Finance & Accounting
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting
This course builds practical finance and accounting skills, covering the accounting cycle, financial statement analysis, costing, budgeting and investment appraisal. Participants learn to read reports critically, control costs and support financial decisions with confidence.
Introduction
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Training Course gives professionals a practical command of the numbers that drive business decisions. Participants learn how accounting records become financial statements, and how those statements feed budgeting, costing, cash planning and investment appraisal. The programme covers the accounting cycle, financial statement analysis, cost behaviour, budgeting techniques and time value of money. Furthermore, it connects finance theory to daily management tasks such as pricing, cost control and working capital management. As a result, delegates can read reports critically, question assumptions and contribute to financial discussions with confidence. Gentex Training Center delivers the programme through worked examples and applied case exercises.
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Course Objectives
- Explain the purpose of finance and accounting functions in an organisation.
- Record transactions and prepare a trial balance using double entry principles.
- Prepare and interpret the statement of financial position, income statement and cash flow statement.
- Apply ratio analysis to assess profitability, liquidity, efficiency and gearing.
- Distinguish fixed, variable, direct and indirect costs and calculate contribution.
- Use costing methods including absorption costing, marginal costing and activity-based costing.
- Perform cost-volume-profit analysis and break-even calculations.
- Prepare operating budgets, cash budgets and rolling forecasts.
- Apply capital budgeting techniques including NPV, IRR and payback period.
- Evaluate working capital, inventory and receivables management decisions.
Course Methodology
The course combines clear explanations with guided numerical practice and case-based discussion. Participants prepare statements, calculate ratios and build budget and appraisal models in Microsoft Excel. In addition, worked examples, group exercises and correction of common errors reinforce each topic, and every day closes with an applied finance exercise.
Who Should Take This Course
- Non-financial managers and department heads.
- New finance staff and accounting assistants.
- Business owners, entrepreneurs and general managers.
- Project managers responsible for budgets and costs.
- Sales, operations and procurement professionals.
- Graduates and administrators moving into finance roles.
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Course Outlines
Finance and Accounting Foundations
- • Purpose of financial and management accounting and their different audiences.
- • Legal forms of business and how they affect reporting.
- • Double entry bookkeeping, journals, ledgers and the trial balance.
- • Accounting concepts: accruals, going concern, consistency and prudence.
- • Chart of accounts design and basic internal controls.
- • Distinction between profit and cash flow.
- • Practice: recording transactions and preparing a trial balance.
Reading and Analysing Financial Statements
- • Structure of the statement of financial position, income statement and cash flow statement.
- • Ratio analysis: profitability, liquidity, efficiency and gearing ratios.
- • Working capital and the cash conversion cycle.
- • Interpreting trends, comparisons and warning signs in accounts.
- • Limitations of financial statements and creative accounting risks.
- • Reading notes to the accounts and audit reports.
- • Practice: analysing a real set of financial statements.
Costing, Pricing and Decision Making
- • Cost classification: fixed, variable, direct, indirect and step costs.
- • Absorption costing versus marginal costing and their profit effects.
- • Activity-based costing for overhead allocation.
- • Cost-volume-profit analysis and break-even calculation.
- • Contribution, margin of safety and target profit analysis.
- • Relevant costing for make-or-buy and special order decisions.
- • Practice: break-even and relevant costing case exercises.
Budgeting and Forecasting
- • Budget cycle, budget committee and behavioural aspects of budgeting.
- • Preparing sales, production, material and labour budgets.
- • Cash budgets and managing liquidity through the budget cycle.
- • Incremental, zero-based and activity-based budgeting approaches.
- • Variance analysis and corrective action.
- • Rolling forecasts and flexible budgeting techniques.
- • Practice: building an operating and cash budget.
Investment Appraisal and Financial Management
- • Time value of money and discounting principles.
- • Investment appraisal using NPV, IRR, payback period and accounting rate of return.
- • Cash flow forecasting for projects and sensitivity testing.
- • Sources of finance and the cost of capital concept.
- • Working capital policies for inventory, receivables and payables.
- • Presenting financial proposals to management.
- • Practice: appraising a project and presenting the recommendation.
Conclusion
By successfully completing Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Training Course, participants will have acquired the knowledge to read financial statements, control costs and plan resources effectively. They will understand double entry recording, ratio analysis, costing methods, budgeting and investment appraisal, and they will know how to apply these tools in daily management decisions. As a result, delegates contribute more confidently to financial discussions. Gentex Training Center builds the programme around practical workplace application.
FAQs for the Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting course
— What is the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course about?
It explains how financial records turn into statements, and how those statements support budgeting, costing and investment decisions. You cover double entry, ratio analysis, cost behaviour, budgeting and appraisal techniques with practical exercises.
— What are the key benefits of the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
You gain the confidence to read and question financial reports, which sharpens the decisions you make about costs, pricing and budgets. You also improve cash control, reduce reliance on others for basic analysis, and communicate more credibly with finance teams.
— What skills will I gain from the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
You will gain financial statement preparation and analysis, cost and management accounting, budgeting and forecasting, and investment appraisal and financial decision-making.
— What tools, methods, or standards are covered in the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
The course covers double entry bookkeeping and the accounting cycle, ratio analysis including liquidity and gearing ratios, absorption and marginal costing, activity-based costing, cost-volume-profit and break-even analysis, variance analysis, zero-based budgeting, and NPV, IRR and payback appraisal techniques.
— How is the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course applied in real-world practice?
Graduates apply it to review departmental performance, build and challenge budgets, assess pricing and product profitability, control working capital, appraise investment proposals, and explain financial results to colleagues and senior managers.
Scheduling in Progress | Training Arranged Around Your Needs
Our team can coordinate this program based on available dates and locations. Contact us to explore training options that best fit your needs.
