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Hands-on Workshop & Practical Seminar

Finance & Accounting for Managers and Professionals
Applying the Latest International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
and the Balanced Score Card

Skills and Tools to Improve Your Planning, Budgeting & Control Decisions

Available for in-house sessions only


Why This Seminar?

This seminar provides you with the practical principles, tools and techniques of modern finance and accounting that are vital to the success of professionals and decision-makers, both in the public and private sectors, in large, medium and small organizations. You will invest ample time practicing on real-life problems. The focus is on analysis, interpretation, and use of financial information, to make informed and sound decisions, based on facts, in today's complex environment. You will specifically gain the practical knowledge and skills required to:

  • Understand the vocabulary and principles of finance and accounting including key ratios for measuring productivity, stability, liquidity and profitability;
  • Analyze, interpret and explain income statements and balance sheets, in plain language;
  • Address your management concerns about risk in assessing proposals;
  • Articulate your rationale for scarce-resource allocation, particularly when facing intense competition;
  • Use more rigor to persuade your stakeholders to fund projects and operations;
  • Improve your planning, budgeting, control and evaluation skills;
  • Maximize effectiveness and efficiency by managing the performance drivers that count;
  • Gain financial insights to resolve problems you face every day.
Pdf Copy of the Objectives and Outline for Printing Purposes
  Workshop Benefits for the Organization and the Participant

Both the organization and the participant will directly benefit from this hands-on workshop. The skills and tools learned can be applied by executives, managers and professionals at all levels, from day-to-day operations to the corporate level in governance, policy, strategy formulation, mergers & acquisitions, and project selection, management and impact evaluation. The aim is to make accessible to everyone the best practices and tools in planning, budgeting, resource allocation and operations control.

The organization sending a group of participants will therefore benefit significantly from a greater focus on bottom-line results. Within a reasonable period, the organization should:

  • Improve the management of its assets using turnover ratios, among others;
  • Enhance communication between operating managers, auditors and other experts in finance and accounting;
  • Reduce the risk of financial disasters by adopting robust warning systems;
  • Build a strong foundation for profit planning by applying break-even analysis widely;
  • Increase the effectiveness of the decision-making process with a wider application of financial ratios;
  • Adopt more rigor using financial leverage to assess return on investment (ROI);
  • Value the payback period but place a greater emphasis on the internal rate of return;
  • Optimize the balanced tradeoff between cash flow and trade discounts;
  • Reduce working capital to provide more cash to the business;
  • Increase ROI by reducing accounts receivable and inventory;
  • Build safeguards to avoid shipping delays, which lengthen the cash conversion period and hurt cash flow.

The seminar participants will:

  • Learn and apply up-to-date financial management tools and vocabulary;
  • Develop analytical skills;
  • Focus more on the bottom line;
  • Participate more actively in meetings when financial matters are discussed;
  • Drill down three levels to master the profit value chain from the gross margin, and operating profit (EBITDA) to the income after tax;
  • Be able to explore more opportunities by applying predictive modeling to assess performance and craft turnaround strategies; and
  • Be more accountable for getting the most out of the human resources and other assets entrusted to them.
 Detailed Outline - 3 Days - 2.75 CEU

1. Learning the Language and Concepts

  • Time value of money
  • Economic value added
  • Sustainable growth rate, hurdle rate
  • EBITDA, Deferred taxes, sunk costs
  • Retained earnings, goodwill
  • Practical exercises

2. How to Read Financial Statements

  • Income statement, balance Sheet
  • Statement of Cash Flow
  • Statement of Retained Earnings
  • Reading the auditors’ report
  • Practical exercises; teamwork

3. Mastering the Difference between

  • Market value and book value
  • Financial needs and financing requirements
  • Amortization, depreciation and capital cost allowance
  • Profit and cash flow
  • Gross margin and contribution margin
  • Fixed costs and variable costs
  • Break-even point and profit break-even
  • Practical exercises; teamwork

