Understanding Financial Statements (FutureLearn)

Offered by Coventry University,
Understanding Financial Statements (FutureLearn)

Learn how to make better business decisions with financial information. What is your financial statement trying to tell you? Every business maintains financial records that help us to understand how well it’s doing. In this course, you’ll learn how to read them. You’ll explore a range of financial statements - focusing on income statements, statements of financial position and cash flow statements. You’ll also investigate the different branches of accounting and learn to identify who else in the business uses this accounting information.

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

What do these statements contain? What do they reveal? Who makes use of them? This course will help you to answer these questions.
What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to accounting and its branches
  • Identifying different users of accounting information and their requirements
  • Overview of financial statements
  • Introduction to income statement
  • Introduction to statement of financial position
  • Introduction to cash flow statement

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Investigate the different branches of accounting
  • Identify the main users of accounting information and their requirements
  • Explain the purpose of financial statements (income statement, statement of financial position and cash flow statement)
  • Explore items typically included in each of the financial statements and their meaning

Interpret financial statements for decision-making purposes

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

Related Courses

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.

Aug 17th 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.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Accounting for Today’s Dynamic World (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Auckland University of Technology - AUT

Accounting for Today’s Dynamic World (FutureLearn)

Develop the accounting know-how you need to face the complex business challenges of today. Hone important knowledge and skills to jump-start your career. The complex discipline of accounting has always been crucial to business administration. This is truer than ever today, as it is used to coordinate a range of activities within organisations. This four-week introduction to accounting, from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), offers a clear window into this world.

Jun 27th 2022
4 Weeks
An Introduction to Financial Management in Construction (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

An Introduction to Financial Management in Construction (FutureLearn)

Explore financial management and accounting conventions and their importance in the construction industry and other sectors. Understand the need for financial management in the construction industry. Which projects should a firm or individual invest their money? How can you find out a company’s profit at the end of the year? How should this investment be financed? How can you tell how healthy a company is?

Jun 3rd 2024
2 Weeks
Fundamentos de Finanças da Empresa com o 10,000 Women da Goldman Sachs (Coursera) Coursera
Goldman Sachs

Fundamentos de Finanças da Empresa com o 10,000 Women da Goldman Sachs (Coursera)

Este curso online gratuito é um dos 10 cursos disponíveis na coleção 10,000 Women da Goldman Sachs, projetado para empreendedoras prontas para levar seus negócios para o próximo nível. Este curso apresentará a você ao aspecto financeiro da sua empresa e lhe mostrará como usar as demonstrações financeiras para entender e monitorar sua posição financeira e tomar decisões de negócios importantes.

Aug 10th 2026
1 Week
Finance for Non-Financial Managers (Coursera) Coursera
Emory University

Finance for Non-Financial Managers (Coursera)

Finance is for “Non-financial Managers” who want to understand key financial principles and apply them in a real-world context. Over the course of the program window, you will work your way through a series of nine modules that move from understanding basic financial principles to applying financial analysis and ratios to drive decisions.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control (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 role in helping managers develop and implement, and improve the organization’s strategy. In particular, you will learn how non-financial and financial information is created, organized, and communicated to help managers make strategic decisions, as well as measure strategic success.

Aug 10th 2026
4 Weeks
Auditing I: Conceptual Foundations of Auditing (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Auditing I: Conceptual Foundations of Auditing (Coursera)

This course provides an intensive conceptual and applied introduction to auditing in society. It focuses on concepts and applications related to financial-statement auditors’ professional responsibilities as well as major facets of the audit process including risk assessment and audit reporting. In the U.S. financial-statement audits and related services generally are provided by Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Accounting With Xero: A Beginner’s Guide (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The Career Academy,Xero

Accounting With Xero: A Beginner’s Guide (FutureLearn)

Get familiar with Xero accounting software, building your confidence in managing clients and carrying out everyday tasks. Master Xero basics to simplify and improve everyday tasks. A good understanding of Xero accounting software is quickly becoming a sought-after skill. This practical four-week course provides a solid foundation for Xero accounting, helping you to set yourself apart in a highly competitive job market.

Jun 27th 2022
4 Weeks
Financial Statement and Ratio Analysis for Accountants (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Financial Statement and Ratio Analysis for Accountants (Coursera)

The objective of Financial Statement and Ratio Analysis for MBAs 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.

Aug 24th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Accounting Data Analytics and Visualization (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Accounting Data Analytics and Visualization (Coursera)

Accounting has always been about analytical thinking. From the earliest days of the profession, Luca Pacioli emphasized the importance of math and order for analyzing business transactions. The skillset that accountants have needed to perform math and to keep order has evolved from pencil and paper, to typewriters and calculators, then to spreadsheets and accounting software. A new skillset that is becoming more important for nearly every aspect of business is that of big data analytics: analyzing large amounts of data to find actionable insights. This course is designed to help accounting students develop an analytical mindset and prepare them to use data analytic programming languages like Python and R.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks