Crash Courses offered by IM
If you come from a different background than the classical economics, business administration and management studies do not worry!
IM offers Crash Courses aimed to align the knowledge of all the enrolled students.
The courses are held (indicatively) in the first half of September before the start of regular lectures.
IM students can access the crash course materials at the following link on Virtuale:
https://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=86189
In order to access the materials students must enter a password that has been sent via e-mail to all IM students.
By the end of the pre-course, students will have acquired the fundamental statistical knowledge and skills required to approach quantitative analysis in economics. The course provides a review of the main concepts and techniques of descriptive statistics, probability, and statistical inference, with particular emphasis on their interpretation and application to economic data.
The course covers the following topics:
The pre-course is designed to provide students with the quantitative and statistical foundations needed to successfully approach the subsequent courses of the Master's degree in Economics.
Teaching Methods:
Online recorded lessons will be shared with the new class of students 26/27
IM students can access the crash course materials at the following link on Virtuale:
https://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=86190
In order to access the materials students must enter a password that has been sent via e-mail to all IM students.
Dr. Matteo Merlo
Visiting Professor of Accounting at Goethe University Frankfurt
Postdoctoral researcher in Accounting at Erasmus University Rotterdam (on leave)
Email: matteo.merlo2@unibo.it
This introductory course provides a common accounting foundation for students with different
academic backgrounds. It connects business transactions with financial reporting and interpretation,
supporting subsequent study in International Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis. No prior
accounting knowledge is assumed.
The course consists of five online lectures of approximately two hours each, for around ten hours of
recorded teaching. All teaching and materials are in English. Students can revisit the recordings and
work through the examples at their own pace.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
▪ Explain the purpose of accounting, the needs of its users and the role of reporting requirements.
▪ Apply the accounting equation and double entry to common business transactions and simple
adjustments.
▪ Classify balance sheet items and explain selected recognition and measurement rules, including
depreciation, credit losses and borrowings.
▪ Interpret the main income statement areas and calculate basic profit margins, distinguishing
profit from cash flows.
▪ Locate reliable company information, organise comparable data in Excel and communicate
evidence through a clearly structured analyst report.
The core materials are the five lecture slide decks and online recordings, including worked examples,
company financial statement extracts and practice questions. Follow the lectures in sequence and attempt the exercises before reviewing their solutions. Excel is useful for reproducing calculations and
exploring the report preparation examples.
There is no examination or assessed submission for this crash course. Practice exercises support
independent learning. References to assignments in Lecture 5 illustrate skills for subsequent coursework
and do not create an assessment requirement here.
No textbook is required and no purchase is necessary. The following books offer additional explanations
and practice:
▪ Stolowy, H., Ding, Y., and Paugam, L. Financial Accounting and Reporting. 7th edition.
Cengage.
▪ Kieso, D. E., Weygandt, J. J., and Warfield, T. D. Intermediate Accounting IFRS. 4th edition.
Wiley.
Lecture 1 – Introduction to Accounting: Introduces accounting as a process for identifying, recording
and communicating economic information. Explores business activities, the separation between an
entity and its owners, and the needs of internal and external users. Examples illustrate decision making,
accountability, information demand and the importance of credible reporting for investors, lenders and
other stakeholders.
Lecture 2 – Reporting Rules and Double Entry: Examines reporting requirements, company size,
mandatory and voluntary disclosure, and the role of IFRS Accounting Standards. Introduces the
accounting equation, debit and credit, journals and ledgers. A continuing business example
demonstrates how transactions, adjustments and the trial balance connect accounting records with
financial statements, distinguishing recognition from subsequent cash settlement.
Lecture 3 – The Balance Sheet: Explains assets, liabilities and equity, including current and
noncurrent classification. Examine initial recognition and subsequent measurement through practical
examples involving receivables, expected credit losses, inventories, prepayments and equipment.
Develops depreciation schedules and loan repayment schedules, separating interest from principal, and
shows how transactions and estimates affect financial position over time.
Lecture 4 – The Income Statement: Explores revenue, operating expenses, financial income and
expenses, income taxes and profit subtotals. Company examples explain expense classification by
nature and function, research and development, and recognition timing. Students calculate and interpret EBIT, EBITDA and other margins, use common size analysis, and distinguish profit growth from
profitability and cash generation.
Lecture 5 – Drafting an Analyst Report: Explains how to develop an analyst report using authoritative
sources, company information and peer comparisons. Covers organising data and reproducible
calculations in Excel, evaluating evidence, and communicating findings through clear writing and
exhibits. Concludes with responsible AI use, citation and plagiarism, professional scepticism, teamwork
and shared responsibility for analytical conclusions.
