Developing Commercial Awareness

Who and why?

Whatever the business, charity or global multinational, your organisation needs to deal with money. Managers who understand the core elements of finance are crucial to your commercial health. It is therefore essential your managers have some financial awareness to underpin their management skills.

This course is aimed at managers who need a grasp of the key drivers of profitable and sustainable growth in business. As the business climate becomes ever more competitive in the light of increasingly challenging economic conditions, the ability to understand the commercial imperative is now a key management skill. It is designed for anyone who needs to improve their finance knowledge, from those without the basic tools to those who want a refresher.

Course overview

This course demonstrates financial concepts through real business scenarios that delegates can relate to, showing them how their actions and decisions can impact on the organisation’s financial working.

The course enables delegates to confidently evaluate performance from the viewpoint of different stakeholder groups. They will be ready to identify and respond to the risks and constraints that could have a significant impact on their organisation’s future prospects.

Among topics covered are critical thinking, preparing a business case, executing strategy and market mapping. 

Key learning points

By the end of the course delegates will be able to:

• Confidently evaluate performance from the viewpoint of different stakeholder groups
• Identify and respond to risks
• Properly compare year on year performance
• Fully assess the competition
• Attain a better appreciation of issues relating to quality, delivery, performance and pricing
• Evaluate constraints that could have significant impact on their organisation’s future prospects
• Understand the basic principles of capital appraisal
• Apply the theory of pricing
• Analyse organisational data e.g. accruals, deferrals, provisions, P & L, cash flow, etc.
• Manage working capital