Can you demonstrate your value and ROI to your boss? Are you able to interpret financial reports and make decisions based on the data they provide? Can you draft an accurate budget? Can you justify your ideas in dollars and cents? You didn’t get to this point in your career only to be held back by weak financial skills.

This program for non-financial managers makes the basics of finance accessible to anyone in just matter of days.

You’ll Learn How To: Interpret and respond appropriately to financial information; Communicate your contribution to the bottom line; Uncover drains on profitability; Make smarter decisions that deliver higher profitability. Financial skills are fundamental to any managerial position. Learn how to think finance, and you’ll expand your career opportunities. From accruals to write-offs to receivables and payables, this workshop shows non-financial managers the concepts, tools, and techniques that can help make each decision pay off -- on the job and on the bottom line.

Who Should Attend?

Non-financial managers, professionals, attorneys, manager of human resources, project managers, CEOs

Workshop Outline:

Day One

• Learning the Basic Accounting Concepts
• State the Accounting Equation and Describe the Relationship Among Its Components
• Explain the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Describe Accrual-Basis Accounting
• Differentiate Between Accounting Profit and Cash Flow
• Understanding Financial Statements
• Describe the Purpose of and Terminology Associated with the Following Financial Statements: Income Statement or Profit and Loss Statement (P and L), Balance Sheet, Statement of Retained Earnings, and Cash Flow Statement
• Prepare a Simple Set of Financial Statements
• Explain the Accounting Process from the Recording of Business Transactions to the Preparation of Financial Statements
• Describe How Various Business Transactions Affect the Financial Statements

Day Two

• Reviewing and Evaluating an Annual Report
• Describe the Key Components of an Annual Report
• Explain the Importance of Notes in Evaluating Financial Statements
• Describe an External Auditor’s Role
• Explain the Significance of the Opinion Letter
• Calculating Financial Ratios
• Calculate the Key Financial Ratios Using the Financial Statements
• Use Financial Ratios to Evaluate an Organization’s Leverage and Profitability, Competitive Performance and Performance Compared with Budgeted Goals
• Use the DuPont Formula to Evaluate Management Performance
• Use the Concept of Economic Value Added (EVA®) and Cash Flow Return on Investment (CFROI) to Determine if a Segment of an Organization Is Adding Value to the Business

Day Three

• Calculating Financial Ratios (cont’d)
• Calculate the Key Financial Ratios Using the Financial Statements
• Use Financial Ratios to Evaluate an Organization’s Leverage and Profitability, Competitive Performance and Performance Compared with Budgeted Goals
• Use the DuPont Formula to Evaluate Management Performance
• Use the Concept of Economic Value Added (EVA®) and Cash Flow Return on Investment (CFROI) to Determine if a Segment of an Organization Is Adding Value to the Business
• Cost Analysis and Profit Planning
• Differentiate Between Fixed and Variable Costs
• Help Your Organization Improve Profitability Through the Use of Break-even Analysis, Contribution Margin Analysis, and Direct Costing in Appropriate Situations
• Describe Traditional Cost Accounting and Its Limitations
• Explain the Relevance of Activity-Based Costing in Today’s Business Environment

Day Four

• Capital Expenditure Analysis
• Distinguish Between Capital Expenditure Budgets and Operating Budgets
• Describe the Function of the Capital Budget
• Explain the Time Value of Money
• Recognize and Apply Different Methods of Evaluating Capital Expenditures and Monitoring Project Performance
• Budgeting More Effectively
• Describe the Role of Budgeting and Issues Budgets Solve
• Identify the Budgeting Process
• Identify Different Types of Budgeting Systems in Use Today
• Analyze Budgets for Different Purposes
• Recognize and Apply Different Methods of Evaluating and Monitoring Operating Performance