The Oxford Advanced Finance Programme

INTRODUCTION

This leading edge 10-day GLOMACS training seminar entitled, The Oxford Advanced Finance Programme is a must for all those who would like to attend a course that comprehensively deals with all the key topics of strategic management, financial planning, and financial management. It is also for those who wish to sharpen up their financial management skills, or who wish to refresh or update the skills they already have.

The 10-day GLOMACS training seminar highlights:

• Strategic decision-making, financial planning, forecasting and budgeting
• The financial statements and their links with financial planning, budgeting and decision-making
• Ratio analysis of the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows
• Traditional costing, and Activity Based Costing (ABC), Budgeting (ABB) and Management (ABM)
• Financing decisions, capital structure optimisation, and Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)
• Performance measurement systems including budgeting and budgetary control, and the linking of KPIs to strategies using a balanced scorecard
• Interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate risk exposures, and financial risk management
• Capital project investment appraisal using Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), business valuations, acquisitions and restructuring

MODULES

This training course is split into two modules:

MODULE I - Understanding Finance to Influence Strategic Decisions

MODULE II - Financial Analysis, Planning & Control

Each module is structured and can be taken as a stand-alone training course; however, delegates will maximise their benefits by taking Module 1 and 2 back-to-back as a 2-week training course.

Objectives

This GLOMACS training seminar provides delegates with the knowledge required to find better answers to questions such as:

• How are business strategies developed?
• How does financial management support strategic development?
• What is the exact nature and scope of the business problems to be analysed?
• Which specific variables, relationships, and trends are likely to be helpful in analysing problems?
• Are there possible ways to obtain a quick ‘ballpark’ estimates of likely outcomes of decisions?
• How precise an answer is necessary with regards to problem-solving and decision-making?
• How reliable are available financial data, and how is uncertainty and risk likely to impact on the outcomes of decisions?
• In economic and financial analysis, what are the implications and relative importance of cash flow as distinct from accounting profit?
• What limitations are inherent in financial data and the key financial statements, and how will these affect financial analysis?
• How important are qualitative judgments in the context of decision-making?

Training Methodology

This GLOMACS training seminar entitled, The Oxford Advanced Finance Programme includes numerous practical examples and real life illustrations, and participative exercises and case studies. It will be presented in a very user-friendly way to suit individuals with varying levels of financial knowledge and experience. Our aim is for this to be an enjoyable learning experience. The training methodology combines presentations, discussions, team exercises and case studies. Delegates will gain both a theoretical and a practical knowledge of all the topics covered. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result, delegates will return to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned.

Organisational Impact

This GLOMACS training seminar will enable delegates to:

• Recognise the importance of finance as a component of the strategic decision-making process
• Appreciate the significance of the theoretical concepts underlying the use of financial tools in the strategic decision-making process
• Apply the appropriate financial tools in the strategic decision-making process
• Identify the impact of external factors on a company’s strategic financial plans and decision-making
• Evaluate the financial consequences of alternative strategic decisions

Organisations should benefit from an increase in the ability of their managers to understand and analyse the key financial statements and anticipate the financial factors that form the basis of strategic decision-making, which should ultimately result in better strategic planning, and improved company performance.

All the topics in this training seminar are considered in the context of maximisation of shareholder wealth, which is the primary objective of all commercial organisations.

Personal Impact

• Enable individuals to broaden their financial knowledge, develop and manage the financial aspects of their role more effectively, and enhance their performance
• Increase their self-confidence in dealing with financial issues and financial professionals
• Better understanding of how financial considerations help to support an organisation's strategic decisions
• Enable them to better appreciate how such decisions may affect their own departments or business units, as well as their companies
• Acquire the ability, when involved in decisions about investment, operations, or financing, to choose the most appropriate tools from the wide variety of financial techniques available to provide a quantitative analysis

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This GLOMACS training seminar is designed for business professionals that need or wish to understand the financial aspects of the strategic decision-making process. It is crucial for every role and at every management level in the organisation, including for example:

• Sales and Marketing
• Engineering
• Project Management
• Purchasing
• Logistics
• Human Resources, and is a ‘must’ for:
  • Interns, financial analysts, financial controllers, accountants, treasurers, corporate planning and business development professionals, and others active in the planning process
  • Middle and junior management as a useful element in their career advancement

All participants will be able to offer their input, based on their individual experiences, and will find the training seminar a useful forum for upgrading and enhancing their understanding of best corporate financial practices in the areas covered.