Julian Yeo
Named one of the top 12 favorite professors in executive MBA programs by the Wall Street Journal in 2008, Professor Julian Yeo knows how to engage his students, quickly disabusing them of the idea that accounting is dry and boring. In the core Financial Accounting class, Yeo’s goal is to equip students with all the tools needed to understand financial statements and annual reports. “If a CEO doesn’t understand the mechanics of accounting and how accounting information represents business activities, I don’t see how she can deliver on her vision for the company,” he said. An added perk students learn is how to talk with accountants, who Yeo admitted, tend to use a lot of jargon. “If price is what you pay between a willing buyer and sell, then value is what you get for your money. To gauge value, you need a benchmark. Accounting is a natural place to look for benchmarks,” Yeo maintained. For example, he has examined the role of growth rates and required rates of return. His current area of focus is how expected sales can be used to justify current share prices. Yeo enjoys being able to teach cutting-edge research in the classroom, but considers it a two-way street. “The Berkeley-Columbia students are intellectually curious and very inquisitive,” he said. “Their questions often lead me to new ways of considering my research. They often take the initiative in the classroom and shape our discussions to meet their needs. “I’ve been impressed with their work ethic and cohesiveness as a group while they tackle the rigorous demands of the program along with their own jobs. They are a highly committed group of talented people.”
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