This is part of a two-class sequence on financial accounting. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING I & II, held consecutively, will provide you with a strong foundation to tackle many financial issues. Accounting I covers the basics, while Accounting II deals with more advanced topics. The topics discussed are “general” and apply to accounting practices worldwide – whether in the USA, Europe, Asia, etc. You can take Accounting I on a standalone basis, or, you can take it as part of a two course sequence. Accounting is “the language of business”. It is spoken by managers, employees, investors, financial analysts, internal and external auditors, supervisory boards, management accountants, bankers and other decision-makers with whom managers regularly interact. It is widely agreed that future business leaders need to understand this language in order to interpret and use financial statements and other accounting information for internal management purposes (e.g., planning, directing, controlling) as well as corporate communication purposes (e.g., capital markets, banks, rating agencies). If you want to compete in this arena, it will be useful for you to acquire a working knowledge of accounting. This class is targeted to students having little, if any, background in financial accounting. At the end of the day, numbers are what matter in the business world. You just cannot escape them; hence, you should learn them well. Contrary to what you might believe, you cannot become a successful professional unless you master the numbers of the financial world. This is the class that will teach you how.