Evaluating performance for professionals used to GAAP. A strong foundation in financial statement analysis is essential for understanding a company's performance and financial health across reporting standards. This seminar is designed for professionals, particularly those trained in U.S. GAAP, who want to enhance their understanding of IFRS-based financial reporting using a real-world Canadian public company as a case study. We will walk through the company's IFRS-based balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, highlighting both presentation and interpretation differences compared to U.S. GAAP. Participants will learn key analytical tools such as common-size analysis, trend analysis, and financial ratios covering liquidity, profitability, and leverage for an IFRS reporting company. Throughout the session, comparisons to GAAP will help clarify terminology, classification differences, and measurement principles-including treatment of leases, revenue, financial instruments, and impairment. The seminar also moves beyond basic ratios to explore advanced analytical techniques, such as ROE decomposition, operating vs. non-operating performance measures, and managerial ratios that reveal cost behavior, efficiency, and cash flow dynamics. Participants will see how IFRS disclosure requirements can offer additional insight into performance, risk, and sustainability. This practical and comparative seminar is ideal for accounting, finance, and business professionals who want to sharpen analytical skills, interpret IFRS-based financial statements, and better understand how to bridge IFRS and GAAP for global comparison and decision-making. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Learning Objectives
After attending this presentation, you will be able to...
- Interpret IFRS-based financial statements – Determine how the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows work together to reflect a company’s financial position and performance.
- Apply core financial analysis techniques – Use common-size analysis, trend analysis, and standard financial ratios to assess liquidity, profitability, and leverage.
- Incorporate peer and industry comparisons – Evaluate company performance in context by comparing results to competitors and industry benchmarks.
- Expand analytical skills with advanced and managerial metrics – Identify and apply additional ratios and measures that give deeper insights into operations, cost behavior, and long-term financial health.
Major Topics
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:
- Financial Analysis fundamentals: Overview of financial statements, their interconnections, and the foundation of advanced analysis
- Loblaw Companies Case Study: Introduction to our example company and its financial performance
- Advanced Analysis Techniques: Common size analysis, Dupont framework, financial leverage, and operational metrics
- Operational Focus: Separating core business performance from financing activities
- Applied analysis and managerial ratios: Segment analysis, cash flow analysis, and managerial ratios
- Management Commentary: Overview of the corporate narrative as presented from IFRS lens.
