Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Professionals


Course Info

Code PF1-101

Duration 5 Days

Format Classroom

Course Summary

This Training course is aimed at business professionals who need to understand how finance works. Financial information can provide a clear picture on how to be able to increase profitability, decrease costs and meet targets in any business.

It is very crucial that managers and administrative professionals can understand financial data, produce reports and interpret this information to inform logical and valuable decision-making.

This course will focus on providing the required skills to understand financial and accounting data and how it is used for planning, monitoring and decision-making.


  1. Understand financial statements and reports how they are prepared and presented
  2. Understand internal accounting procedures and techniques and how it is used to control operations and inform profitable decision-making
  3. Identify the main sources of finance available to a business
  4. Review and analysis of published financial reports and how they are perceived by various stakeholder groups
  5. Identify, measure and manage financial risks effectively
  6. Use the language of accounting and finance to communicate effectively with financial professionals
  1. Any non-financial professionals whose role demands an understanding of finance
  2. Heads of Departments where financial control is a key
  3. Accounts Administrators and Assistants
  4. Finance staff who wish to improve their knowledge
  5. Sales and Marketing Executives
  6. Human Resources Professionals
  7. Purchasing and supply chain team members
  8. Internal Auditors
  9. Consultants who work with professionals and executives, to support improvements to operational and financial processes Budget holders across the organisation
  10. Planning team members

This Accounting & Finance for Non-Financial Professionals will use a proven training method to develop participant's practical skills and abilities in understanding and applying financial information and techniques. This includes tutor presentation, Q&A sessions, demonstration and practice of analytical techniques using current company and market information sources.

Relevant Case studies will also be provided to give the participant the opportunity to participate in teamwork analysis, explore options and propose strategies and solutions.


Course Content & Outline

1) Introduction to Finance & Accounting

  • What is Accounting & Finance?
  • Financial accounting & management account
  • The importance of finance
  • Sources and types of finance for business organisations
  • The structure of financial accounting system

 

2) Financial Statement & Financial Analysis

  • The Income Statement
  • The Balance Sheet
  • The Cash flow statement
  • Financial report - content & format
  • Cash flow vs Profit
  • Techniques for Interpreting the Financial Statements (Common-Size Analysis and Ratio Analysis)
  • Accounting for assets

 

3) Planning and controlling - Budgeting and Break-even Analysis

  • Management accounting
  • Cost / Volume / Profit (CVP) Analysis and The Break-even Point
  • How to prepare budgets and why?
  • Variance Analysis - Budget v Actual results
  • Budgeting Models
  • Understanding Overheads, and How they should be treated in internal analysis and decision-making
  • The importance of cost Analysis

 

4) Finance & Capital Investment Appraisal

  • Investment appraisal methods (ARR, Payback, NPV and IRR)
  • The cost of capital - Equity and Debt
  • Sources and types of finance (Long-term vs short-term)
  • Why investment is essential for profitability and growth
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Capital rationing and decision-making
  • The time value of money – future values and present values, perpetuities and growth
  • Review of External Growth Strategies: Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

 

5) Financial Risk Management

  • Identifying major financial risks
  • Analysing and evaluating the risk
  • Developing risk management strategy
  • Foreign currency risk
  • Interest rate risk


Financial Planning 101: Operating Budgets and Sustainable Budgeting
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Course Video