“I only wish I had done something like this a long while ago. Not only would I have been wiser, it would have saved me hours of work in some cases. Certainly one of the best courses I have ever been on and probably the only one to keep my attention throughout!
MH – Major General, British Army 

I recommend this course to anyone who intends setting about a career in general management or indeed their own business. I am currently starting to understand my own company accounts and asking many questions of my finance department that I would never have asked in the past.
E G – Operations Manager, UK Plc (former Warrant Officer, UKSF)

Aim of the module

This immensely popular residential module, which also goes by the internationally recognised name Accounting for Non-Accountants, is a must for anyone taking up employment in business or administration in the public or private sectors. It is designed to give delegates a great grounding in accounting and how it can contribute to effective management.

As well as a standalone course in its own right, it is also a module counting towards a Level 5 or 7 Certificate or Diploma in Executive Management when used in conjunction with the two-week "Success in Business Management" module which provides the mandatory credits for those qualifications. See Level 7 Qualifications in Executive Management for further details.

Accounting has an undeserved reputation of being a dull subject. The aim here is to get the information across in a stimulating and entertaining manner but without losing any of the required rigour. The consistent popularity of the module over the years shows how effective this approach has been. The instructors involved have a wealth of business experience to draw on and a particularly attractive feature is the way in which they use this experience to illustrate and emphasise the subject matter.

Successful completion of this module and the associated assessments (see Qualifications) results in the award of 12 Units of Credit towards the Level 5 or 7 Executive Management qualifications.

Module Content

The module explores the Accounting Function and its relationship with other business activities. It examines in detail the nature and scope of financial accounting, accounting conventions and standards, the interpretation and analysis of company accounts and the analysis and presentation of financial information to assist managers in making decisions. It is highly interactive and participation by delegates is very much encouraged. Delivery involves the use of a comprehensive, specially written manual, lectures, practical exercises, case studies and videos.

Topics covered during the week include:-

• The recording and reporting of financial information
• The Income Statement and Balance Sheet
• Cash Flow forecasting and the control of cash
• The analysis and interpretation of company accounts
• Business ratios/Indicators of performance and financial position
• Management Accounting & Budgetting
• The use of accounting information in decision making
• The control of Costs/Cost Accounting
• Pricing