Advanced Financial Analysis

This course brings together the key elements of financial statement analysis. It will enable participants to ask the right questions, see the real risks facing businesses and investors, feel more confident in their ability to comment on business activities and performance, and analyze financial health for management. These skills and the required technical knowledge will be put into practice throughout the course using interactive examples and case studies, putting theory and technique into context.

The course uses a mix of interactive techniques, such as brief presentations by the consultant, group exercises and case studies using Excel to apply knowledge acquired throughout the course, followed by presentations by the participants.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• List and differentiate between the important components of basic financial statements
• Explain financial statements' ratios and design Excel sheets and graphs for financial statements analysis
• Give examples of creative accounting schemes and discuss the validity of the used accounting rules
• Assess the quality of financial reports and evaluate quality of the reported earnings and cash flows
• Analyze the financial position and performance of a company over a period of time and draw conclusions regarding its sustainability
• Forecast financial statements based on the analysis of the historical performance of a company

Chief accountants, accounting managers, senior accountants, finance directors, finance managers, financial analysts, financial controllers, financial accounts managers, heads of finance departments, credit controllers, corporate financiers, credit risk analysts, bankers, and relationship managers.

• Understanding financial statements
• Reading annual reports
• Processing financial data
• Financial analysis
• Credit analysis
• Risk management
• Criticizing financial reporting standards used
• Applying professional skepticism
• Identifying financial fraud
• Financial forecasting