The Advanced Finance Programme

Introduction

This leading-edge 10-day BLACKBIRD training seminar, The Advanced Finance Programme, is essential for those interested in mastering the key topics of strategic management, financial planning, and financial management. It is designed for individuals aiming to enhance their financial management skills or refresh and update their existing knowledge. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of strategic decision-making, financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and more.

Course Objectives

This training seminar aims to equip delegates with the knowledge to:

• Develop and understand business strategies.
• Comprehend how financial management supports strategic development.
• Analyze business problems with specific variables and trends.
• Estimate outcomes of decisions with a quick and reliable approach.
• Assess the reliability of financial data and its impact on decision-making.
• Understand the implications of cash flow versus accounting profit in financial analysis.
• Recognize the limitations of financial data and statements in analysis.
• Appreciate the importance of qualitative judgments in decision-making.

Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Finance to Influence Strategic Decisions

Day 1: Linking Strategic Management and Decision-Making with Financial Planning and Budgeting

1. Strategy and Strategic Management
2. Vision, Mission, and Objectives
3. Key Features of Strategic Decision-making
4. Rolling-out and Implementing Strategies
5. Value Creation and Maximisation of Shareholder Wealth

Day 2: The Financial Statements and Their Links with Planning and Financial Decisions

1. The Three Key Financial Statements
2. Balance Sheet
3. Income Statement
4. Statement of Cash Flows
5. Sources of Internal and External Financing

Day 3: Costing Systems and Measurement Systems that Support Financial Decision-Making

1. Costs and Activities
2. Cost Behaviour
3. Fixed Costs and Variable Costs
4. Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Relationships, Break-even, and Sensitivity Analysis
5. Activity Based Costing (ABC) and Management (ABM)

Day 4: Capital Investment Decisions

1. Future Values, Present Values, and Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
2. Evaluating Capital Investment Projects using Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) and Payback
3. DCF Evaluation Methods: NPV, IRR, MIRR, EAC
4. Deciding on Investment Appraisal Methods
5. Capital Budgeting and Capital Rationing

Day 5: Linking Performance Measures to Strategic Decisions and Financial Risk Management

1. Linking Strategic Objectives to KPIs in a Balanced Scorecard
2. Obstacles to Achieving Strategic Objectives
3. Uncertainty and Risk Analysis
4. Types of Business and Financial Risk
5. Development of Risk Management Tools

Module 2: Financial Analysis, Planning & Control

Day 6: The Challenge of Financial Economic Decision-Making

1. The Practice of Financial / Economic Analysis
2. The Value-creating Company
3. Corporate Value and Shareholder Value
4. A Dynamic Perspective of Business
5. The Nature of Financial Statements

Day 7: Assessment of Business Performance

1. Ratio Analysis and Business Performance
2. Management’s Point of View
3. Owners’ Point of View
4. Lenders’ Point of View
5. Predicting Financial Distress and Z-score Model

Day 8: Analysis of Investment Decisions

1. Applying Time-adjusted Measures
2. Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
3. Strategic Perspective: EVA and NPV
4. Sensitivity Analysis, Scenario Analysis, Simulation
5. Dealing with Risk and Changing Circumstances

Day 9: Projection of Financial Requirements

1. Interrelationship of Financial Projections
2. Operating Budgets
3. Standard Costing and Variance Analysis
4. Cash Forecasts and Cash Budgets
5. Financial Growth Plans and Financial Modelling

Day 10: Valuation and Business Performance

1. Managing for Shareholder Value
2. Evolution of Value-based Methodologies
3. Creating Value in Restructuring and Combinations
4. Financial Strategy in Acquisitions
5. Business Valuation and Restructuring