Have you moved up into a new position, or missed out on promotion because you lacked essential knowledge of financial management? This course is perfect for early-to-mid-career professionals who wish to consolidate their management skills with a practical and accessible course covering key
financial management concepts, giving them the confidence to help them engage with senior stakeholders in whatever field of work. You will understand how finance affects every layer of an organisation’s structure, how reporting works and how to interpret financial figures.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
● Recognise the difference between financial statements and management reports
● Assess the importance of financial statements to organisations and users of financial information
● Interpret and analyse company accounts and evaluate financial risk
● Communicate more effectively with the finance professionals.
● Examine the role of financial strategy in an organisation and understand financing and resource allocation
● Understand the principles and concepts of costing and budget preparation

Course Structure Options:
● Live Online Part-time: One evening per week, 6:30pm to 9:30pm for 10 weeks, Starting 17th October

Course Breakdown:

Module	Overview	Topics/Area Covered
1. Financial Accounting Function & Concepts	Explore the function of accounting and the conceptual models that underpin the financial function.	●       Accounting constructs ●       Context of accounting in business
2. Financial Statements	Study the statutory financial statements – their use, importance, and function. Understand the legal and regulatory framework that guide their preparation and distribution.	●       Balance sheet ●       Profit & Loss account ●       Statement of changes to equity ●       Cash flow statements
3. Cash Flow Statement	Examine the cash flow statement in depth and explore its purpose in illuminating the financial affairs of a firm.	●       The importance of cash flow ●       Managing cash flow

4. Budgeting	Learn the importance of budgeting and investigate budgeting techniques.	●       Short term planning and control ●       Budgeting methods ●       Budgeting tools
5. Investment Appraisal	Review investment appraisal techniques and discover their application in investment decision-making.	●       Making strategic decisions ●       Non-discounted cash flow ●       Discounted cash flow ●       Evaluating investment and capital expenditure
6. Working Capital Management	Define working capital and its role in achieving an organisation’s strategic objectives.	●       Managing working capital ●       Methods and techniques
7. Interpreting Financial Statements	Learn to interpret the financial statements and derive insights into an organisation’s performance.	●       Ratio analysis ●       Categories of ratios ●       Limitations of ratios as a tool
8. Capital Structure	Identify the different funding structures of organisations and assess the relative merits of debt and equity in the funding mix.	●       Financing operations ●       Funding methods: debt vs. equity
9. Costing	Explain the different costing techniques used by firms and appraise the benefits of breakeven analysis.	●       Costing methods ●       Breakeven analysis
10. Company Valuations	Learn to determine the different methods of valuing a firm including non-trading entities.	●       Valuation methods and techniques

 

Course Assessment:
Written Assignment (approx. 3000 words) 100%, 2 weeks after course completion

The Written Assignment should be completed at the conclusion of the course, once all sessions have been completed. The goal of the assignment is to demonstrate how learners are using their new knowledge in preparing a case study report and to demonstrate the course learning outcomes.