Introduction
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Training Course gives professionals a practical command of the numbers that drive business decisions. Participants learn how accounting records become financial statements, and how those statements feed budgeting, costing, cash planning and investment appraisal. The programme covers the accounting cycle, financial statement analysis, cost behaviour, budgeting techniques and time value of money. Furthermore, it connects finance theory to daily management tasks such as pricing, cost control and working capital management. As a result, delegates can read reports critically, question assumptions and contribute to financial discussions with confidence. Gentex Training Center delivers the programme through worked examples and applied case exercises.
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Course Objectives
- Explain the purpose of finance and accounting functions in an organisation.
- Record transactions and prepare a trial balance using double entry principles.
- Prepare and interpret the statement of financial position, income statement and cash flow statement.
- Apply ratio analysis to assess profitability, liquidity, efficiency and gearing.
- Distinguish fixed, variable, direct and indirect costs and calculate contribution.
- Use costing methods including absorption costing, marginal costing and activity-based costing.
- Perform cost-volume-profit analysis and break-even calculations.
- Prepare operating budgets, cash budgets and rolling forecasts.
- Apply capital budgeting techniques including NPV, IRR and payback period.
- Evaluate working capital, inventory and receivables management decisions.
Course Methodology
The course combines clear explanations with guided numerical practice and case-based discussion. Participants prepare statements, calculate ratios and build budget and appraisal models in Microsoft Excel. In addition, worked examples, group exercises and correction of common errors reinforce each topic, and every day closes with an applied finance exercise.
Who Should Take This Course
- Non-financial managers and department heads.
- New finance staff and accounting assistants.
- Business owners, entrepreneurs and general managers.
- Project managers responsible for budgets and costs.
- Sales, operations and procurement professionals.
- Graduates and administrators moving into finance roles.
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Course Outlines
Finance and Accounting Foundations
- • Purpose of financial and management accounting and their different audiences.
- • Legal forms of business and how they affect reporting.
- • Double entry bookkeeping, journals, ledgers and the trial balance.
- • Accounting concepts: accruals, going concern, consistency and prudence.
- • Chart of accounts design and basic internal controls.
- • Distinction between profit and cash flow.
- • Practice: recording transactions and preparing a trial balance.
Reading and Analysing Financial Statements
- • Structure of the statement of financial position, income statement and cash flow statement.
- • Ratio analysis: profitability, liquidity, efficiency and gearing ratios.
- • Working capital and the cash conversion cycle.
- • Interpreting trends, comparisons and warning signs in accounts.
- • Limitations of financial statements and creative accounting risks.
- • Reading notes to the accounts and audit reports.
- • Practice: analysing a real set of financial statements.
Costing, Pricing and Decision Making
- • Cost classification: fixed, variable, direct, indirect and step costs.
- • Absorption costing versus marginal costing and their profit effects.
- • Activity-based costing for overhead allocation.
- • Cost-volume-profit analysis and break-even calculation.
- • Contribution, margin of safety and target profit analysis.
- • Relevant costing for make-or-buy and special order decisions.
- • Practice: break-even and relevant costing case exercises.
Budgeting and Forecasting
- • Budget cycle, budget committee and behavioural aspects of budgeting.
- • Preparing sales, production, material and labour budgets.
- • Cash budgets and managing liquidity through the budget cycle.
- • Incremental, zero-based and activity-based budgeting approaches.
- • Variance analysis and corrective action.
- • Rolling forecasts and flexible budgeting techniques.
- • Practice: building an operating and cash budget.
Investment Appraisal and Financial Management
- • Time value of money and discounting principles.
- • Investment appraisal using NPV, IRR, payback period and accounting rate of return.
- • Cash flow forecasting for projects and sensitivity testing.
- • Sources of finance and the cost of capital concept.
- • Working capital policies for inventory, receivables and payables.
- • Presenting financial proposals to management.
- • Practice: appraising a project and presenting the recommendation.
Conclusion
By successfully completing Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Training Course, participants will have acquired the knowledge to read financial statements, control costs and plan resources effectively. They will understand double entry recording, ratio analysis, costing methods, budgeting and investment appraisal, and they will know how to apply these tools in daily management decisions. As a result, delegates contribute more confidently to financial discussions. Gentex Training Center builds the programme around practical workplace application.
FAQs for the Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting course
— What is the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course about?
It explains how financial records turn into statements, and how those statements support budgeting, costing and investment decisions. You cover double entry, ratio analysis, cost behaviour, budgeting and appraisal techniques with practical exercises.
— What are the key benefits of the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
You gain the confidence to read and question financial reports, which sharpens the decisions you make about costs, pricing and budgets. You also improve cash control, reduce reliance on others for basic analysis, and communicate more credibly with finance teams.
— What skills will I gain from the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
You will gain financial statement preparation and analysis, cost and management accounting, budgeting and forecasting, and investment appraisal and financial decision-making.
— What tools, methods, or standards are covered in the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course?
The course covers double entry bookkeeping and the accounting cycle, ratio analysis including liquidity and gearing ratios, absorption and marginal costing, activity-based costing, cost-volume-profit and break-even analysis, variance analysis, zero-based budgeting, and NPV, IRR and payback appraisal techniques.
— How is the "Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting" course applied in real-world practice?
Graduates apply it to review departmental performance, build and challenge budgets, assess pricing and product profitability, control working capital, appraise investment proposals, and explain financial results to colleagues and senior managers.
Partners in Learning
Our Partners in Learning include leading companies and organizations that trust Gentex Training Center for high-quality training courses and professional development programs. Together, we deliver impactful training programs that support skills growth, leadership development, and organizational excellence.
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