COURSE OVERVIEW
Financial awareness is a critical skill at every level of an organization. In today’s interconnected business environment, understanding financial concepts goes far beyond simply managing budgets or recording transactions. Every professional—regardless of department—needs to interpret financial information and use it to make informed decisions that support overall business goals.
This Financial Management for Non-Financial Professionals course equips participants with the financial knowledge, analytical tools, and practical techniques needed to confidently interpret and apply financial information within their roles. By the end of the program, participants will be able to contribute more effectively to their organization’s financial health and strategic success.
KEY FEATURES
- Immediate application of financial analysis and management tools learned during the course
- Improved decision-making through a better understanding of financial data
- Enhanced ability to use financial insights to strengthen organizational performance and cash flow
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completing this program, participants will be able to:
- Interpret and analyze financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
- Use key financial ratios to assess performance and understand their limitations
- Recognize the importance of cash flow and discounted cash flow (DCF) in creating shareholder value
- Apply costing methods, including Activity-Based Costing (ABC), for sound financial decision-making
- Understand budgeting processes and apply Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) for effective planning
- Calculate the cost of capital and evaluate financing options to determine optimal capital structure
- Manage working capital efficiently to reduce costs and improve cash flow
TARGET AUDIENCE
This course is ideal for:
- Non-financial professionals across all departments who want to better understand and use financial information
- Managers, supervisors, and team leaders who make decisions that impact financial outcomes
- Individuals from any function, including finance, who wish to strengthen their financial literacy
TRAINING METHODOLOGY
This training combines theory with real-world application to ensure participants gain both understanding and confidence. It uses interactive lectures, case studies, practical exercises, and financial simulations. Participants will learn through hands-on analysis, working with real examples and Excel-based financial models to solidify their learning.
Each topic is supported by practical case studies, encouraging participants to apply financial techniques to realistic business challenges. Pre- and post-course assessments will also measure the learning impact and growth of each participant.
(Participants are advised to bring an Excel®-enabled laptop for practical sessions.)
COURSE MODULES
Module 1: Company Objectives, Accounting Standards & Financial Statements
Key Topics:
- Measuring company performance and value creation
- Understanding income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
- Analyzing operating and financial performance
- Risk assessment and ratio analysis limitations
- Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis, break-even models, and profit projections
Module 2: Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Capital Investment Decisions
Key Topics:
- Importance and timing of cash flows
- Present and future value concepts
- Loan payments and annuity valuation
- Capital investment appraisal techniques: Payback, NPV, IRR, Discounted Payback
- Capital budgeting and project ranking under constraints
- Managing inflation, risk, and uncertainty in investment decisions
Module 3: Financial Structure and Costing for Decision-Making
Key Topics:
- Cost of debt, cost of equity, and WACC
- Determining optimal capital structure
- Fixed and variable costs, overheads, and Activity-Based Costing (ABC)
- Contribution analysis and inventory valuation
- Strategic decision-making: make-or-buy, shutdown, product mix, and decision trees
Module 4: Budgeting and Budgetary Control
Key Topics:
- The role and purpose of budgeting
- The budgeting process and Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB)
- Managing uncertainty and risk in budgeting
- Behavioral and motivational aspects of budgeting
- Budgetary control systems, standard costing, variance analysis, and flexible budgets
- Understanding planning versus operational variances
Module 5: Working Capital and Cash Flow Management
Key Topics:
- Understanding working capital requirements
- Cash management strategies and improvement techniques
- Managing receivables, payables, and inventory
- Utilizing banking and financing facilities effectively
- Business valuation techniques:
- Market-based and asset-based valuation
- Capitalized earnings and P/E ratio models
- Gordon growth and DCF valuation methods
