Course Overview
How do I become a certified financial analyst?
A sound public sector financial management is essential for good governance, macro-economic stability, effective use of available funds. It includes mobilizing revenue, allocating public fund, and undertake public spending to ensure that necessary amenities are available to its citizens. The government must have the confidence of the people that they will get the necessary return for the money they have paid and there is no pilferage or waste. Only then the government will be able to mobilize the desired level of revenue. Besides, Public finance in most countries is approximately 30-40 % of the GDP so it is a big portion of the economy as a whole as well as in absolute number. Financial analysts are responsible for financial planning and analyses of the organisation. You can become a certified financial analyst in several ways and this Zoe course is a great opportunity to get there.
The role of financial analysts in commercial organisations is equally important. Financial reports give a deep insight into the financial health of the company. They forecast future revenues and expenditures to establish cost structures and help develop the organisations budgets and projections.
Financial analysts leverage strong accounting and compliance knowledge to analyse financial statements, historical financial information and market trends. With the increasing use of technology, one of the most common requirements for financial analysts is an understanding of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
What skills should a CFA have?
Essential skills for a financial analyst include:
- Analysing financial statements of the organisation
- Comparing results with previous periods/ budgeted figures
- Preparing variance analyses and investigating reasons for the same
- Evaluating development / capital expenditures requirements and sources of funds
- Establishing and evaluating profit plans
- Analysing revenue streams and recommending and recommending improvements
- Coordinating with other members of the finance team to review cost control and working capital management
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements
Course Objectives
Objectives of this course are to ensure that the participants:
- Understand the effectiveness of financial planning, its importance and impact on profitability
- Understand various sources of finance with their utilisation, based on cost of capital
- Based on a full appraisal, make sound investment decisions
- Obtain an overview of the financial statements and management reports to evaluate company’s performance
- Recognize concepts of analyses (horizontal/vertical)
- Understand how financial planning is affected by cost behaviour
- Provide an analytical results of single business units
- Identify which type of budget will suit the organization best
- Reduce the operating cycle by understanding the components of working capital
- Are equipped to manage and control budgets and forward plans
- Discover the advantages of an efficient E.R.P. system
- Recognize the best practices in financial management
Training Methodology
Zoe’s collaborative Certified Financial Analyst Course, will comprise the following training methods:
- Lectures
- Seminars & Presentations
- Group Discussions
- Assignments
- Case Studies & Functional Exercises
Like all our acclaimed courses, this program also follows the ‘Do-Review-Learn-Apply’ model, which is a unique way of training by Zoe Talent Solutions.
Organisational Benefits
Companies who nominate their employees to participate in this Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis Course can benefit the organisation in the following ways:
- Identify the merits of the corporate financial planning process in detail
- Align the planning process with the overall strategic plan and fiscal policy
- Plan development/capital expenditure with sound assumptions and funding needs
- Perform a good end-to-end investment evaluation to improve return on investment
- Understand how to calculate cost of capital as well as approximate fund requirements
- Ensure an inflow and outflow balance to preserve a strong liquidity position
- Assess financial statements and track performance in comparison with trends in the marketplace
- Comprehend which budgets are most suited to the organization
- Understand budget components with distinction between revenue and capital expenditure
- Allocate budget smartly based on each department/ division’s requirements
- Identify areas for cost-cutting and understand cost behavior
- Evaluate working capital requisites
- Adopt best practices of fiscal policies and procedures
Personal Benefits
Upon completion of this course, individuals attending the course will be able to:
- Understand and apply key accounting concepts for financial planning
- Evaluate capital structure, understand equity and debt capital and calculate cost of capital
- Create sensitivity analysis after conducting investment appraisals
- Measure net cash flow for projects
- Formulate an Integrated Financial Model to prepare budgets
- Gain thorough understanding of cost behaviour and learn to prepare variance analyses
- Distinguish between revenue and capital expenditure affecting strategic planning
- Understanding of working capital needs and how to optimize them
- Liaise with decision makers to ready the business’s financial plans under valid assumptions
- Evaluate financial report and understand flow of information within the statements
- Report ratio analysis to senior management and decision makers of the organization
- Build opportunities for individual development and more financial attentiveness
Who should attend?
- Managing Directors
- Financial Controllers and CFO’s.
- Members of the Revenue Board
- Internal auditors.
- Senior executives and members of finance department
- Professionals aspiring to be Financial Analysts
- Data analysts
- Risk Officers
Course Outline
Module 1: Accounting Concepts
- Accounting Conventions
- Accounting Policies
- Revenue Recognition
- International Accounting Standards (IAS)
- International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)
Module 2: Financial Accounts
- Components of Financial Reports
- Balance Sheet
- Profit & Loss Statement
- Statement of Cash Flow
- Statement of Changes in Equity
- Accompanying Notes to the Accounts
- Ratio Analysis
- Vertical Balance Sheet & P&L Statement
- Horizontal Balance Sheet & P&L Statement
Module 3: Budget Process and Management
- Preparation of Master Budget
- Fixed v/s Flexible Budgets
- Quarterly Reviews
- Forward Planning
- Budget/ Actual Comparison
- Zero based Budgets
Module 4: Sources of Finance
- Equity and Debt Financing
- Revenue Management
- Sources of International Finance
- Gearing ratios
- Cost of Capital
- Weighted Average Cost of Capital
Module 5: Development/ Capital Expenditure
- Capital Investment Appraisal
- Return on Investment
- Payback period
- Net present Value
- Internal Rate of Return
- Public- Private Partnerships
Module 6: Identifying and Managing Risk and Uncertainties
- Risk
- Identification
- Rating
- Mitigation
- Monitoring
- Reporting
Module 7: Cost Accounting
- Total Absorption Costing
- Marginal Costing
- Contribution Margin
- Break-even Analysis
- Sensitivity Analysis
- Variance Analysis
- Price Variance
- Quantity Variance
- Mix Variance
Module 8: Enterprise Resource Management (ERP)
- Sales
- Bill of material
- Material Management
- Procurement
- Production
- Integration with Finance Module
Module 9: Working Capital Control
- Inventory Control
- Accounts Receivable
- Accounts Payable
- Reconciliation of Sub-ledgers
- Other Current Assets & Current Liabilities
- Tax and Deferred Taxation
