Mini MBA:
Accounting & Finance

This Anderson training course is designed to explore the critical role of accounting and finance in the modern business environment. Offering an MBA-level experience in content, instruction, discussion, and team exercises, the course provides a thorough examination of how accounting information is collected, recorded, analyzed, and presented to support effective management, control, and decision-making processes.

Participants will gain insights into the key factors essential for successful financial management within a corporation, including the strategic allocation of resources in the context of economic, competitive, and physical challenges. The course also emphasizes the significance of high-quality corporate governance and effective financial risk management.

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

• Understand income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement
• Interpret cost behavior and its impact on product costing
• Understand the process of budgeting
• Manage financial risks
• Understand corporate governance mechanisms

This Anderson training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals who wish to achieve career progress by expanding their financial knowledge.

However, it will be most suitable for operational and middle Managers who wish to better understand and make use of financial information in their management roles, for example:

• Members of the operational management team
• Managers who have responsibility for divisional performance
• Managers who have responsibility for support functions
• Consultants who provide advice on systems and operations
• Senior staff members of any department

• The importance of accounting information
• The role of the Finance Function
• The accounting equation and financial accounting systems
• Recording facts and applying judgement
• Preparing the Income Statement and Balance Sheet
• Accounting principles and accounting standards                  

• The format and contents of the Income Statement
• The format and contents of the Balance Sheet
• The effect of depreciation and impairment on profit
• Identifying and valuing inventory
• Preparing the Cash flow Statement
• The importance of cash flow in business

• Collecting and analyzing costs
• The structure of direct and indirect costs
• Dealing with overheads – absorption costing or ABC?
• Cost-Volume-Profit and break even analysis
• Decision making – make or buy
• Decision making – the effect of limiting factors

• Corporate planning and corporate objectives implemented through budgeting
• The budgeting process and timescale
• Sales budget forecasting techniques
• Cascading the budgets across the whole business
• Preparing functional budgets and the cash budget
• Budgeting principles, methodologies and applications

• Monthly management reporting
• Setting and using standards
• Identifying and calculating variances
• Operating and planning variances – who is responsible?
• Measuring responsibility centre performance, ROI, RI and EVA
• Non-financial performance – the Balanced Scorecard

• Finance & Accounting
• Developing a Strategic Financial Plan
• Financial Information: - Internal & External
• Evaluating Financial Performance to improve Liquidity, Profitability, & Efficiency
• Working Capital Management
• Cash Flow Statements and Calculating Free Cash Flow

• Sources of Long Term & Short Term Finance
• The Optimum Capital Structure – Equity or Debt?
• Calculating the Cost of Equity and Meeting Shareholder Expectations
• Calculating the Cost of Debt – Fixed or Floating Rate
• The Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)
• The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)

• Strategic Issues facing Organisations Today
• Preparing Project Cash Flow Forecasts in Excel
• Capital Investment Appraisal Techniques: Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) and Payback
• Discounted Cash Flow Appraisal Techniques:  NPV and IRR
• Capital Rationing and the Profitability Index (PI)
• Dealing with Risk in Investment Appraisal - RAROC

• Risk and Uncertainty in Business
• Identifying & Measuring Financial Risk
• How to Manage Risk – The Four Ts
• Managing Exchange Rate Risk
• Managing Commodity Price Risk
• Managing Interest Rate Risk

• Recognising the needs of stakeholders
• The Role and Scope of Corporate Governance
• Agency Theory: The Role of Directors & Shareholders
• The Role of External & Internal Auditors
• The Role of the Audit Committee
• Emerging trends in Corporate Governance

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