The Advanced Finance Programme

Introduction

Join BLACKBIRD’s distinguished 10-day Advanced Finance Programme, a cutting-edge training seminar tailored for professionals who seek to deepen their knowledge in strategic management, financial planning, and advanced financial management. This executive programme in business finance is essential for individuals who aim to enhance their expertise in financial leadership, improve decision-making skills, and stay updated with the latest financial strategies. Participants will gain advanced analytical and strategic insights to make informed financial decisions, evaluate risks, and integrate financial leadership strategies that drive business growth.

Course Objectives

The Advanced Finance Programme aims to equip delegates with the skills to:

• Develop and implement strategic business decisions with a clear understanding of financial planning and budgeting.
• Analyze complex business problems using specific variables and market trends.
• Make quick, reliable estimates of potential outcomes to support sound financial decision-making.
• Evaluate financial data for reliability and its direct impact on strategic decision-making.
• Distinguish between cash flow and accounting profit for effective financial analysis.
• Recognize the limitations inherent in financial data and financial statement analysis.
• Understand the role of qualitative judgments and leadership in enhancing decision-making.

Course Outlines

Week 1: Understanding Finance to Influence Strategic Decisions

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

• Strategic management fundamentals and vision, mission, and objectives.
• Key principles of strategic decision-making and value maximization.
• Implementing strategies effectively to create shareholder value.

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

• Overview of the three main financial statements: Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows.
• Understanding the sources of internal and external financing.
• How financial data supports strategic decision-making.

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

• Cost behaviour, fixed and variable costs, and activity-based costing (ABC).
• Understanding cost-volume-profit (CVP) relationships and break-even analysis.
• Advanced cost measurement techniques that inform financial strategies.

Day 4: Capital Investment Decisions

• Techniques for evaluating capital investments: ARR, payback period, NPV, IRR, and MIRR.
• The importance of discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis.
• Decision-making in capital budgeting and capital rationing.

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

• Aligning strategic objectives with KPIs using a balanced scorecard.
• Identifying and managing business and financial risks.
• Creating risk management tools and developing strategies for uncertainty analysis.

Week 2: Financial Analysis, Planning & Control

Day 6: The Challenge of Financial Economic Decision-Making

• Advanced finance concepts and the value-creating company.
• Corporate and shareholder value perspectives.
• The dynamic nature of business and financial statement analysis.

Day 7: Assessment of Business Performance

• In-depth ratio analysis and business performance measurement.
• Examining perspectives: management, owners, and lenders.
• Predicting financial distress using models like the Z-score.

Day 8: Analysis of Investment Decisions

• Time-adjusted measures for decision-making.
• Strategic application of EVA and NPV.
• Sensitivity analysis and simulation for risk management.

Day 9: Projection of Financial Requirements

• Understanding the interrelationships within financial projections.
• Effective operating budgets and variance analysis.
• Financial growth planning and financial modelling techniques.

Day 10: Valuation and Business Performance

• Techniques for creating value in restructuring and business combinations.
• Financial strategies in mergers and acquisitions.
• Advanced business valuation and its role in financial strategy.

Conclusion

Completing the Advanced Finance Programme provides participants with an advanced finance certificate and equips them with essential finance leadership strategies that drive business success. This programme is one of the best finance certifications available for professionals seeking to advance their careers in leadership roles. Whether you're looking to gain deep insights into advanced analytics finance or to understand advanced business finance practices, this training will ensure you are well-prepared to face complex financial challenges with strategic confidence.