s digital world, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) often struggle to get their voices heard by executive committees. Faced with this challenge, IT departments are being forced to reinvent themselves to adapt their companies to the fast paced evolution of technology. The Boston Consulting Group has developed a business approach that allows IT to shed off its appearance of a heavy cost center and to adopt a new, more realistic persona as a quality service provider, partnering with users and the management.

Aug 24th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Financial Statement Applications (Coursera) Coursera
Illinois Tech

Financial Statement Applications (Coursera)

This course is designed for students to develop an advanced financial analysis skill set. Throughout this course, students will be exposed to various quantitative tools and qualitative methods to determine the financial health and risk of selected U.S. public companies. The skills developed in this course will have direct application to credit analysis, financial analysis, and investment analysis.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera)

Just like when building a house the foundation for your business provides the framework for success. A business built on weak structure will struggle to succeed. We'll address some of the most pressing issues that you as a business owner must face while constructing the proper framework for your business.

Aug 31st 2026
4 Weeks