Introduction: Building a Common Financial Language

•             How budgeting and cost control affects the contemporary organization.
•         The 21st century business imperative: delivering value added (but to whom?)
•          Cross-functional process-view of the organization
•          Financial vs. Managerial accounting (decision making)
•          Integrate financial and non-financial aspects

Contributing effectively to Strategic Planning

•          Budgeting and Cost analysis
•          Cost concepts and terminology
•          Different costs for different purposes
•          Fixed Vs Variable costs: the Cost-Volume-Profit analysis model
•          Contribution Margin analysis
•          Manufacturing vs. non-manufacturing costs
•         Period Vs. Product costs: inventory evaluation and control

Linking Budgeting and Forecasting into the Business' Strategy

Traditional vs. Advanced Techniques in Cost-control

•          Under-costing and over-costing: the consequences for profitability
•          How to refine a costing system?
•          Indirect (OH) Vs. Direct costs: Traditional Cost Allocations systems Vs. Activity-Based Costing (ABC)
•         Cost hierarchy & Cost drivers
•          Linking resources, activities and management
•          Introducing Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) and Management (ABM)

Preparing Rolling Forecasts

•          Role of forecasts and the link to strategy
•          Comparing and contrasting budgets and forecasts
•        Identifying key business drivers
•          The rolling forecast process
•          Forecasting methods

Applying best practice' risk management and control in your area

•           Role of risk management in corporate governance
•        Finance' role in supporting risk management
•         Cost / Effective risk management in Finance' own processes

Cutting costs and improving effectiveness

•          Role of cost management in the business strategy
•         Cost management and motivation
•         Embedding cost control in the business
•         Role of Finance in cost control

Beyond the Budgets: Balanced scorecards and Six-sigma

•          Broadening performance measurement systems
•       The key role of customer satisfaction and business process reengineering
•        Beyond budgeting: integrating financial and non-financial issues
•        Introducing the Balanced Scorecard
•         Introducing the Strategy maps