Certificate in
Practical Finance & Accounting

Accounting is often hailed as the cornerstone of business communication—a language enabling managers to convey a firm's financial and economic status to external stakeholders like shareholders and creditors. In today's business landscape, financial literacy is indispensable for professionals across all sectors.

Regardless of a company's size, industry, or location, its narrative is articulated through financial records and reports. Key metrics such as income, debt, revenue, expenses, compensation, and customer retention costs are encapsulated within financial statements.

Even for non-financial managers, there inevitably comes a juncture where financial rationale must be provided, and decisions must be guided by numerical data sourced from others. Without a grasp of financial fundamentals and the ability to pose pertinent questions, one's efficacy is compromised.

This esteemed Anderson training course serves as a gateway to the realm of finance and accounting, fostering comprehension of the systems and procedures underpinning business accounting practices.

By attending this Anderson training course, delegates will be able to:

• Be aware of how financial markets can support efficient business operations
• Read and understand annual financial reports, and be aware of how they are prepared
• Understand how business accounting systems work
• Identify and appraise wealth-generating investments
• Apply a range of management accounting techniques to maintain or improve profitability

This Anderson training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals in all types of industries, who wish to better understand the practical benefits of accounting and finance for their business. It will be particularly useful for:

• Financial and business advisors
• Business entrepreneurs
• Members of the operational management team
• Those who are starting their careers in finance and accounting
• Non-executive board members on the Audit Committee

• Why we need accounting systems
• Identification, recording and understanding transactions in the accounting system
• The income statement (statement of comprehensive income)
• The balance sheet (statement of financial position)
• The statement of cash flows
• Applying accounting concepts, and financial reporting standards and exercising professional judgment

• Presentation of the financial statements
• The differences between assets and expenses
• Depreciation of long-term assets
• Inventory costs and cost of goods sold (COGS)
• Analysis of the financial statements
• Interpretation of the financial statements

• Management accounting for effective communication and decision-making
• Identifying product costs and measuring output
• Cost-volume-profit (CVP) and break-even analysis
• Preparing and using budgets to plan and control the organisation
• Actual to budget performance comparison
• Using variance analysis to drive performance improvement

• An overview of financial institutions and markets
• Sourcing and raising finance
• Choice of the most appropriate financing
• Return on investment and the cost of capital
• Foreign currency transactions
• Managing foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate risk

• Identifying value-adding capital investment opportunities
• Investment appraisal using accounting rate of return (ARR) and payback
• Discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques: net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR)
• Making investment choices when funds are limited
• Risk and uncertainty
• Incorporating risk into the investment decision

Anderson Certificate of Completion will be provided to delegates who attend and complete the course