LRN0139 - Financial Analysis and Planning for Non-Financial Managers
Course Description
Designed for non-financial managers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and other decision-makers, this advanced course will take the mystery out of money matters. Throughout this course, financial information that drives your organization, as seen on the business’s reports, will be assessed and analyzed to understand it. An understanding of this information will help you make smart decisions when it comes to budgeting, setting goals, and assessing performance within your own area of influence.
Course Outline
Unit 1 - Financial Strategies
- Your role in Financial Decision Making
- Understand the Language of Finance
- Read the Story: Financial Concept, Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
- The Purpose of Financial Statements
Unit 2 - Financial Dashboard; Introduction to Financial Gauges
- Understand the Basic Financial Concepts
- Financial Strategies
- Financial Gauges: Your financial gauges, Profitability and Performance-based gauges
- Reading Your Financial Gauges: Research and Analysis
Unit 3 - Financial Gauges - Profitability
- Profitability Gauges: Ration Analysis, Ratios
- Sales and Pricing Strategies, Costs of Goods, Sold and Cost of Sales
- Expenses: Budget vs. Actual Analysis/Cost Management and Efficiency
Unit 4 - Financial Gauges - Performance
- Making Money: Goal of Business, Value Growth, Resources
- Assets: Tangible and Intangible and Cash
- Making the most of Liabilities and Equity
- Performance Financial Gauges
- Financial Analysis and Planning
- Summary
About Your Instructor
Jodie Trana has had a career in business consulting and financial management. She then started a consulting and training organization offering educational consulting services to organizations such as the Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship. Jodie contributed the financial chapters for Kauffman’s textbooks and managed the curriculum design and facilitation process for their entrepreneurship educational programs. Her content specialties include accounting, financial analysis, business planning, cash flow analysis, and funding request analysis. Her background includes business and financial management in consulting, construction, non-profit, healthcare, and retail industries.
Learner Outcomes
At the end of this course, you will:
· Know the financial implications of your daily business decisions
· Interpret and respond effectively to the organization’s financial information
· Contribute towards the organization’s profitability goals
· Make decisions that better support the financial performance of the organization
· Communicate business operations in financial terms
· Think in financial terms to better communicate with those in and outside the organization
Notes
How the Course WorksIt is easy to participate in your online course. After you register, you will be given a web address to go to get into your online classroom. You will have a password and use your email address and password to gain access.
Once inside the online classroom, here’s what you can expect.
Participate when you want
You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate.
For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.
Applies Towards the Following Digital Badges
- Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers Digital Badge - Online : Required Courses
What you will do
For each Unit, you will:
- Read the print readings (about 20 pages a week)
- Have the option of accessing the online readings
- Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides
- Have the option of taking a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
- Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants
For best learning, you should make one or more comments at 2-3 different times each week.
The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.
Discussion
The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night.
Your instructor will log into the Discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make 2-3 comment each week to maximize your learning of the course.