Professional Certificate in Financial Analysis, Planning & Control

This training course is presented in a very user-friendly course to suit individuals with varying levels of financial knowledge and experience. This training course will be conducted along workshop principles with formal presentations, case studies and interactive worked examples. Numerous relevant examples and participative case studies are provided to illustrate the application of each of the topics covered. Each learning point is reinforced with practical examples and participative exercises. Difficult mathematical concepts are minimised wherever possible and handled in a visual way that is easy to understand with numerous illustrative examples.

The objectives of this training course are to provide delegates with the necessary tools and techniques to find better answers to questions such as:

• What is the exact nature and scope of the problems to be analysed, and which specific variables, relationships, and trends are likely to be helpful in analysing specific problems?
• How precise an answer is necessary in relation to the importance of the problem itself?
• How reliable are the available data, and how is this uncertainty likely to affect the range of results?
• Should the outputs of decisions be expressed in cash flow terms, or in terms of accounting profit, to evaluate the financial implications of a decision?
• What limitations are inherent in the tools to be applied, and how will these affect the range of results obtained?
• How important are qualitative judgments in the context of decision-making, and what is the ranking of their significance?

This Gulf Rowad Professional Certificate in Financial Analysis, Planning & Control training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals, but will greatly benefit:

• Financial officers, controllers, and accountants
• Treasurers, corporate planning and business development professionals
• Sales and marketing professionals
• Managers from any other non-financial areas that need or wish to understand the financial aspects of analysis, planning, and control
• Managers involved in financial decision makings
• Middle and junior management involved in planning and forecasting
• Individual with no basic finance backgrounds, has ambitions to pursue advance training courses in Finance, and wants to acquire specific skills needed to secure a new role or improve their career prospects

All participants will be able to offer their input, based on their individual experiences, and will find the training course a forum for upgrading and enhancing their understanding of best corporate financial practices in the areas examined.

Organisational Impact

This Professional Certificate in Financial Analysis, Planning & Control training course will provide participating delegates:

• An understanding of the use of financial statements and tools and techniques of financial analysis that assist managers in support of more informed and therefore better decision-making
• An understanding of the links between long and short-term planning, and being able to develop and prepare financial models and operating budgets and the use of Excel models to build financial growth planning models and prepare traditional and activity based budget models
• The use of the techniques of budgetary control: development of product standards, flexed budgets, variance analysis and use of the results of variance analysis to improve operational performance
• The use of Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and other appropriate techniques that will support the company in its more effective analysis of capital investment projects
• An understanding how corporate value and shareholder value may be increased through the use of appropriate financial strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring and reorganisations
• The sharing of knowledge gained throughout other divisions and departments of the company

Personal Impact

Delegates will develop an understanding of:

• The creation of corporate value and shareholder value
• Choosing the most appropriate tools and using Excel to develop long-term financial models and budgets
• How to analyse and interpret the financial statements: Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flows, in order to make more informed and therefore better financial decisions
• How to develop and manage the financial aspects of their role more effectively, enhance their performance, broaden their role, and appreciate how their decision-making may impact on their own department or business unit and the organisation as a whole
• How to improve their self-confidence in dealing with finance and financial professionals
• How to be better placed to liaise effectively with other professionals on financial issues

This training course provides an integrated conceptual backdrop both for the financially / economic dimensions of systematic business management and for understanding the nature of financial statements.