Finance for the Non-Financial Manager

Course overview

Finance and accountancy is called ‘the language of business’. This is because the measures of success and failure in business are expressed in financial terms. As a result, people who have a working knowledge of this language are far better placed to take an active role in key business decisions. For those without a background in finance this information can prove difficult to acquire.

This 8 module course will improve your understanding of the way in which the financial dimensions of your business can directly affect the overall commercial operation and financial results of your company. Anyone who deals with financial information on a daily basis but does not have a financial background will benefit.

This distance learning course will:

• ENHANCE your understanding of the financial dimensions of your business
• BREAK THROUGH the financial jargon to enable you to speak confidently with your financial colleagues
• INCREASE your confidence when making key decisions based on financial information
• IMPROVE your budgetary control to increase the financial efficiency of your business
• DETAIL key cost accounting techniques to improve your financial control
• IDENTIFY the key financial indicators and practically illustrate how to apply them effectively
• REDUCE the impact that poor cash flow management can have on profitability
• EXPLAIN the key policies, standards and financial concepts and how they operate in practice
• DEMYSTIFY how to cope with overheads and activity-based costing

This course will benefit

• Managers
• Team leaders
• Technical specialists
• Office managers
• Department heads

FEATURING – ONLINE FINAL ASSESSMENT

Upon completion of the course there is an OPTIONAL final assessment in the form of an online multiple-choice paper. This is evaluated by the Academy of Distance Learning in Business training faculty.

Course modules

Module 1: demystifying finance

• Introduction
• Interpreting the balance sheet
• The UK and US balance sheet

Module 2: how healthy are we?

• The two key indicators
• Are we in profit? The P&L statement
• What does the P&L reveal about the business?
• US income statement
• A paper profit – but are we solvent? – The cash flow statement
• What can the cash flow statement tell us?

Module 3: the importance of records and systems

• The difference between accounting records and accounting systems
• Systems and procedures
• Classic ledger structure
• Sales system and purchase system
• Wages system
• Audit function

Module 4: concepts, policies and standards

• Why do we need concepts and rules?
• Fundamental concepts in operation
• Accounting policies and standards
• ‘Creative accounting’
• Managing your working capital
• Conducting break-even analysis

Module 5: interpreting the accounts

• Ratio analysis
• Profitability ratios
• Asset turnover analysis
• PE’s, Footsie, yields and gilts: understanding the financial press
• Bench marking

Module 6: cash budgeting

• Cash flow forecasts
• What is capital expenditure?
• Discounted cash flow techniques and measures
• Sensitivity analysis
• Costing for planning
• Planning and break-even analysis

Module 7: controlling those costs

• Full costing – coping with overheads
• Tackling the problems of overhead allocation
• Activity-based costing
• The volume-cost-profit relationship

Module 8: figures we can believe in?

• The budget
• The operating budget
• Why budget?
• Budget stages explained
• How to budget
• Budget objectives and company culture
• Budget systems and techniques
• Secrets of cash management
• Techniques for effective profit management
• Making a quantum leap: achieving dramatic growth
• Glossary of helpful terms

Course contributors

Stephen Brookson is an independent consultant, and specialises in the provision of practical business development consultancy and training programmes. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980 with Peat Marwick and, after a period at Grandmet plc, joined a leading organisation in the provision of training for chartered accountants in practice. During this time he gained extensive experience of writing, developing and presenting programmes on accountancy and taxation. He then joined Ernst & Young for a number of years as a consultant, leaving them to set up his own management and training consultancy business.

Paul Elkin is Managing Director of TMMi group, which provides consultancy services with a particular focus on business strategic development, performance management and corporate image. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and an experienced management consultant. Paul is the author of a series of practical ‘reference guides’ covering finance, strategy and business awareness and supports the delivery of MBA programmes in the areas of strategy and finance. He has also been involved in a range of initiatives in Europe for major corporates including ABB, Philips, International Paper and General Motors.

