Foundations of Management

Overview

Despite its broad title, Foundations of Management — from IESE Business School — is really a grounding in financial literacy for managers: reading and building income statements and balance sheets, understanding accrual accounting, and using financial statement analysis to make decisions. It's a beginner specialization, so no accounting background is assumed, and it leans on practical tools like Excel to make the concepts usable rather than theoretical. Over 52,000 learners have taken it as a foundational business-literacy course.

Who it's for

New managers, MBA-track students, or anyone in a business role who needs to confidently read financial statements without a finance degree.

Key skills

• Financial statement analysis and reporting
• Accrual accounting and cash flow fundamentals
• Reading income statements and balance sheets
• Applying financial analysis in Excel