Go beyond standard ratios to uncover the true financial performance and strategic value of IFRS-compliant organizations.
This course provides a systematic framework for analyzing financial statements prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards, using the Canadian grocer Loblaw as a practical case study. It examines the fundamental differences between IFRS and GAAP, including inventory valuation, lease accounting, and asset impairment, while demonstrating advanced analytical techniques such as common size analysis and the DuPont framework. The content covers the separation of core business performance from financing activities, the use of managerial ratios to assess cost behavior, and the integration of sustainability reporting into management commentary. Participants will gain insights into how industry-specific nuances and management judgment influence financial presentation and decision-making.
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Dr. Eric Knight is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a career that bridges professional accounting and academia. He earned a B.S. in Accounting from Louisiana State University, an M.S. in Accounting from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) from Baker College, where his research focused on student perceptions of accounting education. With more than 25 years of combined professional and academic experience, he brings both practical expertise and scholarly perspective to my work. My professional career includes roles as a tax accountant and positions in corporate finance, where he specialized in financial analysis, reporting, and compliance. He also managed budgets, contracts, and fiscal operations across multiple departments in higher education. Dr. Knight was invited to speak at the 2025 Fall Continuing Professional Development Conference for CPA New Brunswick. Since 2008, he has dedicated himself to teaching and mentoring future professionals. Dr. Knight teaches courses in financial accounting, managerial accounting, and taxation, with a focus on clarity, engagement, and real-world application. His goal is to bridge the gap between theory and practice, equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to succeed in today’s dynamic business environment. Dr. Eric Knight’s areas of expertise include Managerial Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis, with research examining the challenges business majors face in accounting courses.
Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.
Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.
