The Stanford Video Guide to Financial Statements:
A Tale of Two Restaurants  

Program Highlights

Want to get more out of financial reports? This entertaining story gives you a revealing look at the accounting standards that dictate how calculations are made, and the assumptions that can make a surprising difference to your bottom line.

Professor George Parker provides both line-by-line explanations of the three key financial statements used by US companies, and offers logical, common-sense approaches to interpreting what they reveal about profitability, value, and the ability to pay bills.

The Balance Sheet

• What does this company own?
• How much debt is it carrying?
• How much money have investors put in?

The Income Statement

• What is the sales volume?
• What kind of expense is the company incurring?
• How much money is the company earning?
• Which income figure should I look at: operating income, income before interest and taxes, or net income?

The Cash Flow Statement

• Will this company be able to pay its bills?
• Where's their cash flow coming from?

Follow along as Dr. George Parker tracks the progress of Jill and Perry, non-financial managers assigned to evaluate the financial statements of two restaurants their company has targeted for acquisition. Learn not just textbook definitions, but real world meanings and business consequences.

Guarantee: Viewers new to financial accounting will double their knowledge and understanding of this usually dry topic.

Supporting Materials

Study Guide: As excellent as the video is, any serious student should be provided this information-packed 63-page reference tool. A college accounting class could be taught from this one book - it addresses generally accepted accounting principles; types of assets; categories of liabilities; solvency ratios; types of income; depreciation and amortization; ratio analysis; current assets and cash flow, and more. Statements for the two restaurants are provided so that students can practice the lessons in the video. Guide includes a glossary of accounting terminology.

Production Information   59 Minutes   Formats: DVD/VHS Categories: Business Skills