Finance Course for the Non-Financial Manager
Finance. Boost your financial know-how.
COVID-19 update: arrangement of our courses
We are now delivering courses online and in-person. Please check the delivery format of each class before enrolling.
Please note that course materials (excluding prescribed texts) are shared electronically within 48 hours of course commencement. Printing is not available.
This finance course is designed for managers and other professionals who need an understanding of the financial drivers of business. It is suitable for those who require financial management skills and knowledge as part of their role (non-financial managers).
This course provides an introduction to the concepts underlying external financial accounting and internal management accounting. You will be introduced to the skills necessary to prepare, interpret and analyse financial statements, including balance sheet, profit and loss statements. You will gain an insight into how your business decisions impact the financial reports of your company.
We will also cover budgeting, costing and key performance indicators, and clarify the often misunderstood area of accrual accounting.
CCE is proud to now offer this course at our Westmead campus in Western Sydney. Please check the class location before enrolling.
Aims
This course will enable you to:
- utilise key financial terms and concepts
- analyse the 3 key financial statements – Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement
- forecast and prepare budgets
- calculate financial ratios for evaluating the health of the organisation
- calculate variances and recommend corrective action for achieving a budget.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- recognise why accrual accounting is commonly used in business
- appreciate the rationale for depreciation and amortisation of assets
- interpret a Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement
- assess the financial health of a business using financial ratios
- prepare forecasts and set budgets for sales, costs and expenses using a range of methods
- calculate variances and recommend corrective action for achieving a budget.
Content
Financial terminology and concepts
- Income and expenses
- Assets, liabilities and equity
The basis for accrual accounting
- Accrual accounting versus cash accounting
- End of period recording of accruals and prepayments
Financial management of assets
- Use of depreciation
- Difference between depreciation and amortisation
Financial statements
- Interpretation of P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement
- Calculation of key financial ratios
- Interpretation of the health of a business using financial ratios
Financial forecasting
- Use of history, market conditions and the Delphi method
- Forecasting for sales, costs and expenses
Budgeting
- Budgeting for an organisation
- Defining and budgeting or profit centre, cost centres and for projects
Calculating and acting on variances
- How to calculate a variance
- Correcting for unfavourable variances
- Generating an estimate of likely performance compared to the budget
Intended audience
Suitable for managers, team leaders, board members or individuals from a non-financial background who wish to develop their competencies for understanding their organisations' financial statements and structures.
Course examples will be provided to cater for attendees from all sectors – commercial, not-for-profit and government – indeed the course is designed to meet the needs of anyone who needs to interpret financial data in a work or board setting to assist with their decision-making.
Delivery style
Delivered as an interactive workshop which includes lectures, group exercises and discussion.
Delivery options:
- Face-to-face workshop delivered on University premises.
- Online workshop via the platform Zoom.
Materials
You will be provided with a link to download and access course materials prior to class.
Features
- Expert trainers
- Central locations
- Course materials – yours to keep
- CCE Statement of Completion
What others say.
This course gave me an overview of financial terminology, basic accounting tools and an understanding of what to look for on financial reports.
The course explained financial reports, ratios and accrual accounting in a clear way. We also learned some great cost effective ways to do things in business. The tutor was great at teaching us why certain things looked the way they do in financial reports, and the exercises allowed our newly learnt information to sink in.
Very knowledgable tutor. Great use of practical examples for application. Made what could be quite a dry topic, very engaging.
Great catering and venue! The presenter brought great honesty, experience and professionalism to my learning experience. Exceeded all expectations.
This course took the mystery out of financial reports. Well done!
Really great content and well presented.
Coming from a non-financial background, this course has given me the confidence to tackle reports, that until today baffled me as to their relevance.
The presenter is an excellent educator and clearly has commercial acumen in the finance field. The delivery was great and for someone to be able to make a somewhat heavy topic enjoyable was very much appreciated. The venue was excellent and your organisation is to be praised for making available classroom delivery in this type of educational format.
Great course, engaging tutor, good location, am looking up other courses already!
Excellent tutor – one of the best I have come across – managed to keep you engaged right up until 5pm despite the content, which under a different tutor could have been incredibly dry.
Perfect for a one-day crash course or as a general finance/accounting refresher. Would highly recommend it.
I would like to thank The University of Sydney for organising this course and also a big thanks to the presenter for the great lesson and effort put into this course.
The course was delivered in an interesting and educational manner. Ample time for interaction.
The course content was as I expected and the tutor was flexible in allowing us to focus on areas that were of strongest interest to the attendees.
A great, straight to the point course. It’s like a concentrated version of what you need to know. I am a big fan!
The course was fantastic, and the facilitator did really well to keep the class interested/motivated.
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...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Tue 12 Jan 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom |
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...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 03 Feb 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Room 303 - Face-to-face (CCE Building, Newtown) |
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...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 03 Mar 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Room 200 - Face-to-face (CCE Building, Newtown) |
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...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 31 Mar 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom |
<p>{block name:“Course Tagline - Finance”}</p><p>{block name:“Course Message - Business and management”}</p><p>{block name:“Block - COVID 19 updates”}</p><p>This finance course is designed for
...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 28 Apr 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+10:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) |
<p>{block name:“Course Tagline - Finance”}</p><p>{block name:“Course Message - Business and management”}</p><p>{block name:“Block - COVID 19 updates”}</p><p>This finance course is designed for
...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 26 May 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+10:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) |
<p>{block name:“Course Tagline - Finance”}</p><p>{block name:“Course Message - Business and management”}</p><p>{block name:“Block - COVID 19 updates”}</p><p>This finance course is designed for
...When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
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Wed 23 Jun 2021 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+10:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom |
If there isn't a class to suit you, please join the waiting list.
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What others say.
- The tutor, who has an excellent knowledge of finance, knew how to deliver the material and tailor it to the audiences needs, knowledge and expectations.
- I would like to thank The University of Sydney for organising this course and also a big thanks to the presenter for the great lesson and effort put into this course.
- Great catering and venue! The presenter brought great honesty, experience and professionalism to my learning experience. Exceeded all expectations.
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