Financial Executive Designation

Increase analytical skills and understand financial dynamics

An intensive program to help finance and non-finance executives to:

• Communicate with financial executives

• Improve financial vocabulary

• Interpret financial information

• Comprehend current analytical practice and techniques

• Apply financial information in managerial decision making

• Assess financial strengths and weaknesses

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the finance function in organization of all sizes

Who Should Attend?

• Non-finance and finance executives, middle to upper level management across all industry types,

in both public and private sectors

• Managers from areas such as marketing, sales, services, finance, manufacturing, or engineering

- anyone who uses financial data for decision making

• Managers in a position to influence the design of their organisation’s planning, control, costing and

performance measurement systems

• Managers in a position to influence the financial planning process of a company, emerging business,

and/or business unit within a large organization

• Consultants, accountants, auditors, budget analysts, business owners and practicing professionals

who want a better understanding of financial management

Key Benefits

By attending this course, delegates will:

• Understand and appreciate how business decisions are reflected in financial reports

• Confidently communicate with finance executives in their language and improve financial vocabulary

• Interpret financial information and assess its impact on the business as well as comprehend current

analytical practices and techniques

• Effectively use financial information in managerial decision making and assess the financial strengths

and weaknesses of competitors

• Develop the skills required to make an important contribution to the development and maintenance

of the finance function throughout the company

About the Event:

Today’s executives are faced with ever-increasing challenges.

Flatter corporate structures, competition, over capacity and changing business environments, all place enormous demands on managers, calling for greater management skills.

A modern executive wears multiple hats and needs multiple skills. Even highly innovative and creative managers with excellent people skills must report their results using financial terms and concepts.

This stimulating five-module program will enhance your ability to interpret and use financial information in your managerial decision-making.

It has been designed to transform the non-finance as well as finance manager into a more effective team member who can propose, analyse and evaluate financial decisions. It does so by providing a fundamental understanding of the content, concepts, models and terminology of financial systems.

If you are a manager of a company, division, group, or in any way responsible for reporting the success of your area, attendance on this course could be the most important investment you ever make.

The American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM) sanctions the course. Formal registration will be provided by the AAFM in recognition of successful completion of the course, along with the status of an associate member of the Academy.

On successful completion of the course, delegates will receive the designation of Registered Financial Specialist or Master Financial Manager.

Program Content

Review Of Fundamentals: Profit And Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow

• Framework and regulations within both financial and management accounts

• Generally accepted accounting practice and the mindset of storekeepers

Basic Business Economics Revisited

• Cash flow versus profitability

• Fixed, variable, direct and indirect costs

• Break-even analysis – historic and predictive

Market Economics

• Impact of economics on financial markets

• Understanding impact of economic statements

• Understanding effects of political events on markets

Review Of Relative Financial Performance

• Examination of up-to-date comparative financial performance studies and surveys

• Comparison of financial statements – profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow

• What financial indicators to look for in customers and how to manage problems identified

Review Of Current Financial Issues

• The financial issues and dynamics underlying the selling of various services

• Managing the eternal triangle of price, volume and market share

• Pricing and costing – setting selling price, estimating volumes, coping with price sensitivity and elasticity of demand

Financial Analysis And Evaluation - Business Planning, Budgeting And Financial Reports

• Overview of environmental analysis, competitor analysis and strategy development

• An examination of budgets as a breakdown of the strategic plan into manageable interactive activities

• Their use, content and role as part of the planning and control process

• Review of financial reports as a reflection of the planning and control process

Financial Analysis And Evaluation - Cost Planning And Management

• Traditional analysis of cost structure into fixed and variable cost and the significance of this classification

in planning

• The role and limitations of contribution and break-even analysis in short term planning and decision

making

Financial Analysis And Evaluation - Cost Planning And Management (Total Costing)

• Examination of standard versus activity based costing and the implications for planning and decision

making

• Understanding the implications of casual analysis of cost and identification of cost drivers to cost

planning and management

Cash And Treasury Management

• What determines corporate structure and how it links to financial structures

• Role, function and activities of treasury functions

• Cash flow problems

• Practical tips for better cash flow management

• Cash management within profit, cost and investment centered organization

• Pros, cons and pitfalls for the unwary

• Dealing with the shifting emphasis from an income to a cash measured business

• Controlling cash as well as income issues within joint ventures

• The need to establish what the cash/working capital situation would be if a joint venture was a new entity rather than a carry over from both organization

• How to manage the critical topics of cash and working capital

• Advantages and disadvantages of managing a business entirely on income results

• Advantages and disadvantages of managing entirely on cash and the strategic impact if this is not managed correctly

Budgeting

The traditional approach of rigid annual budgets, standard costs and corresponding variance analysis versus the modern approach of rolling forecasts linked to continuously updated standard costs; what are other businesses doing at the "cutting edge" of budgeting?

• Links from budgeting to cash flow forecasting, project appraisal and management information

• What is the impact on a marketing plan if cash and income focuses are not correctly balanced?

• What directors need to consider and do differently when managing a business that focuses on cash

flow rather than just income

• Projecting cash requirements

Other Performance Indicators

A formalized approach to improving management information; the current shift from traditional P&L with cost and variance analysis to specifically formulated and targeted information; how to create your own specific KPIs, as well as selective/segmented and non-financial performance indicators

• Towards a more "Balanced Scorecard" approach of holistic management information

Business Finance

• Business vehicles

• Financing needs and techniques

• Debt and equity finance

• Accessing stock markets

Managing And Marketing Financial Services And Products

• Managing professional staff

• Organizational issues and strategies

• Marketing and brand issues

• Business development

• Understanding individual client needs

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