EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

The Essentials of Finance & Accounting for Non-Financial Managers

Dates: March 10-12, 2008 On-Line Application
             Or November 5 - 7, 2008 On-Line Application

Location: James M. Collins Executive Education Center (Dallas, TX)
Program Fees:$2,695 for Individual; Team discount of 10% for 3 or more if applications are submitted together
Quick Links:  Key Topics, On-line Brochure (PDF), Cancellation Policy

Understanding the Numbers

This three-day program will provide you with a better understanding of the numbers side of your business.

The first day of the program begins at the most fundamental level and introduces basic accounting terminology and concepts. The three primary financial statements - the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows - are described in detail. Differences between cash and accrual-based accounting are highlighted. Then, participants together construct and interpret a set of financial statements.

Day two of the course builds on these fundamental principles, demonstrating how to use financial statement data to evaluate financial performance and how to forecast future resource needs. The day ends with an introduction to capital budgeting and project decision-making techniques.

The final day moves into the realm of Managerial Accounting. Here, the focus will be on using relevant cost and financial data to make better business decisions. The course concludes with a discussion of performance metrics and management control systems.

Who Should Attend

• Managers at all levels who work in non-financial areas
• Technical managers with profit-loss and/or budget responsibilities
• Individuals targeted for promotion
• Anyone needing an introductory look at financial basics and financial statements

Key Benefits

• Gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of finance and accounting basics
• Follow a step-by-step approach to grasping the three primary financial statements, how they interact, and the role of each
• Learn how to use accounting and financial data to evaluate your firm's performance against the competition and to make better business decisions
• Learn the basic principles of finance to better assess and select projects and investments
• Gain an understanding of cost behavior: fixed costs, variable costs, break-even analysis, contribution margin, etc.
• Enhance your ability to make business decisions

Program Leaders 

Dr. Jeff Austin is a Senior Lecturer of Accounting at SMU's Cox School of Business where he teaches managerial accounting, management control systems, tax accounting, and auditing in the graduate and undergraduate programs. In 2004, he received the Cox BBA Outstanding Teaching Award. He is a CPA and holds an MSA and a PhD degree from the University of Georgia. Formerly he was a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma where he was recognized with teaching awards. He has written articles for The Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, and Financial Services Review. Prior to SMU, he was employed by Arthur Andersen and Price Waterhouse.  

Dr. Hemang Desai is Associate Professor of Accounting at SMU's Cox School of Business where he teaches intermediate accounting to undergraduates and mergers and acquisitions to MBAs. He has won teaching awards in executive education and at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His primary research interests involve accounting issues related to corporate finance, investments, and capital markets.

Dr. Jody Magliolo is Professor and Distinguished Chair of Accounting at SMU. He has been the recipient of teaching excellence awards for graduate student instruction at both Wharton and SMU. His primary teaching interests are in financial accounting and financial statement analysis, with a specialization in oil and gas accounting.