Sultan Kermally holds degrees in economics, sociology and law and diplomas in finance and accounting, marketing and education. He is a learning facilitator and management writer. He designs and delivers training courses in business strategy, managing people, managing performance, managing knowledge and personal development. He has conducted training all over the world. He has been involved in management education and development for a number of years including distance learning management education courses. He is tutoring MBA modules for the Open University Business School and Durham University Business School.

Barrie pearson is Chief Executive of Realization. The company provides world class coaching and mentoring to entrepreneurs and chief executives in the two or three years before their exit, to help them groom their business to realise maximum value. He is the author of twelve books. He has presented seminars on corporate finance in the UK, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East.

Ralph tiffin is managing partner of a successful accountancy and consultancy practice. He has a wealth of experience of organisations throughout the world.

You might also be interested in...

Delegates who attended this course also went on the following courses:

Sector	Course	Type
	Personal Effectiveness and Influencing Skills A practical two-day workshop for those who need to achieve results through personal influence.	Training course & In-house training 23-24 Mar 2010 6-7 Oct 2010
	The Mini-MBA Few people can afford the three years – or the money – for an MBA course. But this does not mean that you cannot use the key principles of an MBA to your advantage in your day-to-day business life.	Distance learning 19 Apr 2010, 12 weeks Download available
	Essential HR Duties for People Managers Protect yourself and your organisation by ensuring you understand the rights of your employees and your employer in this legal minefield where misunderstanding can easily lead to expensive litigation. 8 modules over 8 weeks.	Distance learning Download available

Client portfolio

Our client portfolio for this course includes the following companies:

More information

The following documents are available for this course:

• Sample module [134kb]

Upon course completion, distance learning participants are invited to undertake a final external assessment in the form of an online multiple-choice paper. This is an optional requirement and is evaluated by the Academy of Distance Learning in Business (ADLiB) Training Faculty.

Participants are required to achieve a pass rate of 80% and above to ensure that a high level of competence has been achieved within the subject area and to receive the advanced ‘Certificate of Excellence’ from our ADLiB Training Faculty. The final external assessment can be taken up to three times, thereafter the ‘General Certificate of Course Completion’ will be issued.

NB: The final external assessment is an optional appraisal and those participants not wishing to undertake it will automatically receive the ‘General Certificate of Completion’ for their personal development/training profile.

Academy of Distance Learning in Business

ADLiB

The Academy for Distance Learning in Business (ADLiB¹) has developed out of Falconbury’s pioneering work on short-course management and professional development.

As with the face-to-face training we do in our public and in-house programmes, our focus is on the practical and application-rich skills and techniques, which will enable individuals to develop their full potential as managers and professionals.

Our approach to distance learning is to use the self-study method at its best to make sure that you can flexibly acquire the knowledge and understanding of each chosen area in a way that suits you and your current work commitments.

ADLiB was set up to give a consistent approach across different subject areas, so that its users would know that our rigorous standards of excellence would be met in each course.

Every programme and each of the component modules is a combination of the training and learning expertise of Falconbury and input from its wide range of practically skilled writers and trainers. Where a course bears the ADLiB logo, you can be sure that our (and your) exacting standards will be met.

To learn more about how ADLiB and the courses can help you and/or your business call +44 (0)20 7729 6677

¹ ADLiB is the Academy for Distance Learning in Business and offers ‘best in class’, flexible self-study in key business, management and leadership via distance learning modules delivered directly to you, to work through at your convenience.

Ad lib is from the Latin ad libitum meaning ‘at one’s pleasure’ – we aim to make management and professional development enjoyable as well as worthwhile.

Ad lib could also be a loose latin short-form of ‘to the library’ – but in our case, we save you that trouble by using the best material available to us on each topic and assembled to give you maximum benefit.

International Association of Distance Learning

The International Association for Distance Learning (IADL) promotes excellence in open, distance, and online learning worldwide, and provides a benchmark through which global consumers can gauge the quality of courses offered by their members.

The IADL is an independent, non-profit organisation with its principal administrative offices in London in the United Kingdom. Find out more.

Falconbury are an Approved Member of the International Association for Distance Learning. Please see our IADL membership certificate