This programme is designed for professionals who are not finance specialists, but whose decisions directly influence financial performance:
• sales and marketing managers,
• engineers and project managers,
• operations and logistics specialists,
• product managers,
• HR and procurement professionals,
• middle and senior managers,
• high-potential talents preparing for leadership roles.

It is especially valuable for those who:
• work in international environments,
• cooperate with finance departments,
• take responsibility for budgets, projects, profitability or investments,
• want to speak the language of finance with confidence.
No prior financial background is required.

After completing the programme, participants will be able to:
• understand financial statements (Balance Sheet, P&L, Cash Flow) and see how daily decisions translate into financial results,
• interpret key financial ratios and assess profitability, liquidity, efficiency and risk,
• plan and control budgets and cash flows in their own areas of responsibility,
• use cost information to evaluate products, services and projects,
• understand break-even, margins and leverage and their impact on business risk,
• evaluate investments using professional financial criteria (NPV, IRR, Payback),
• communicate effectively with CFOs, controllers and investors.
This is not accounting theory — it is financial literacy for business decision-makers.

The programme combines:
• clear, structured explanations in business English,
• real business examples and case illustrations,
• hands-on calculations and exercises,
• practical managerial perspective.
Participants do not only learn what the numbers are — they learn how to use them in management practice.

1. Financial language of business
Participants learn how to “read” the financial reality of a company.
• Cost concepts: fixed vs variable, direct vs indirect, overheads.
• Financial accounting vs management accounting and controlling.
• Structure of financial statements:
o Balance Sheet,
o Profit & Loss Statement,
o Cash Flow Statement.
• How profit, assets, liabilities and cash are interconnected.
• Key business metrics: EBIT, EBITDA, operating cash flow.

2. Financial analysis for managers
Understanding what the numbers really say about business performance.
• Key financial ratios:
o Liquidity,
o profitability (ROI, ROA, ROS),
o debt and financial risk,
o asset utilisation,
o market indicators.
• DuPont model: how profit, efficiency and capital structure interact.
• Financial planning and budgeting.
• Cash conversion cycle and working capital management.

3. Using accounting and controlling in management
How managers use cost and performance information to run the business.
• Assigning costs to products, services and projects.
• Product and service costing.
• Variable vs absorption costing.
• Profitability analysis.
• Break-even point and margin of safety.
• Operating and financial leverage — how risk is created and managed.

4. Investment decision-making
How companies decide whether projects create or destroy value.
• Time value of money.
• Core investment appraisal methods:
o Net Present Value (NPV),
o Internal Rate of Return (IRR),
o Payback Period,
o Accounting Rate of Return,
o Profitability Index.
• Risk and uncertainty in investment decisions.

Participants leave the programme able to:
• make financially informed decisions,
• better control costs, margins and cash,
• communicate effectively with finance teams,
• understand how their work affects profitability, liquidity and company value.
This is exactly what modern organizations expect from non-financial managers in leadership roles.