The first 3 weeks demonstrate how to analyze financial performance based on accounting data taken from a company's reported income and investment decisions (10-K for example). The material is presented in an interesting manner with extensive use of Excel spreadsheets to demonstrate the calculation and application of common performance metrics and ratios. The test are challenging and interesting. I retook test I had passed because the information cover was interesting and the test provided an excellent learning opportunity. The fourth week deals with liking non-financial measures to financial performance. Within a typical organization, these parameters are often the ones employees most affect and are often measured against. The concepts and methods of evaluating presented with examples to demonstrate some of the problems with linking non-financial measures to financial performance.

I will be able to use what I have learned from both of these classes in my current job. I evaluate current business strategies of my company against competitive business strategies. Since the competitive business strategies must be deduced from a combination of published information and reported financial performance, the first three weeks will be of greatest benefit in this aspect of my job. The last week will be of more benefit as I help business organization within my company develop their business strategies.

First of all, I would like to express my gratefulness to Coursera who presenting this excellent platform for those who is interested in ongoing lifetime education and hardworking and contributions to bring all the greatest courses from top universities around the world.

Second, I thank you Prof Brian and Christopher for all your time, work especially your knowledge that you brought and shared within these videos. I truly appreciate and like the way you teaching and delivering the professional knowledge.

To me, as a student who's just started stepping in accounting field, I found that accounting classes is so much interesting done by you, and it is a pure enjoyment as I learnt all the key knowledge. On there other hand, the courses gave me a general clear picture of how important and critical the accounting is in daily business management.

I will continue study accounting as I pursue my professional goals and career path.

I found this course is highly weighted knowledge with hands on cases, not only on how we can evaluate business performance through financial outcome but also through linking the non financial metrics to company's strategy. Also Prof Bushee taught a lot upon how we can investigate is there any manipulation that might be done by company's management to meet earning target, though it's a bit hard (that hit my head a lot while learning this since I am having engineering background XD) but in the end I know this is very useful even for individual investor in the stock market. So that we can dependently evaluate by our own selves for each company we're interested in. Highly recommended to those who wants to dive deeper to the next level of ratios and earning management strategy.

This course is difficult for me since it requires extensive background of accounting studies while my background is in HR and Strategy. However, I grasped the opportunity to make up my finance and accounting related knowledge, and passed the course finally after several times of trial and error. The professors taught the course in a very interesting and fun way, which could have been a boring class with lots of difficult and hard numbers but turns out to be a class full of fun and laughters. I like the way the two professors are presenting the knowledge, as well as doing the analysis. Thanks for providing such a course! More courses like this should be organized to benefit more professionals or students in need!

Well, I learnt a lot, to say the least. I pride myself on being a fast learner, but the scorching pace at which the course was taught really zapped me. As an ex-banker, I was very impressed by the fraud detection and earnings and expenses management prediction models. From my practical experience, I appreciated the importance given to non financial metrics as well. Everywhere, we work in silos, where our left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, or the 18th floor is completely oblivious to the goings on on the 17th floor. The presentations, too, were nicely done, with a lot of aesthetics and humour thrown in.

You earned your vacation, dude, although you made it one of the toughest courses to pass.

As an accountant, I alerady knew the material in the first 2 weeks. For those without a finance background, it can be daunting but stick thru it and you will be rewarded. W3-W4 topics are brand new to me and both professors have provided a lot of interesting, practical examples. I saw on the discussion board some students would like to put these skills into real business practice, and question the material lacks step-by-step details. Honestly, these are very intense topics and the prof have probably spend years studying. One will also requires good grasp of statistic , regression, survey design etc. which is beyond the scope of an online course which merely span a couple weeks.

Even I don{s have any experience in Accounting (actually it is in Communications & Marketing) I really appreciate how Prof Bushee introduces all the concepts, and how he really try to make them less boring with resources like the "animated classroom", with different students and "personalities". It was also really interesting how you can connect performance measures like customer satisfaction to financial results, and for me, as a Marketing Manager in a telco company was important to admit that we just have to focus in improve some measures y some really, specific target. Not all costumers are the same, and unfortunatelly, not all are equally profitable.

Excellent, for others just know the 3 first weeks are very challenging and need a lot of investment from you ( trying to play with the Excel). At the beginning thought the accounting teacher was strange but at the end I understood he is trying to keep you interested and do it nicely. Maybe one of the few course where you fell like you are in a class and you "know" the teacher. Really great course, the last week is really easy and with another teacher so was a bit sad to change but still great.

Pass Test was somewhat changeble so I have two-side emotion about that. Otherwise when finally I got the certificate, I just more difficult test sets would be helpful to more get fluncy.

Cuz I stopped this part for 10 years, I was worried if I cant pass but Excellent Pf. s and Clear PPT was helpful to me .

