Introduction to Business II: Financial Acumen and Effective Communication
Course Subject: Accounting
Course Code: BUSGEN 112
Instructors: Greg Waldorf and Anne Raimondi
Course Quarter: Spring 2025
This comprehensive course integrates essential finance and accounting principles with strategies for communication and influence. It is taught in two parts. First, you will learn to analyze financial statements, assess a company’s financial condition, and make informed investment decisions. Then, you will gain actionable insights into persuasion, negotiation, and cooperation. You will explore your communication strengths and weaknesses through practical activities grounded in psychological principles and scientific research. By the end of the course, you'll be able to confidently interpret financial data, translate financial projections into actionable recommendations, and communicate with impact in business contexts and beyond.
The curriculum progresses from foundational concepts to the application of finance and accounting, and then dives into communication skills that can be used in a wide range of settings. Topics include:
- Understanding the basics of financial statements and how they reflect a company’s financial condition.
- Assessing the impact of common business transactions on financial outcomes.
- Conducting financial statement analysis to understand the drivers of financial performance.
- Analyzing the valuing different financial securities, such as stocks and bonds, based on time and risk.
- Examining the trade-offs of issuing debt versus equity in financing a business.
- Applying valuation techniques, including the dividend discount model, P/E ratios, and discounted free cash flow analysis, to value businesses and evaluate investment decisions.
- The psychology of persuasion and evidence-based strategies to enhance your persuasive impact.
- Tactics for engaging others, building trust, and establishing credibility.
- Foundational concepts in negotiation and frameworks for preparing and evaluating negotiations strategies.
- Techniques for managing relationships, disputes, and conflicts in negotiation settings.
- Understanding team dynamics and leveraging team strengths.
This course offers a blend of engaging content, including videos, graphics, interactive activities, real-world case studies, and practical exercises that will deepen your financial acumen and enhance your ability to communicate with impact.
Greg Waldorf
Greg Waldorf, MBA ’94, has had a passion for technology and entrepreneurship ever since he started a software development company at age thirteen. Throughout his career, as a CEO, board member, founder and investor, he has helped leading brands become global leaders in their respective industries.
Anne Raimondi
Anne Raimondi, BA '93 and MBA '98 is Asana's COO and Head of Business, leading and scaling Asana’s growth and global business operations and go-to market teams, including sales, marketing, customer operations, partner programs and business development. Anne is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience leading various product and business functions in fast-growing SaaS companies.