Introduction to Business II: Financial Acumen and Influential Communication
Course Subject: Accounting
Course Code: BUSGEN 112
Instructor: Joseph Piotroski
Course Quarter: Spring 2025
This comprehensive course integrates essential finance and accounting principles with effective communication strategies. You will learn to analyze financial statements, assess a company’s financial condition, and make informed investment decisions. You will gain actionable insights into 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 effectively communicate in a business context.
The curriculum progresses from foundational concepts to the application of finance, accounting, and communication skills in various business 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, asking smart questions, and leveraging team strengths.
This course offers a blend of engaging content, including videos, graphics, interactive activities, real-world case studies, and practical exercises, deepening your understanding and application of these concepts.
Joseph Piotroski
Professor Piotroski is The Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a senior fellow at the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER). Before joining the faculty at Stanford in 2007, Professor Piotroski was an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1999-2007).