PURPOSE    To provide decision makers with financial knowledge to enable them to make or influence sound business decisions.     DURATION    Two days (two and a half if an additional module on leasing is required)     LOCATION    Chosen by the customer     OUTCOMES    By the end of this course participants should be equipped with the financial knowledge to enable them to make or influence sound business decisions. In particular they should be able to: ·                     describe the fundamental concepts and jargon of finance, and how value is created for shareholders; ·                     explain in some detail the information conveyed by the primary accounting documents - the balance sheet, profit and loss account and cash flow statement, with reference (if wished) to the Accounts of their own organization; ·                     demonstrate at a simple level how the financial state and performance of a business can be assessed using ratio analysis; ·                     explain the fundamental principles of cost/benefit analysis; ·                     construct a cost/benefit financial case from given data; ·                     describe and give simple examples of the main methods used to evaluate cost/benefit cases financially, including payback, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), return on investment (ROI) and shareholder value added (SVA).                                       CONTENTS   ·                     Assets and liabilities; the balance sheet; ·                     Expenses and revenues; the profit and loss account; ·                     Cash flow; the cash flow statement; ·                     Published Accounts; ·                     Ratio analysis - profitability, activity, liquidity, gearing or                 solvency,  'stock market' ratios; ·                     Principles of cost/benefit analysis; ·                     Case study - how to construct a cost/benefit case; ·                     Investment evaluation methods - including payback, NPV, IRR,                 ROI and SVA; ·                     Case study (continued) - how to apply the investment evaluation                 methods to the cost/benefit case developed above.                If required, an additional half-day module on leasing can be provided.     TEACHING METHOD    Learning by doing, with exercises, some group work and many practical examples. Course notes provided.       PREREQUISITES    None. The course is designed for people with little or no financial knowledge or experience.     COURSE FEES   Please click here for details of course fees