4. How to Interpret Financial Statements

  • Liquidity and profitability ratios
  • Asset-management ratios
  • Debt/coverage ratios
  • Market value ratios
  • Common-size statement analysis
  • Horizontal analysis
  • Financial benchmarks
  • Sustainable growth rate
  • Financial health score
  • Practical exercises; teamwork

5. How to Use Financial Decision-Making Tools

  • Economic Value Added (EVA)
  • Break-even analysis in costing, pricing and investment decisions
  • Pro-forma income and cash-flow statements
  • How to compare cost of financing with ROA
  • Practical exercises; teamwork

6. How to Evaluate Capital-Investment Decisions

  • How to use capital budgeting tools
    • Net present value (NPV)
    • Internal rate of return (IRR)
    • Payback period
    • Sensitivity analysis
    • Risk analysis
    • The hurdle rate
  • How to analyze investment opportunities and lease/buy options
  • Valuing an on-going business
  • Cash flow projections
  • Evaluating capital financing options: internal versus external forms of financing; cost of capital vs. investments in capital assets; raising funds through internal and external sources
  • Individual exercises; practical teamwork

7. The Balanced Scorecard: Connecting the Dots between Finance and Strategy

  • What is the balanced scorecard?
  • Investment, operating and financing decisions
  • Managing growth and working capital
  • Cash conversion efficiency ratio
  • Formulating your organization’s financial strategies
  • Linking decisions such as downsizing, product quality, and reengineering to financial measures
  • Measuring operating and financial leverage
  • Determining the most appropriate cost of capital
  • Strategies for cutting operating costs and improving the bottom line
  • Accelerating the cash conversion cycle
  • Individual exercises; practical teamwork

8. Synthesis and Conclusion

 Workbook, Hand-outs, Road Map & Course Materials of Exceptional Value

As a participant, you will receive cutting-edge practical course materials including a comprehensive workbook with extensive chapters on the topics discussed in the class, professional templates with a detailed checklist for planning, budgeting and control, Harvard University Global System™ Management Road Map, case studies and the latest Harvard® Planner.

Duration, Locations, Fees and CEU Value Hotel Accommodation for Out-of-Town Participants

For overnight accommodation, several hotels are located within 10 to 20-minute drive including Novotel, Hilton, Ramada Inn, Westin, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Marriott, Sheraton, Delta, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Best Western, Cartier Place Suite Hotel, Lord Elgin Hotel, and Minto Place Suite Hotel. Click here for detailed information about hotels.

Registration and Cancellation Procedures

To register, please contact us either by:
  • email at rsvp@eharvard.org. Specify your name, position, organization, phone number(s) and the webinar you wish to attend.
    or
  • call us toll free in the USA and Canada: 1-800-HARVARD; international: +1 819-772-7777. voicemail: 24/7.
Please pay in advance by credit card.

Cancellation Policy
 Participants registering as a group must send substitutes in lieu of canceling. For other clients, cancellations are accepted if made at least 10 working days prior to the course, and are subject to a $150 service charge per person. Full fees are payable by anyone who fails to attend or cancels less than 10 working days prior to the session. One substitution or transfer to a later course of the same duration is accepted.


Register Now
 Personal Comfort, Dress Code and Photo Session

The dress code is business casual at your discretion. Trust your judgment. When unsure, err on the side of caution. If overdressed, you can remove a tie or a jacket and roll up your sleeves. Members of the Canadian Forces and the U.S. defense community can, at their discretion, either dress casually or keep the uniform.

You will be reminded the first day to dress the way you feel most comfortable for a photo session the next morning.

Although every effort will be made to ensure a pleasant learning environment including a suitable temperature, we recommend you bring a sweater or a jacket to the classroom as individual comfort zones differ and sudden variations in the weather can temporarily affect air conditioning.

Also please kindly refrain from using strong fragrances during the session in order to accommodate your fellow participants who suffer from allergies.

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