Advanced Accounting and Finance for Managers

This accounting for managers course is for anyone needing a basic understanding of business finance and insights into operational decision-making. It will:

• Show operrational staff the financial consequences of their activities.
• Demonstrate the combination of KPIs and regular management information is vital to an organization’s operational success.
• Explain how the finance function contributes to the effective use of resources.

By attending this course, non-finance staff who need to extend their understanding of finance will learn how this could make a difference to their organization’s financial management. You will understand:

• The role of finance in implementing projects.
• How an organization’s stakeholders affect its financial performance and growth.
• The activities in determining pricing objectives, policies and strategies.

The course will wrap with a summary of the key learning points, followed by an action planning exercise with a view to apply the acquired knowledge and skills immediately upon your return to work. Post-course support is also available in relation to the implementation of your action plan, up to six (6) months following course completion.

Importance of Financial Management

• The elements of financial management
• Key accounting terms and terminology
• How cash and profit differ
• The two main financial reporting statements: the income statement and the balance sheet

Measuring Financial Success

• Measuring management success
• Measuring risk and return
• The importance of cash flow and working capital
• Budgeting and budgetary control

Managing Financial Resources

• The importance of cost behaviour
• Cost management
• Opex and Capex
• Break-even analysis

Communicating with your Accounting Colleagues

• Defining your need for financial information
• Making communication and feedback systemic and systematic
• The use of two way coaching to improve mutual understanding

Investment and Financial Management of Long-term Projects

• Project Appraisal
• Project Estimation
• Budgeting
• Financial management

Financial Management – Stakeholder Expectations

• Identifying stakeholders
• Accountability to stakeholders
• Triple bottom line
• Levels of investor control

Pricing Decisions

• Strategic pricing
• Price structure
• Pricing policy
• Analysing costs and profits

Financial Management Decision-making

• Defining the decisions that you make
• Deciding on what support you need to define the relevant financial information required to make those decisions
• Examples and case studies

Course Review

• Summary and recap of key learning objectives
• Action Planning

This Accounting for Managers course is suitable for:

• Staff who wish to improve their understanding of how accounting and finance can help in their decision-making and how this impacts on the organization’s financial position.
• Staff who need to extend their understanding of finance to more specific operational activities.

Upon completion of this Accounting for Managers course, you will understand:

• The relevance of finance to operational decision-making.
• The relationship between operational and financial measures.
• Why a deeper understanding of cost and cost behaviour can help operational staff.
• The role of finance in project delivery.
• The role of stakeholders and their impact on an organization’s financial performance.
• The processes involved in deciding prices.
• How to implement an Action Plan at your workplace using the knowledge and skills acquired through the course.