FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

STUDY AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
The Program will benefit anybody who requires knowledge and ability in one or more of the core financial management activities, whether seeking a worthwhile career in the field, or seeking promotion and advancement in finance or accounting areas, or in wider management and administration fields.  The Program will benefit men and women already employed in finance and accounting fields (or hoping to enter it) to gain career success and further advancement, and other professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners and managers who need an expert and practical working knowledge of the principles of financial management.  The Program will also provide access to higher studies in finance, accounting, business and management, and similar related subjects.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:

• The nature and importance of capital investment decisions, and the resources involved.
• Investment appraisal methods: accounting rate of return (ARR), return on capital employed (ROCE), payback period; net present value (NPV).
• Risk in investment appraisal, calculating and using probabilities.
• The impact of interest and inflation, risk premiums; considering the effect on and meaning of wealth.
• Investment in practice and reality, the concept of logical investors.
• The cost of capital; review and control for capital expenditure projects.
• The process of decision making relating to capital management, auditing.
• Short-term finance, gearing, factoring, discounting.
• Sources of short-term finance: internal, external, profits, credit control.
• Long-term finance, the stock exchange, primary and secondary markets, stock listing.
• Shares, share issues, debentures.
• Small business finance, venture capital, funding, business angels, Government roles and support.
• Managing working capital, its definition and elements, the scale of capital.
• Managing stocks, stock ordering systems, MRQ, JIT and inventory control models.
• Budgeting for demand, financial ratios, debtor and credit control.
• The working capital cycle; discounts, collection policies, settlement period.
• Cash management and budgets, the cash cycle.
• Policies for working capital control; balance, banking, overdrafts.