I thought London business school session's lucture and PPT was very excellent, but Wharton business school session is very superb too! I honored get attendee about Wharton business school.

It has been a while since I have taken my last accounting class in my MBA. Accounting can be complex and confusing and needs a lot of effort from the professors to maintain student engagement and focus. I am extremely happy with how the class was engaging, funny and was able to hold the attention of the students. There was a clear picture of how much effort has gone through in creating this course. Especially want to mention professor Bushee's lectures. Very well designed.

Great working examples to learn Analytics in Financial Statement Analysis. Pace of videos was great. Working excel worksheet gives perfect hands on experience to vary and run the scenarios. Having done "Introduction to Financial Accounting" by same professor gave little bit more visibility into reading statements and understanding ratio analysis.

Virtual Classroom is getting more new students in each course. I am looking forward to Advance Financial Accounting course.

From a beginner (non-financial) perspective, I think this is the most difficult course in this specialization. The first 3 weeks might be a struggle for someone who is not familiar with financial terms. Yet, it reveals a lot of insightful analysis on accounting and finance. Challenging but sure helpful.

The last week is much easier to consume as it requires little statistical knowledge. I found it highly related to managers, and specifically in my case.

Quiz were challenging and I had to review he materials multiple times, this made me better in the field. Lectures were precise and simple. I searched online for similar things but the information was too scattered to organise and learn effectively. Both customer analytics and accounting an analytics course were very compact and had very precise knowledge regarding the subject and due to this I could learn at a much faster rate. Thank you for the course

Although it felt like a handsome knowledge o accounting was required to begin with, it turned out to be a really good course. Dr. Brian Bushee's videos were informative, engaging and entertaining! Dr. Christopher Ittner's week was very well explained too. A little more depth into operating the model (calculations and statistical measures) would be appreciated though. Overall, a very handsome overview of analytics onto financials.

Awesome course, I have really enjoyed the last week when the linkage between non financial metric and financial performance is established and so many important ideas are discussed , it's like a perfect resume of the whole specialization program. Congratulations for the capacity to teach how to think in a way to take the best decissions based on data and accurate indicators chosen individually for each business

I want to thank Prof. Bushee for his fantastic accounting classes. I tool Introduction to FA, More Introduction to FA as well as Accounting Analytics and I cannot recommend them enough. From not knowing how to approach FS I have now almost become an accounting manipulation/fraud detector, eager to read FS. I don't do Accounting professionally, but took these classes to help me pick good financial investments.

This course was very informative and can easily be used in any business setting. I can go an apply the methods learned in this course to any organization's financial statement to get a better idea of their financial performance. I really enjoyed in week 4 how the information learned in prior weeks can be tied to nonfinancial measures in developing a causal model to improve the performance of a company.

Professors are really good, First 3 weeks were really great, I had a feeling that I was actually in a lecture, not an online course. Overall course was really good, the only problem I have experienced was finding materials, it is really easy now after I know where to find it, but on the first lectures, I was not familiar and it took me some time. Thanks to professors and Coursera :)

The course with its in-depth information and refined texture has helped me to gain a lot of knowledge, and also helped me to look at at real life accounting issues with additional statistical spectrum in place.

Both the professors has provided quality lectures and reading materials which I am going to brush-up over the period of time as appropriate. Thank you Coursera.

Excelente curso! Os professores são ótimos e trouxeram tanto a parte de análise pura de números como de percepções humanizadas também, o que acho essencial para minhas tomadas de decisões. Além disso, o curso foca que os indicadores não dão nenhuma certeza, mas lhe dão embasamento para as tomadas de decisões, o que me fez abrir muito a cabeça.

I loved the entire course and it taught me a lot of things that were unknown to me prior to taking it up. The professors were very knowledgeable and experts in their field and it had been an amazing learning experience. One of the few accounting courses that could never be termed "boring" ! Kudos and Cheers, Prof. Bushee and Prof. Itner !

This is the first English course I have taken.

Though at first it was kind of difficulty because of language(especially the terms) and profession knowledge(it is a comprehensive course and I am still learning courses concerned at school)

the course is really worth taking. I have learned a lot .and it stimulates my interest in accounting.

Truthfully , It was a real challenge for me since i had no accounting backgrounds but it was amazing, and the professors were gifted. i couldn't help but wonder how they got so good in the field. And as a graduate of education, i think the teaching methodology was engaging and perfect for all kind of learners. Thank you so very much.

A well-taught course with great insights on detecting potential earnings manipulation through detailed financial statements analysis and the analysis of managers' motives, means and opportunities to engage in such activities. All was capped by a brilliant link between non-financial data and the financial performance of the firm.

Five stars is not enough to express my satisfaction and love to this course.

The instructor is very proactive in community. Every questions I posted got direcly feedback from Teaching staff (and most of them are from Prof Bushee!!!)

This is the besttttt course among all Wharton analytics sessions! Honestly, you have to try!!