Course Details

This course is appropriate for a wide range of professionals but not limited to:

• Business and financial analysts
• Strategic planners and decision-makers
• Finance and accounting professionals
• Corporate development managers
• Department heads and business unit leaders
• Entrepreneurs and start-up founders
• Anyone involved in financial planning, budgeting, or investment evaluation

• Expert-led sessions with dynamic visual aids
• Comprehensive course manual to support practical application and reinforcement
• Interactive discussions addressing participants’ real-world projects and challenges
• Insightful case studies and proven best practices to enhance learning

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Analyze and interpret key financial statements to assess organizational performance.
• Apply financial ratios and benchmarking to evaluate business efficiency and profitability.
• Develop and utilize financial forecasts and budgets for planning purposes.
• Evaluate investment and capital expenditure decisions using financial appraisal techniques.
• Integrate financial analysis into strategic decision-making and business planning.
• Communicate financial insights effectively to support executive decision-making.

DAY 1

Financial Statement Analysis and Interpretation

• Pre-test
• Introduction to financial analysis and decision-making
• Overview of income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement
• Ratio analysis: profitability, liquidity, efficiency, and solvency
• Trend analysis and comparative financial analysis
• Workshop

DAY 2

Budgeting and Financial Forecasting

• Role of budgeting in strategic planning
• Types of budgets: operating, capital, and cash budgets
• Techniques for financial forecasting
• Creating a driver-based financial model
• Exercise

DAY 3

Risk Analysis and Business Evaluation

• Identifying and analyzing financial risks
• Sensitivity and scenario analysis
• Breakeven analysis and margin of safety
• Monte Carlo simulation overview
• Group exercise

DAY 4

Capital Investment Appraisal Techniques

• Time value of money principles
• Investment evaluation methods: NPV, IRR, Payback, Profitability Index
• Cost of capital and weighted average cost of capital (WACC)
• Real options in investment decisions
• Case study

DAY 5

Strategic Financial Decision Making

• Linking financial analysis with strategic planning
• Using KPIs and dashboards for performance evaluation
• Financial storytelling: Communicating financial results to stakeholders
• Capstone group exercise
• Course wrap-up and personal action planning
• Post-test