Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers

In today's business world, when every manager is held accountable for the bottom line, you have to be finance savvy!Finance...for non-financial managers. It’s a topic you must understand—especially during challenging economic times when financial acumen is expected at every organizational level. You’ve got to know how to justify a request, quantify your contributions to the company and spot profit drains immediately. Because whether you're a wizard of finance or a nonfinancial manager, performance is measured the same way—in dollars and cents!
Offering an accessible overview of finance for non-financial managers, this seminar features exactly what you need to further your career and build your future. From accruals to write-offs to receivables and payables, this workshop shows nonfinancial managers the concepts, tools and techniques that can help make each decision pay off—on the job and on the bottom line.

Also Available as:

• Live Online
• Onsite

How You Will Benefit

• Get a firm grasp of the numbers side of your job
• Gain greater confidence with a working knowledge of business financials
• Learn how to “think finance” and translate performance into financial terms
• Cultivate proactive working relationships with finance professionals and enhance your value to the organization
• Understand the business dynamics of dollars and cents—and take initiatives that meet your short- and long-term goals
• Take the guesswork out of your decision making and deliver a better bottom line
• Expand your professional expertise—and your career opportunities

What You Will Cover

• Key finance terms: assets, liabilities, capital, depreciation, capitalization, current ratio and others
• The accounting process: journals and ledgers, how debits and credits work
• Mastering the mind-set: see business in terms of dollars-and-cents decision options that pay off—short- and long-term
• Basic accounting principles
• Applying accounting conventions and guidelines
• Developing working rules regarding your corporate financial statements
• Using the balance sheet to examine assets and liabilities
• Analyzing the income statement to assess revenues and expenses
• The statement of cash flow: sources and uses of funds
• Content and format of the annual report
• Understanding the footnotes
• Debt vs. equity financing
• How leveraging can increase return to shareholders
• Keeping your plan on target with budgetary controls
• Using profit-planning tools, break-even analysis, financial forecasting
• Cash flow: where cash comes from and how it's applied
• Elements of cost accounting
• Analyzing payback method, discounted cash flow, present value and present value index in making profitable capital investment decisions
• Criteria for examining the performance of divisions and product lines
• Understanding the cost of capital

Extended Seminar Outline

Print this page Extended Seminar Outline Seminar #2218 Learning Objectives

• Make Better Bottom-Line Decisions with a Working Knowledge of the Numbers End of Business
• Gain a New Sense of Confidence When Dealing with Financial Professionals
• Expand Your Professional Expertise...Add Value to Your Future Career
• Understand the Business Dynamics of Dollars and Cents—and Take Initiatives That Optimize Results in Line with Short- and Long-term Goals
• Take the Guesswork Out of Your Decision Making and Deliver the Results You Need
• Cultivate Proactive Working Relationships with Financial Professionals and Enhance Your Value to the Organization
• Learn How to "Think Finance" and Translate Various Measures of Performance into Financial Terms

Basic Accounting Concepts

• The Importance of the Accounting Equation
• The Significance of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• The Accrual Process
• The Difference Between Accounting Profit and Cash Flow

Understanding Financial Statements

• Understand the Purpose of and Terminology Associated with the Following Financial Statements:
  —Income Statement or Profit and Loss Statement (P&L)
  —Balance Sheet
  —Statement of Retained Earnings
  —Cash Flow Statement
• Prepare a Set of Simple Financial Statements
• Understand the Accounting Process, from the Recording of Business Transactions to the Preparation of Financial Statements
• Understand How Various Business Transactions Affect the Financial Statements

Reviewing an Annual Report

• Various Components of an Annual Report
• Importance of Notes in Evaluating Financial Statements
• External Auditor’s Role and the Significance of the Opinion Letter

Evaluating a Company’s Financial Statements

• Calculate the Key Financial Ratios Using the Financial Statements
• Use Financial Ratios to Evaluate:

—An Organization’s Liquidity, Leverage and Profitability
—The Performance of an Organization as Compared to Its Competitors’
—An Organization’s Performance Compared with Budgeted Goals

• Identify Sources of Financial Information beyond the Financial Statements
• Use the Dupont Formula to Evaluate Management Performance
• Use the Concept of Economic Value Added (EVA(R)) and Cash Flow Return on Investment (CFROI) to Determine if a Segment of an Organization Is Adding Value to the Business

Improving Profitability through 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
—Direct Costing in Appropriate Situations

• Understand Traditional Cost Accounting and Its Limitations
• Understand the Relevance of Activity-Based Costing in Today’s Business Environment

Capital Expenditure Analysis

• Distinguish between Capital Expenditure Budgets and Operating Budgets and Understand the Function of the Capital Budget
• Understand Why Cash Has a Time Value
• Recognize and Apply Different Methods of Evaluating Capital Expenditure and Monitoring Project Performance

Budgeting More Effectively

• Understand the Role of Budgeting and Issues That Budgets Can Solve
• Understand 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

Course Highlights

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for non-financial managers in every functional area of responsibility in all industries.

Note: Please bring a calculator and a copy of your annual report (if available).

Special Feature

AMA Blended Learning combines instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses and other resources to maximize your training goals. Through a blend of proven instructor-led seminars and powerful online technology, AMA Blended Learning provides a compelling and more comprehensive experience for the learner—producing a greater return-on-investment for the employer and the seminar participant.