Finance and Capital along with Management and Staff are the lifeblood of any business.

This programme focuses on the advanced skills necessary for making sound financial decisions in an increasingly competitive, volatile and global market. Skills and decisions which will enable your company to remain competitive, minimise costs, maximise revenues and also reduce/control risk.

The programme therefore focuses on the key areas and skills required:

• Financial Planning and Control:– devising and controlling financial plans fit for the future
• Corporate Finance and Financial Engineering:– how to finance the business
• The Cost of Capital and Capital Investment Appraisal:– calculating and controlling the cost of capital using WACC and CAPM and maximising the Return on Capital and minimising risk by evaluating potential projects using the latest techniques
• Financial Analysis:- evaluate financial data in order to:
  • Assess past performance
  • Identify business Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
  • Improve Decision Making
  • Implement and Evaluate Performance Measures
  • Aid the Strategic Planning Process
• Business Valuation – Mergers & Acquisition Decisions

As a result of attending this Programme, participants will:

• Develop the Essential Advanced Skills of Financial Forecasting Budgeting and Control using Excel© and the latest software to develop various forecasting models including Time Series Models, Exponential Smoothing, Regression and Correlation Analysis
• Analyse complex capital investment and financing decisions and provide recommendations for action using appropriate discount rates based on WACC and CAPM by applying Payback, ARR, NPV, Discounted Payback, IRR and MIRR using Excel® including where capital is rationed/limited
• Identify the key success factors/critical factors in their industry/division to evaluate current and future market/competitive trends in order to identify future Opportunities and Threats
• Conduct advanced financial analysis using Excel® and the very latest techniques/methods that result in developing financial strategies and plans
• Conduct company valuations with a focus on merger and acquisition decisions

The course is highly interactive involving the analysis and evaluation of practical case studies and the discussion/debate of current issues, policies and procedures. It will be conducted along workshop principles to ensure the development of transferable skills as well as knowledge, fully supported with notes in hard copy and on CD.

As a result, attending delegates will:

• Develop their professional skills
• Increase their knowledge of the latest policies and procedures
• Make more informed and hence better decisions
• Increase their importance to their organization
• Be better placed to liaise effectively with other departments and colleagues regarding current practices and issues affecting the banking sector

By sending delegates on this course, the organisation will:

• Successfully build an integrated financial team
• Gain new finance skills in line with the latest international practices which will help to make more informed and hence better management decisions
• Increase knowledge of the latest policies and procedures which can be shared amongst other departments of the company
• Facilitate the continuous and radical redesign of business processes to international standards
• Ensure the finance culture permeates throughout the entire organization

• Enhanced knowledge of Finance:- financial planning, sources and uses of finance and the analysis of performance
• Financial Management:– the ability to manage liquidity and international finance
• Capital Investment Appraisal: - the ability to make sound investment decisions
• The latest techniques for evaluating financial and operational performance
• The ability to evaluate merger and acquisition possibilities

Financial Planning

• Financial Management & Financial Planning – the Scope, Role & Responsibilities of Financial Management
• Preparing a Financial Plan – The Master Budget
• Forecasting Future Cash-flows
  • Time Series Analysis
  • Correlation & Regression
• Financial Modelling
• Sensitivity/What If Analysis
• What-If Analysis combined with Du-Pont Analysis

Corporate Finance & Financial Engineering

• Raising Finance using traditional sources of Equity & Debt
• Evaluating the impact of Equity & Debt finance
• Money Market Instruments & Bonds
• The Concept of Financial Engineering
• Raising finance, trading and hedging using financial engineered instruments
• The Dividend Decision: - whether to pay dividends or not

The Cost of Capital & Capital Investment Appraisal

• The Cost of Capital
  • Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)
  • Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
• The Capital Investment Process
• Capital Investment Appraisal
• Payback
• Accounting Rate of Return (ARR)
• Net Present Value (NPV)
• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
• Capital Rationing
• Asset Replacement Decisions
• Controlling the Cost of Capital and the use of Derivatives

Financial Analysis

• The Role & Responsibilities of Financial Analysis and Management
  • Identifying key success factors in your industry sector
  • Financial review compared to targets and expectations and Variance Analysis
  • Financial performance measurement systems
• Ratio Analysis to evaluate Profitability, Liquidity, Operations and Leverage
• Du-Pont Analysis and Financial Modelling
• Altman and Z scores: - quantitative models to assess risk
• SWOT, PEST & Porter: - incorporating non-financial analysis
• The Analysis and Evaluation of Case Studies using Excel® in order to:
• Assess past performance
• Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
• Improve Decision Making relating to future:
  • Divisional/Individual Performance
  • Capital Expenditure
  • Investment Opportunities
• Implement and Evaluate Performance Measures
• Aid the Strategic Planning Process

Valuation, Merger & Acquisitions

• Business Valuation
• Definitions of Value
• Value to the Investor
• Value to Shareholders
• Evolution of Value-Based Methodologies
• Creating Value in Restructuring and Combinations
• Business Valuation for Merger & Acquisition
• Business Restructuring and Reorganisations
• Management Buy-Outs and Management Buy-Ins