Overview
With the demands of daily operations, non-financial managers may put financial reports on the shelf. But take a look at some of the most admired companies like Apple, Google, and Berkshire Hathaway. Sure, they are evaluated by their products, innovation, and culture but they wouldn’t be in the limelight without profits. Money matters! This course will help you build on your understanding of financial concepts and help you establish your role in the financial success of your organization.
Designed for non-financial managers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and other decision-makers, this advanced course will take the mystery out of money matters. Throughout this course, financial information that drives your organization, as seen on the business’s reports, will be assessed and analyzed to understand it. An understanding of this information will help you make smart decisions when it comes to budgeting, setting goals, and assessing performance within your own area of influence.
Unit 1: Financial Strategies
- Your Role in Financial Decision Making
- Who is responsible for the financial decisions in your company?
- The Goal of Business
- Understand the Language of Finance
- Accounting as a Language
- Learn the Language
- Visual Activity – Accounting Process
- Accounting and Recordkeeping Systems
- Self Check – Account Categories
- Read the Story
- A Word about Financial Concepts
- Financial Concept: The Accounting Equation
- Financial Concept: The Matching Principle
- The Common Financial Statements
- Income Statement
- The Balance Sheet
- Statement of Cash Flows
- The Purpose of Financial Statements
Unit 2: Financial Dashboard – Introduction to Financial Gauges
- Understand Basic Financial Concepts
- Introduction
- The Story Statements Tell
- Financial Concept: The Accounting Equation
- Financial Concept: The Profit Matching Principle
- Financial Concept: The Fund Matching Principle
- Financial Concept: Cash Basis vs. Accrual Basis Accounting Methods
- Financial Concept: Cash vs. Profits
- Financial Concept: Debt vs. Equity (Optimum Capital Structure)
- Financial Strategies
- Financial strategies stem from business goals
- Take a Look: Example Financial Strategies
- Financial Gauges
- Introduction to Financial Gauges
- Your Financial Gauges
- Profitability-based gauges
- Performance-based gauges
- Reading Your Financial Gauges
- The Story Financial Gauges Tell
- Research and Analysis
Unit 3: Financial Gauges - Profitability
- Profitability Gauges
- Ratio Analysis
- Financial Gauge: Net Profit Margin (or) The Bottom Line
- Financial Gauge: Gross Profit Margin
- Financial Gauge: Operating Margin
- Using Profitability Ratios
- The Components of Profitability
- The Origin of Profits
- Sales and Expenses
- Sales
- Sales Strategies
- Pricing Strategies
- Cost of Goods Sold and Cost of Sales
- Cost of Goods Sold
- Gross Profit Margin
- Gross Profit Analysis and Planning
- Evaluate Profitability of Product or Service Lines
- Expenses
- Budget vs. Actual Analysis
- Cost Management and Efficiency
Unit 4: Financial Gauges - Performance
- Making Money
- The Goal of Business
- Value Growth
- Company Resources
- Taking Advantage of Assets
- Tangible vs. Intangible Assets
- Cash
- Making the Most of Liabilities and Equity
- Liabilities
- Equity
- Performance Financial Gauges
- Financial Gauge: Current and Quick Ratio (Liquidity)
- Financial Gauge: Return on Assets
- Financial Gauge: Return on Equity
- Financial Gauge: Debt to Equity Ratio
- Financial Analysis and Planning Summary
- Downtown Publishing Financial Performance Analysis
- Summary