Course in Finance & Accounting for Non-Financial Executives

Successful managers know how their decisions affect company profitability. Finance & Accounting for Non-Financial Executives provides the experienced, non-financial manager with an understanding of the numbers side of business. In this certificate program you will learn how to use financial information in real-life management situations.

This three-day seminar introduces essential financial management techniques for effective decision-making and provides executives with a solid understanding of corporate finance. It equips non-financial managers with a comprehensive working knowledge of financial principles and a strong foundation in financial management analysis. Participants learn to interpret crucial financial data in ways that enable them to improve their personal effectiveness and make a more productive corporate contribution. The program also gives participants the opportunity to meet with peers, share experiences and expand their business knowledge.

Focused Topics

Performance Evaluation-- Alternative techniques for evaluating operating and financial performance. How to set, and use, performance targets for your company.

Investment Analysis -- Organizing the capital budget process. Estimating the cash flow from an investment. Evaluating alternative investment proposals. Setting the minimum acceptable rate of return on an investment. The impact of inflation, taxes, allocated costs and other factors on an investment decision.

Leasing-- Forms of lease arrangements. Advantages and disadvantages of leasing. Making the lease-or-buy decision.

Growth Through Acquisition-- Relevant considerations in business combinations. When an acquisition makes sense. Evaluating an acquisition candidate. Internal versus external growth.

Financing the Business-- Alternative sources of capital, including equity financing, loans and trade credit. Measuring the cost of trade credit. Selecting the best financing mix taking into account risk, taxes, timing and out-of-pocket costs.

Using Accounting Data in Decision-Making -- Determining data when analyzing an important business decision. The impact of the context on data. Evaluating two common decision-- dropping a product and changing the price of a product.

Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis and Business Risk -- How cost structure decisions affect profit potential and business risk. Using cost-volume-profit analysis to examine the impact of alternative cost structures.

Overhead Costs and Outsourcing Decisions -- Outsourcing as a solution to reduce the costs of overhead. Evaluating the outsourcing decisions of a corporate division.

Personal Financial Planning-- Developing a financial plan. Retirement myths. Choosing a mutual fund. The substantial benefits of a 401(k), Keogh Plan or other tax sheltered plan.

Benefits of Attending

• Understand and effectively use published corporate financial information.
• Understand how accounting data flows and how standards and regulations affect final reported results.
• Evaluate corporate financial performance, strategies and investment opportunities.
• Utilize the language of accounting and finance to confidently communicate with the financial community.

Why Businesses Sponsor

Organizations that sponsor employees in the Finance & Accounting for Non-financial Executives seminar benefit from improved productivity gains through better financial analysis, elimination of guesswork and improved accuracy of decisions, better interaction between financial and non-financial staff, and more informed decisions about strategy, revenue generation and investments.

Target audience

• Executives and managers in key, non-financial positions
• Technical and production professionals who oversee operations
• Owners and top executives of small and mid-sized businesses