Course Description

Managers have financial responsibilities and many have budgets to write and control and face many decisions that require evaluating the cash flows associated with projects. Based on numerical illustrations, this course aims to break down some of the financial barriers in an entertaining and informative style, with numerous examples. Bring your calculator! It gives an insight into the world of finance for non-financial managers and professionals.

Course Goal:

To enhance the participants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in the field of finance and budgeting,

Course Objectives:

By the end of the Course the participant will be able to:

1. Understand the financial and accounting terms used in business.
2. Develop skills in financial literacy.
3. Understand the main financial statements and how to be used to monitor and control business performance.
4. Understand the financial language, asking relevant financial questions, and making business decisions using financial criteria.
5. Highlight the need for good budget construction and the basic techniques for budgetary control.
6. Develop operating budgets
7. Understand how cash budgeting can affect motivation and control

Course Outline

• Finance and Accounting

1. The World of Finance and Accounting.
2. Why Do We Have Accounting Systems?
3. The Goal of Good Management is to Create Value
4. The Three Management Functions
5. Financial vs. Managerial Accounting
6. New Management Trends to Create Value

• What is Profit?

1. Definition and Importance of Profit.
2. How much profit can we make?
3. Management by the Numbers
4. Volume Based Cost Behavior Patterns
5. Contribution Margin Based income Statements
6. Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis
7. Using CVP to Manage
8. How does the CVP Chart Change to Reflect Cost Management
9. What Questions Can we Answer?

• The importance of Cash Flow

1. How money works in business.
2. Why profit and cash are not the same.
3. How much cash can we take?
4. The Cash Management Process
5. Planning Motivates Control Through Evaluation
6. Budgeting in an Uncertain Business World — Solvency Management
7. Factors Influencing the Need for Budgeting & Planning
8. What Makes the Budgeting Process Successful?

• Breaking Down the Financial Statement Barrier

1. Assets and Liabilities.
2. Working Capital Management.
3. Key ratios to improve asset utilization and profitability.

• Expenditure Planning and Financial Decision Making

1. Cost benefit analysis.
2. Capital expenditure decisions.

• What is Capital Expenditure?
• Nature of Capital Investment Decisions
• What is Capital Budget?
• Stages of Capital Budgeting Process
• Relevant Cash Flows
• Methods of Evaluating Capital Investments
• Sensitivity analysis.
• Budgeting for Profit

1. Definition of a budget.
2. Purpose of a budget.
3. How to construct a budget.
4. How to use a budget for financial control.

• Motivation and Control through Budgeting

1. The Motivational Cycle
2. The Control Environment
3. How Much Accounting Control Do We Need?
4. Types of Controls
5. Centralized vs. Decentralized Controls
6. Responsibility Centers used in Accounting Control Systems
7. Limitations for ‘Management by the Numbers’ or Accounting Control
8. Evaluation of Managers and Divisions
9. Cost of Capital Employed
10. Accounting Performance Measures
11. Do Our Accounting Systems Encourage Good Judgment?

Who Can Benefit

Non-financial managers and anyone from non-financial disciplines who needs to know more about business finance terminology.