Introduction to Financial and Management
Accounting
Topic Overview
You will learn the fundamentals of:
•
•
Financial Accounting: This is where we record the financial activity of our company and pull
together the financial statements.
Management Accounting: This is where we take that financial (and non-financial) information
and analyze it. Using various tools and techniques we can make those numbers tell a story. A
very valuable tool for your HR department to have!
Look for these pop up boxes throughout the lesson modules. They will contain helpful tips and tricks and
other important information.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will have the following skills:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Knowledge
Practical skills
Operations
Communication skills
Marketing
Financial
Strategies and budgets for HR
Remember, we're not trying to make Accountants out of you - that would take more time than we have
available! The objective of this course is to give you a broad overview of some of basic accounting tools
and techniques that you are likely to encounter in your HR career. When you're sitting around that
Management table, we want you to be able know enough to ask the right questions and hold your own
with those Finance types.
Course Overview
•
•
•
•
Theoretical understanding
Preparation of financial statements
Build and analyze information
Make financial decisions
Always keep in mind that we are only doing a cursory overview of this material. Yes, you will be required
to do some calculations and decision making, but we are not expecting you to become experts!
Learning Guide
We will use a variety of methods for learning the material:
•
•
•
•
Lecture notes and online reading: These on-line modules are the backbone of this course. Each
week, you should start here working your way through the course material and learning
activities
Course readings: Please treat your textbook bundle as supplementary learning only. The
textbooks dive far deeper into the material than you need. The on-line modules provide the
best guide for learning the concepts. If you'd like to learn a bit more or want more background
information, the textbook is a great resource (and also good to have on your shelf in your office
for future reference). We will sometimes refer to it for demonstrations and assign appropriate
practice questions from the texts.
Online discussions: The Discussion Board in Blackboard is the best spot to learn. This is where
you will ask your questions, see what your classmates are thinking and know that you're not
alone in this course! The most successful on-line students ask the most questions! There are 4
graded discussion assignments that all students will participate in but please don't restrict your
participation to just those - ask your questions and learn!
Other activities: In addition to the learning activities embedded in the modules, each week you
will have some additional homework as well as a graded activity.
The Course Timeline, posted on Blackboard, has details of all important dates and deadlines
Module Checklist
Before jumping into the course learning material, please spend some time navigating around in
Blackboard:
•
•
•
•
•
•
I have worked through the Getting Started checklist posted on Blackboard
I have read through the Course Outline and noted the textbook information (under Course
Information
I have located the Course Timeline (under Course Information) and have made note of the key
dates.
I have found where I will ask questions on the Discussion board and where I will submit
assignments, and complete my on-line quizzes.
I have ordered my textbooks using the unique ISBN for the custom textbook bundle.
I have posted a message on the Introduction forum on the Discussion board.
Congratulations! You're ready to start this course. You are now ready to jump in and start learning.